Written Assembly Questions tabled on 28 June 2017 for answer on 5 July 2017
R - Signifies the Member has declared an interest.
W - Signifies that the question was tabled in Welsh.
(Self-identifying question no. shown in brackets)
Written Questions must be tabled at least five working days before they are to be answered. In practice, Ministers aim to answer within seven/eight days but are not bound to do so. Answers are published in the language in which they are provided, with a translation into English of responses provided in Welsh.
To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure
Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): Has the Cabinet Secretary sought any legal advice on whether claims of tort for misfeasance, or any other legal action could arise from the Welsh Goverment's engagement with the various parties involved in the Circuit of Wales project? (WAQ73735)
Answer received on 6 July 2017
Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure (Ken Skates): Legal advice to the Welsh Government, including whether the government has sought legal advice, is subject to legal professional privilege and is confidential between the government and its legal advisers. However, as I said in the Chamber on 27 June, Welsh Government is not liable for costs incurred by any of the other parties in developing the project.
Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): When will the Cabinet Secretary publish the external due diligence commissioned by the Welsh Government in relation to the Circuit of Wales project? (WAQ73736)
Answer received on 6 July 2017
Ken States: The appropriate due diligence information that can be released will be published over the summer period.
Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): Will the Cabinet Secretary provide the figures for jobs created contained in the Heads of the Valleys Development Company submitted to him as part of the proposal he rejected on 27 June? (WAQ73737)
Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): Will the Cabinet Secretary provide the figure for jobs created by the combined technology park and circuit suggested by the Welsh Government's due diligence? (WAQ73738)
Answer received on 6 July 2017
Ken States: Information will be provided within the due diligence publication. Welsh Government does not intend to provide any detailed project information prior to this publication.
Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): When were the Cabinet Secretary and his officials first advised that the current Circuit of Wales proposal would see the Welsh Government exposed to more than 50 per cent of the risk? (WAQ73739)
Answer received on 6 July 2017
Ken States: The full extent of Welsh Government exposure on this proposal became apparent only on receipt of the draft due diligence reports and after consultation with HM Treasury.
Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): When were the Cabinet Secretary and his officials first advised by a) ONS and b) HM Treasury that there was a significant risk that the full debt of the entire Circuit of Wales would be classified against the Welsh Government's capital spending? (WAQ73740)
Answer received on 10 July 2017
Ken Skates: Discussions with ONS around the guidelines which assisted our assessment of risk in the Circuit of Wales project have been ongoing since summer 2015. Discussions with HMT about aspects of the Circuit of Wales proposal specifically have been ongoing since March 2016.
Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): Did the Cabinet Secretary or any other Welsh Government Minister offer to meet the Heads of the Valleys Development Company or its partners if any major issue was identified as part of the due diligence process on the Circuit of Wales proposal rejected on 27 June? (WAQ73741)
Answer received on 10 July 2017
Ken Skates: As is the case with other major projects, Welsh Government officials met with the company on a regular basis. A meeting with officials had already been diarised for a post-cabinet discussion.
Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): When was the issue of balance sheet treatment of the Circuit of Wales debt first discussed with a) ONS and b) HM Treasury? (WAQ73742)
Answer received on 10 July 2017
Ken States: I refer you to my written answer for WAQ73740.
Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): What is the proportion of risk in the Circuit of Wales project that the Welsh Government's external due diligence assesses will be borne by the Welsh Government? (WAQ73743)
Answer received on 5 July 2017
Ken States: The current Circuit of Wales proposal seeks a Welsh Government guarantee for £210m of the £373m total debt required.
Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the 12-month pilot of free weekend travel on the long-distance TrawsCymru service? (WAQ73748)
Answer received on 6 July 2017
Ken Skates: Following the First Minister's announcement to offer free travel for all passengers across the network during weekends in financial year 2017-18; starting from Saturday 8th July we will be offering the initiative as a trail to see if free travel can help stimulate the demand for bus services on key routes across Wales. The free travel offer will be available on the T1, T1C, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6 and T9 services on Saturdays and Sundays subject to availability.
To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Will the Cabinet Secretary confirm whether there has been any uplift to the monies available in the Rural Development Programme because of the devaluation of the Pound to Euro exchange rate - and if so, by how much? (WAQ73744)R
Answer received on 4 July 2017
The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs (Lesley Griffiths): The Pound to Euro exchange rate is managed across the entire programme period. Any increase in the Pound Sterling value of EU funds due to the devaluation of the Pound against the Euro needs to be considered in light of both actual exchange rates since the beginning of the programme and forecasts for future exchange rates.
The exchange rate is currently considered too unstable to action a modification to change the planning exchange rate. As such there has not been an uplift to the monies available under the Rural Development Programme.
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): In relation to WAQ73690, to date how much of the Rural Development Programme monies have been made available to farmers under the 2014-21 Rural Development Programme scheme? (WAQ73745)R
Answer received on 4 July 2017
Lesley Griffiths: As per my response to WAQ73690, it is not possible to identify how much of the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 has been made available to farmers.
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): In relation to WAQ73692, will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the lack of resources causing bottlenecks and delays in processing applications, with particular reference to what increase in capacity has been made available to address these shortcomings? (WAQ73746)R
Answer received on 4 July 2017
Lesley Griffiths: Welsh Government resource issues have resulted in delays in processing applications and a backlog of appraisals.
Recent recruitment exercises have been successfully completed, increasing the long term capacity to process applications.
In the short term, a business case has been approved for a limited amount of overtime to increase capacity to clear the appraisal backlog.
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): What is the impact of VAT on applications under the Rural Development Programme, does any element for VAT affect the amounts available under the Programme, and if so, what it is the potential liability? (WAQ73747)R
Answer received on 4 July 2017
Lesley Griffiths: Irrecoverable VAT is an eligible cost for projects under the Rural Development Programme.
The amount of programme funds claimed by beneficiaries for irrecoverable VAT is dependent on the type of activities carried out and the type of beneficiary for each individual project.
Over £100m has been paid to beneficiaries to date. Of this less than £650 relates to irrecoverable VAT.
My officials work actively with project applicants to minimise the amount of irrecoverable VAT paid from programme funds.