12/11/2013 BBC Wales Today

there are major concerns about the spread of disease. That is all from

us. Welcome to Wales Today. Our top

story. Seriously ill children and newborn

babies will get treatment in North Wales after all. The First Minister

over rules the local health board. There have been these announcements

and then going back on them and then another consultation and nothing

ever seems to come out with a clear decision on what is going to happen.

Tonight announcement changes what was originally planned, so what does

it mean for controversial proposals in other parts of the country?

Our other headlines tonight. Small business and why Finance Wales, the

organisation set up to help them, isn't working.

30,000 people still haven't been vaccinated, despite our worst

measles outbreak. And are we better prepared for a

white winter than last year, when roads ground to a halt and hospitals

filled up? If you ever wonder what it would be

like to fly like a bird, now we know what gannets get up to off

Pembrokeshire. Good evening. Specialist intensive

care for the sickest and most premature babies in North Wales

should be centralised in one hospital in the area. That's the

decision made this afternoon by the First Minister Carwyn Jones. It

follows a review into the controversial decision by Betsi

Cadwaldr health board to transfer some care for babies across the

border to England. This child is celebrating her

birthday today but her parents feel lucky to have her. She was all --

you was born nearly four months early. The unit would have been

closed and the Betsi Cadwaladr 's plans to move neonatal care to the

Wirral. Her mum says it has been a frustrating process.

There have been these announcements and then going back on them and then

another consultation and nothing ever seems to come out with a clear

decision of what is actually going to happen. The future of neo-natal

Kerry North Wales came under the spotlight following an internal

review by the Betsi Cadwaladr health board.

The board decided the answer was to switch services to Arrowe Park

Hospital on the Wirral. That prompted an intervention by the

First Minister. Carwyn Jones today plotted a way forward. Neonatal

intensive care in North Wales will be centralised in one new centre, an

idea which had been rejected by the Betsi Cadwaladr health board. The

location will be confirmed March next year. Some premature babies

will still be looked after in England, a number expected to total

around ten per year. The First Minister rejected a model that would

have divided all levels of neonatal care in North Wales. I will

therefore be establishing an independent panel to work with the

University health board to develop that as this case and to recommend

to me the best site for the location of the centre, along with the

invitations for the remaining sites and other services. That would mean

investing in more doctors with particular interest in this area and

having a system within a network that enables the very sick babies to

have the right care delivered in the right place. It is an outcome which

drew a lukewarm welcome from Welsh Conservatives. Why is the health

service in North Wales second best once again? Why is the health

service once again a one-way ticket to a Tory privatised health service

in England? I think that is what people need, clarity with regard to

these arrangements. I think we do need, if this is the decision, it is

this confidence in the transparency of government and practical

arrangements going forward. At this birthday party, mum Lucy says many

questions remain unanswered. I think it means we will be going to Arrowe

Park Hospital for now and then they say that there will be a plan to

move back to Wales but whether or not this comes off, we are not sure.

Campaigners remain to be convinced about today's announcement. It was

down to a matter of trust. They don't trust the health board or the

Welsh Government to deliver on promises.

And that is what we have today, the promise of a new, single site centre

in North Wales, although it will be able to do as much as many hoped.

Some critics will feel they have not been offered the whole cake, but

half of it. Let's talk to health correspondent

Owain Clarke. Yes, there has been quite a bit of

debate here and elsewhere this afternoon about what exactly the

First Minister 's decision will actually mean for services in North

Wales in the future. Some have paid tribute to the First Minister for

overruling what they believed to be a clearly wrong decision by the

health board. The health board suggested to me that the decision is

an endorsement of their plan to treat some of the sick list babies

across the border. Let's get some clarification from Carwyn Jones. How

is your decision different to what the health board was planning all

along? Fewer babies will have to leave Wales in the future. There

will be a higher level of intensive care available to babies in the

north of Wales. Did you overrule them? It was different to their

plan. There have to be a change. This was an option at the Royal

College came forward with. How many more babies do you think can be

treated closer to home now under your plan than what the health board

set up? The vast majority. We are talking about the very sick as

babies. They will go to Arrowe Park Hospital, that is where they will

get the best level of service. If you have a very specialised service,

you need to make sure there are enough Jordan going through that

service. -- enough children. That is why it is important that we have

specialised centres. It would take between ten and 50

years. They would be problems recruiting the staff. The staff

would need sufficient experience. The objections I have heard today

have been purely on the basis of able not wanting babies to go to

England. We want to see the best services for people in Wales,

regardless of where they live. Have you set a dangerous precedent today?

No, it is very different. I intervene specifically because the

suggestion was that more services would move to England. I thought it

was important to look carefully at that and make sure we were happy

with the level of service provided. The Royal College of Nursing they

are happy and I am happy to follow their recommendations. -- the Royal

Oak have said they are happy. As people in the Philippines assess

the scale of the damage from the Typhoon, Filipino communities across

Wales are anxiously waiting for news of loved ones back home. A mother

from Wrexham, whose 14-year-old son was caught up in the devastating

storm, has been trying to contact him and other relatives. Meanwhile,

appeals are being made to help the relief effort.

It's Christian's seventh birthday tomorrow, but instead of having a

party and presents he's asked his mum and dad to send money to help

his 14-year-old brother Prince who's been left homeless by the storm. He

has been hit by a strong storm called a typhoon. It is the

strongest storm in the world. Christian's mum has five children,

but only Prince was in the village which experienced the full force of

Typhoon Haiyan. Here he is describing the way his family's

homes have been destroyed. His mum has only had brief contact with her

sister since Friday, who said the family were alive but shaken by

their ordeal. She said that whatever will happen,

they are prepared. She is telling me that. I am crying because how I wish

I am there. But my son needs help. There are around 300 Filipinos in

Wales. Like Evelyn Morgan from Swansea they're trying to get news

of their families. The agonising wait for up to date information has

taken its toll. My brother in one part of the area is trying to

contact but there is no communication. It is very difficult

and frustrating for us. I am in this country, watching on the television.

And I feel so helpless. With 10,000 people estimated to have died and

millions facing food and water shortages the First Minister has

echoed calls for donations to disaster relief funds. A concert in

Caerphilly later this month has been planned to raise money. Aid workers

are making their way to the affected areas and one expat from Bridgend is

hoping to take supplies too. Yes, a lot of people in Manila are

volunteering to pack goods and obviously get as much donated as

possible, clothing, money, foodstuffs. Anything that can be

sent. I know that major businesses are doing what they can. Just trying

to get as much help as possible out there. Divina and her family will

keep trying to reach Prince. She, like many outside the Philippines

feeling helpless but full of hope. The Disasters Emergency Committee

has launched an appeal for people affected by the typhoon in the

Philippines. An organisation accused of putting

the lives and homes of thousands of people at risk, is to be taken over

by Natural Resources Wales. The Caldicot and Wentlooge Internal

Drainage Board will be transferred in two years time, along with the

boards at Powysland and Lower Wye. A senior Welsh Conservative MP has

said feckless fathers should be put in chains, to make sure they

contribute to the cost of raising their children. David Davies was

speaking during a Commons debate on changes to housing benefit. He told

the House of Commons it was outrageous that young men

disappeared after getting women pregnant. It is utterly shocking and

I hope that the ministers will take note of this and get hold of some of

these feckless fathers, drag them off and make them work. Put them in

chains if necessary and make them pay. There are claims tonight that

small businesses have been ripped off by the Welsh Government's own

investment bank. A highly critical report into Finance Wales says it's

not fit for purpose and should be scrapped in its current form. Here's

our Political Editor, Nick Servini. These are some of the comments in a

damning report into Finance Wales, the closest body the country has to

its own national commercial bank. Finance Wales provides money for

companies by buying shares in them or lending money to them. But are

the reports findings borne out in reality? This brewery is one company

which agrees with the findings. The chief executive spent months trying

to raise money from Finance Wales in order to expand before the deal fell

through. He says one reason was the level of interest being offered on a

potential loan. The current marketplace, you can borrow money at

anywhere between 2.5 and 4% but this is the key issue, Finance Wales, it

is 10% flat and this is the killer, repayable over five years. Another

company, another story. This is a packaging company for the food

industry. When the boss bought it out of administration, Finance Wales

gave it the loans it needed to get started when no one else was able to

help. When the business had 45 employees, it has now grown to 75,

we have grown sales by 80%, we have grown exports, it now accounts for

more than a quarter. Without Finance Wales, that would not have been

possible. There are positive stories out there and this is clearly one of

them. But there is criticism as well. Probably the most serious

accusation in today's report is that you we have an organisation in

effect owned by the taxpayer which has lost sight of its core purpose

of helping the Welsh economy by charging too much interest on its

loans to companies. The government needs to quickly consult with the

business community and get them on board. And get the other opposition

parties on board. There was a general consensus today that

something needs to be done. Finance records defended its record saying

it takes risks in a competitive market. Our interest rates are

appropriate for the level of risk that we take. Losing private-sector

investors, that's where we see private sector investors, they are

compatible. Access to finance is crucial for the economy. Because of

patient will get underway. -- a consultation will now get underway.

Much more to come before 7pm. This was winter in Wales last year,

roads impassible and hospitals full, are we better prepared this time

round? And the life of birds captured on

camera. The gannets off Pembrokeshire share their secrets.

It was the largest measles outbreak in Wales since the introduction of

the MMR vaccine. Now a new report has outlined key recommendations to

prevent a repeat of the Swansea epidemic in the future. They include

excluding children from school if their siblings are suspected of

having the virus. The report also makes it clear the majority of

children who weren't vaccinated when the first cases were reported still

aren't fully immunised. Cemlyn Davies looks back at how the

outbreak unfolded. The first cases of measles were

reported in the Swansea area last November. The virus spread quickly

and within months the city was in the grips of an epidemic. Lengthy

queues became a common sight outside emergency drop in clinics as worried

parents brought their children to be immunised. In total there were more

than 1,200 reported cases of measles, 88 people were admitted to

hospital and one man died after contracting the virus. Father of one

Gareth Colfer-Williams was 25 years old. He hadn't been vaccinated. The

epidemic was declared officially over in July but last month the

virus reappeared at Cwmtawe School in the Swansea Valley. There are now

36 reported cases connected to the latest outbreak. According to

today's report there are still 30,000 ten to 18-year-olds in Wales

who haven't had the full MMR vaccine. Health experts are warning

until 95% of youngsters have had both doses of the MMR jabs further

cases and outbreaks are inevitable. Dr Marion Lyons is from Public

Health Wales. More than half of those who weren't immunised when the

outbreak started still haven't been vaccinated. Why? It is a pity that

there are so many teenagers still unvaccinated and you must remember

that ten years ago, this group, 25% were not vaccinated. We have been

chipping away. We are pleased that 20,000 were vaccinated but there is

more to be done. Thousands of people are at risk in Swansea. That is

true. That is why we have recommended that the Welsh

Government commission a piece of research to truly understand why the

resistance is there in this age group.

Despite the huge media awareness, all the campaigns, the public

information, why hasn't it worked? I am sure there are many reasons. Some

of it will be because there is still a little bit of suspicion about the

safety of the vaccine. Others will be because they never received a

letter, the child was not in school. We did explore this with parents.

Your message tonight to those thousands of people is presumably go

and get the jab? It is safe, effective, it has significant

value. Children could be excluded if there

siblings have the virus. We have to consider what benefit there would be

in not allowing children into classrooms where others are

susceptible. Earlier this year heavy snow left

hundreds of schools closed across the country, main travel routes

disrupted and homes without electricity. Today, the Welsh

Government has outlined their preparations to deal with the worst

of the winter weather and how local councils can get ready to deal with

any heavy snowfall. They're building up their reserves

of road salt here at Cardiff Highways Depot in readiness for the

winter weather. In the next few days 90 lorry loads of this grit will be

delivered from Cheshire ready to be spread on the capital's road. How

prepared we are to tackle the winter weather has been discussed at the

Senedd today. But it's not just local government services and the

roads under the spotlight. The NHS often sees a spike in hospital

admissions when the weather turns bad. Now a health specialist has

been seconded to the Government to manage any potential winter crisis.

There has been in a lot of hard work going on to get people prepared. For

the first time this year, there is a formal process involving health

boards and the ambulance service and local authorities. I am reassured by

the amount of preparation that has gone on. When the snow came back in

January, the Valley areas of South Wales were particularly badly

affected. The geography of the area means the roads are often steep and

narrow. Here the local authority is determined they won't be caught out

as in previous years. They have brought in 15,000 tonnes

of road salt, more than they have ever had before. I would say over

the last couple of years, since we have the bad snow, we are better

prepared and we have a lot more contractors on stand-by to assist.

We can activate quite quickly. In Cardiff too, they've ordered in

extra road salt, 5,500 tonnes, to keep a priority network of roads

clear. Without the roads being salted, everything grinds to a halt.

People's lives could put in danger, ambulances cannot move. Back in

January and in previous winters with the white-out and snow damage, the

inevitable power-cuts followed. At their regional depot here in

Swansea, engineers from Western Power Distribution are gearing up

for the busiest time of the year. We have staff in the Midlands and the

South West as well. Generally when the snow comes, it hits one of our

regions. We are able to move people in. We have around 3000 field staff.

The government has issued new guidance on school closures. Network

Rail has new measures in place. But it is only when the snow starts to

fall that we will see if the intense planning has worked.

Rugby and Jonathan Davies is to become the latest Wales player to

leave for France after signing a two-year deal with Clermont

Auvergne. He'll leave next summer. Wales Assistant Coach Rob Howley

says his departure is a blow to the national team and to the Scarlets.

He wants to be part of a winning team, winning medals, and obviously

has gone to a side which he feels is going to be right up there in

European rugby. Jonathan Davies will be out of action for up to four

months because of injury. There's more bad news tonight for

the Wales squad. Adam Jones has been ruled out of the entire autumn

series due to the calf injury he picked up in the defeat against

South Africa. Football and Newport County host

fellow League Two side Portsmouth tonight in the Southern Section

quarterfinal of the Football League Trophy. Wrexham, who are 17th in the

Conference, host Gateshead at the Racecourse.

If you've ever wondered what the UK's largest sea bird gets up to

when it takes to the sky, then a team of researchers may have found

the answer. By attaching miniature cameras to some of the gannets at

Grassholm island, off Pembrokeshire, they've captured unique footage of

the birds as they fly hundreds of miles in search of food. Carwyn

Jones reports. Footage like this has never been

capped jet before. It is literally a birds eye view of a Gannett. These

images were recorded using tiny video cameras taped to the heads of

the birds nesting at Grassholm island. The birds flew home each --

huge distances and the cameras filmed at all. They were foraging

off the coast of North Cornwall. The GPS is on the top and this is the

little pinhole camera. This project by Exeter University, the RSPB and

Natural Resources Wales has taken years to get off the ground. But

images like these reveal a huge amount of detail and that could

safeguard the future of this endangered species. A lot of the

protection of the spirit is only where they actually breed. That is

only Grassholm island. What we don't understand is where they go and feed

at sea. Effectively, we want to manage their entire life cycle.

Grassholm island is just nine hectares in size but it is home to

14,000 pairs. One of the biggest colonies in the world. Now the

researchers know the technology works, they hope to place cameras on

other species to learn more about life in the skies.

Time now for the weather forecast. Good flying weather today. Sunshine

and clear with visibility between 20 and 40km. Pembrey one of the warmest

places in Wales today. A high of 13 Celsius. Mind you, temperatures are

dropping now. Some frost tonight. A few mist and fog patches as well. So

a fine evening and night. Turning cold with a few mist and fog patches

forming and a widespread ground frost. Air frost in parts of Powys

and Carmarthenshire where the temperature will fall as low as

minus one. Tomorrow's chart shows low pressure near Iceland. A cold

front over Ireland and that's heading our way. Lots of isobars too

and that means stronger winds. A dry but cold start. You may need to

scrape the frost off the car windscreen. Watch out for a few mist

and fog patches as well. Otherwise dry and bright with plenty of

sunshine. During the morning, any mist and fog will lift. Make the

most of the sunshine because during the afternoon it will cloud over.

Spots of drizzle in the north and west by mid afternoon with rain by

dusk. Top temperatures eight and 11 Celsius. The south west wind

gradually picking up. Becoming strong in the west. Gale force in

the north west. In south east Wales tomorrow. Morning mist and fog

patches will lift. Most of the day dry. Some sunshine. The wind

freshening on the coast with a high of nine in Ystrad Mynach. Tomorrow

evening windy with rain clearing to scattered showers. No frost tomorrow

night but cold in the wind. Thursday blustery and cold. The strong to

gale force wind bringing a few showers. The showers wintry on the

mountains. Some dry weather as well. The best of the sunshine in the

south east. Friday a quieter day. Most places dry with lighter winds.

Saturday cloudy and grey. A few spots of drizzle otherwise dry.

Our picture tonight is a painting by Prince Charles. Cwm Berwyn in

Ceredigion, his favourite view in Wales. Looks like a good place to go

walking too. The headlines, specialist intensive

care for the most premature babies in North Wales should be centralised

in the area, although some babies. Need to be treated in England, that

is the decision by the First Minister. We will have an update at

the PM. From all of us on the programme, good evening.