Sioned Williams MS critical of seven-year delay on public health measure which “could have a real, negative impact on the health of local children”
Sioned Williams MS, Member of Senedd for South Wales West, has today hit out at Welsh Government for a seven-year delay to “vital” health regulations.
The Public Health (Wales) Act of 2017 places a statutory duty on Welsh Government to bring forward regulations that make Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) by public bodies compulsory. The Act states that a HIA is “an assessment of the likely effect both in the short and long term of a proposed action or decision on physical and mental health of the people of Wales or of some of the people of Wales.”
When questioned about HIAs in June 2023, First Minister Eluned Morgan, in her capacity as Health Minister, presented them as “truly innovative” and “something I know that the World Health Organization is really interested in”. However it wasn’t until December 2023 that Welsh Government opened a consultation on HIAs, six years after the statutory duty was passed. Despite this closing in March 2024, there has been no further update from Welsh Government.
Sioned Williams MS, who also speaks for Plaid Cymru on Social Justice and Early Years, has pointed to a “real world example” in her region, where planning for a McDonalds has been approved for a site in Pontardawe which is connected to Cwmtawe Community School via a footbridge, and which is on the designated safe school walking route.
The Chief Medical Officer for Wales has previously raised concerns that one in three children in Wales start primary school overweight or obese, and Public Health Wales has estimated the cost of obesity to the NHS in Wales is £73 million, which is expected to rise to £465 million by 2050.
While Sioned Williams MS and the local Plaid Cymru councillor Nia Jenkins had objected to the proposal on grounds of there being valid concerns about the health of school children in particular, the Head of Planning and Public Protection for Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council had previously written to Sioned Williams to confirm that currently “…there is no statutory requirement for the submission of a Health Impact Assessment (HIA)…”. Neath Port Talbot planning committee conducted a site visit on 13 August 2024, following which they took the decision to approve the application.
Sioned Williams MS, Member of Senedd for South Wales West said:
“The incredible pressure our NHS is under is well publicised, and while Welsh Government talks the talk about preventative health measures in order to relieve the burden, they are yet to walk the walk when it comes to implementing them across the programme of government.
“Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) are being touted by Welsh Government as being world leading and purported to have grabbed the attention of the World Health Organization. Yet, seven years after there being a statutory duty on Welsh Government to implement them, we have no further news of when these will be enacted to cover local authorities.
“In the meantime, we have real world examples of planning decisions being taken that could have a real, negative impact on the health of local children. The McDonalds proposed for Pontardawe is on the doorstep of Cwmtawe Community School, within easy walking distance of Alltwen Primary and YGG Pontardawe and under 1.5 miles from four other primary schools in the area. A requirement to conduct a Health Impact Assessment could play a crucial role in enabling the council to evaluate the potential health impact of their actions.
“Only last month Eluned Morgan looked into banning free refills on sugary drinks, and she’s previously talked about banning meal deals, but her slow action on HIAs has left the way clear for fast food outlets to pop up outside school gates, and is very much like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.”