§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he has taken to improve the provision of health care for children. [68364]
Mr. Jon Owen JonesOur aim to improve the health and well-being of children in Wales is set out in the Green Paper "Better Health, Better Wales" (Cm 3922). Work is in hand to develop a children's strategy which will set clear objectives and principles to govern the development and delivery of children's services in Wales. A set of targets for children's health has been developed to measure improvements in children's health over the next five years.
"The Health of Children in Wales" report sets out the statutory and policy requirements for high quality services for children and has been issued to all health authorities, health trusts and local authority social services departments in Wales. Progress in implementation of the report is being monitored.
We have announced additional funding to establish a paediatric intensive care unit at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff (UHW). This unit will ensure that seriously ill children receive high quality specialised intensive care.
We have set aside £25 million to establish a "Sure Start" programme in Wales over the next three years. The programme will aim to improve the health, welfare and social development of very young children particularly in areas of greatest disadvantage.
Local authorities in Wales will have an extra £5 million of earmarked resources in 1999–2000 to begin making improvements to the quality and outcomes of services they provide for children. They will have to take into account the Government's response to the Children's Safeguards Review (Cm 4105), which includes range of proposals to improve the health of looked after children by local authorities and other public agencies. The response to the Review also sets out the new arrangements for monitoring and safeguarding the welfare of children in hospitals, nursing homes and hospices.
We have published an action programme for improved planning of special education needs (SEN) provision for children with disabilities and will be funding pilot projects in Wales in 1999–2000.
The recent White Paper "Smoking Kills" (Cm 4177) announced a comprehensive package of measures designed to discourage children from taking up smoking and to adopt healthier life styles.
In future this will become the responsibility of the National Assembly.