Welcoming the passing of the Bill, Minister for Social Services and Public Health, Rebecca Evans said:

“This is a landmark day for public health in Wales. The Public Health (Wales) Bill is a radical piece of legislation which will improve and protect the health and wellbeing of the nation.

“Once law, the Bill will make a real difference to people in Wales. Children will be protected from the harms of second hand smoke and the dangers of intimate piercing; better planning of public toilet provision should mean older people, people with disabilities, and people caring for young children won’t be put off leaving the house; while anybody undergoing a special procedure will be able to have confidence that the person carrying it out has safe working practices.

“All of us will benefit from the requirements on public bodies to assess how their decisions will affect people’s physical and mental health, and the move to make the planning of pharmacy services more responsive to the needs of communities.

“I would like to thank all of the partners who worked with us to develop the Bill, and Assembly Members, whose constructive scrutiny has strengthened the final legislation. This radical new law will have a significant, lasting positive impact on health in Wales.” 

Assembly Members will vote for the final time on the Public Health (Wales) Bill this afternoon. 

The Bill aims to protect young people’s health through banning smoking in school grounds, public playgrounds, and the outdoor areas of registered childcare settings, as well as in hospital grounds. It prohibits tobacco and nicotine products from being handed over to under 18s by home delivery or collection services and creates a national register of retailers of tobacco and nicotine products. 

It will also protect health and wellbeing through:

• Creating a mandatory licensing scheme for ‘special procedures’, namely acupuncture, body piercing, electrolysis and tattooing, and prohibiting the intimate piercing of anybody under the age of 18.
• Placing a duty on local authorities to prepare and publish a local toilets strategy, including an assessment of the need for toilets for public use and details of how that need will be met.  
• Requiring public bodies in Wales to assess how their decisions will affect people’s physical and mental health.
• Making the planning of pharmacy services more responsive to the needs of their local community.
• Placing a duty on the Welsh Government to produce a national strategy on preventing and reducing obesity.

Speaking ahead of the debate, Minister for Social Services and Public Health, Rebecca Evans said:

“The Public Health (Wales) Bill is the latest in a long line of measures the Welsh Government has introduced to improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Wales. If passed, it will create the conditions which enable people to live healthy lives and will protect them from preventable harm.

“It has a particular focus on promoting children and young people’s health. Proposals such as the ban on smoking in school grounds, childcare settings, and playgrounds are intended to prevent children from being exposed to smoking behaviours, making it less likely that they’ll take up smoking themselves.

“Today is an opportunity for us to pass a radical Welsh law that will meet the needs of people in Wales. I look forward to the vote later today.”

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Frank Atherton said:

“This Bill will help to keep pace with emerging public health concerns. In recent years, body piercing and tattooing have become increasingly popular. This Bill will ensure that only those with safe working practices can carry out these procedures.  

“As a result of scrutiny by the National Assembly, the Bill will also provide a legislative focus for our work to tackle the major public health challenge of obesity.”

The Wales Animal Health and Welfare Framework Group, set up in June 2014, supports the development and implementation of the Wales Animal Health and Welfare Framework. Its pivotal role is to ensure there is a recognised link between the Welsh Government, livestock keepers, other animal owners and industry representatives, covering a wide range of animal health and welfare issues.

Lesley Griffiths said:

“I am pleased to welcome Abi and Paula to the Wales Animal Health and Welfare Framework Group. Both will bring a wealth of know-how and experience to the Group and I look forward to working closely with them on animal health and welfare issues.”

The appointments were made in accordance with the Commissioner’s Code of Practice on Ministerial Appointments. Both will run from 1 June 2017 to 31 May 2020. 

The new production facility will be based at Trident Park, Ocean Way, close to Cardiff City Centre and has been acquired by the Welsh Government. It will be leased on commercial terms and provide studio facilities for Bad Wolf’s production slate as well as being able to accommodate other major TV productions.

Bad Wolf will film all of their forthcoming productions in the studio, including the series A Discovery of Witches and His Dark Materials and with many other productions in development it marks a significant investment in Wales as an international television production hub. 

It will be the only studio in Wales able to offer stage space with a maximum eave height of 17.5 metres (57ft) making it an attractive proposition for high end television productions and big budget feature films from around the world. It is also an essential requirement to accommodate some of Bad Wolf’s productions.

On a visit to the site today with Jane Tranter, Chief Executive Officer and Julie Gardner, Managing Director of Bad Wolf, Economy Secretary Ken Skates described it as a strategically important acquisition that would meet the growing high demand for studio space in Wales which is competing against increasing supply in other regions of the UK.

He said:

 “A facility of this size will ensure Wales retains a competitive advantage with enough large scale studio space to service the productions wishing to film here. It has real potential to generate a transformational impact on the Welsh creative industries sector, creating a large scale film and TV production hub.”

Bad Wolf – co-sited in Wales and the US – was set up in 2015 by Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner, award winning TV executives to exploit their US relationships and IP to secure, develop and produce a high-value slate of TV drama projects in Wales.

Bad Wolf’s requirements for studio space in Wales were specific – they needed a minimum of 200,000 sq ft of shooting space, two large stages with ceiling heights of more than 10 metres suitable for accommodating large scale productions and additional office space. 

The two linked high bay units at Trident Park – totalling 253,500 sq ft – meet these specifications and are conveniently located with direct access to the M4 with good public transport connections and provide access to a critical mass of Wales based main crew and supply chain companies.

Following a tour of the studio space Ken Skates said:

“A facility capable of accommodating large scale productions is crucial for Bad Wolf to deliver its pipeline of projects which will provide a £120m plus boost for the film and TV sector in Wales. It will also be a key asset for the creative sector in Wales providing facilities to other major TV productions.

“It will deliver long term sustainable economic benefits to Wales, strengthen the skills base and supply chain, attract inward investment and tourism. In addition it will further raise the profile of Wales TV drama production around the world and support the continued growth in TV drama production in Wales.”

Jane Tranter from Bad Wolf said: 

“Wolf Studios Wales is set to be a world class facility situated at the heart of a thriving creative and production community in Cardiff.  Wales has seen a resurgence in television and film production over recent years and studio space is much sought after.  With so many Bad Wolf productions in development we wanted a permanent base for our productions and a user-friendly studio environment for the many other television series and films headed to Wales.  Working with Welsh Government on this new space is further evidence of the many opportunities that filming in Wales can now offer.”

Bad Wolf has an ambitious and exciting production slate and has already established strong partnerships with international broadcasters and recently announced including HBO, BBC, SKY, Channel 4 and the History Channel.

The 2017-18 investment will see Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales, the National Library of Wales and the People’s Collection Wales digital heritage programme build on their excellent offering, helping fund exhibitions, events and programmes as well as caring for Wales’ irreplaceable cultural heritage.

Economy Secretary, Ken Skates said:

“I’m delighted to announce this significant funding, re-affirming the Welsh Government’s commitment to our national institutions who play such an important role in bringing our history and culture to life.  

“The coming year will see some incredibly exciting projects open to the public. Some of the highlights, for me, include the completion of significant elements of St Fagans, a new Dinosaur exhibition at the National Museum Cardiff and the redevelopment of the National Library’s family learning area.

“People’s Collection Wales will offer local communities support in capturing local culture and heritage on-line as well as opening up digital collections to all. And, of course, the organisations will also be supporting our Year of Legends, Fusion and Cymru’n Cofio / Wales Remembers programmes, providing a full range of exciting and thought-provoking activities and events for people of all ages.  

“These organisations are treasures which are enjoyed by millions from across the world. They protect, educate, inform and entertain and this year’s funding will allow this invaluable work to continue.”  

David Anderson, Director General, Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales said:

“The funding is very good news for Amgueddfa Cymru and will help us build a more sustainable future for the organisation. With this kind of support from the Welsh Government, we can provide greater job security for staff, protect expertise and maintain a world class national museum service for the people of Wales and its visitors. 

Linda Tomos, Chief Executive and Librarian, the National Library of Wales said:  

“We are grateful to the Welsh Government for its continuing support to ensure that the National Library is able to develop new innovative digital services making more of the national collections available to all.