Answers issued to Members on 5 September 2007
[R] signifies that the Member has declared an interest.[W] signifies that the question was tabled in Welsh. Contents
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy and Transport
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy and Transport
Nick Ramsay (Monmouth): Will the Minister state when the Clydach Gorge stretch of the Heads of the Valley dualling scheme is due to begin?(WAQ50336)
The Deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy and Transport (Ieuan Wyn Jones): The Gilwern to Brynmawr section, which affects Clydach Gorge, is in Phase 2 of the Trunk Road Forward Programme. This includes schemes that could be ready to start by April 2010 subject to the completion of the statutory consent procedures and the availability of finance.
The draft Side Roads and Compulsory Purchase Orders to obtain the statutory consents are yet to be published and a further Public Local Inquiry will almost certainly need to be held, the timing of which will be a significant factor in determining a start date.
Nick Ramsay (Monmouth): Will the Minister state when the Heads of the Valley dualling scheme is to be completed?(WAQ50337)
Nick Ramsay (Monmouth): Will the Minister outline the different stages of the Heads of the Valley dualling scheme?(WAQ50338)
Ieuan Wyn Jones: Following the completion in November 2004 of the dualling between Tredegar and Dowlais Top (Section 4), the dualling between Abergavenny and Gilwern (Section 1) is expected to be open to traffic later this year.
The phasing for completing the remaining sections of the 40km dualling between Abergavenny and Hirwaun is set out in the 2004 Supplement to the Trunk Road Forward Programme. The schemes in order of construction are:
Section 3 - Brynmawr to Tredegar. (Phase 2 - could be ready to start by April 2010).
Section 2 - Gilwern to Brynmawr. (Phase 2 - could be ready to start by April 2010).
Section 5 - Dowlais Top to A470. (Phase 3 - unlikely to start before April 2010).
Section 6 - A470 to Hirwaun. (Phase 3 - unlikely to start before April 2010).
The completion of these schemes is subject to the completion of the statutory consent procedures and the availability of finance. The draft Side Roads and Compulsory Purchase Orders to obtain the statutory consents for each phase are yet to be published and further Public Local Inquiries will almost certainly need to be held, the timing of which will be a significant factor when determining any firm start dates.
Nick Ramsay (Monmouth): Will the Minister outline what precautions have been taken to safeguard any wildlife that could be affected by the Heads of the Valley dualling scheme?(WAQ50339)
Ieuan Wyn Jones: As part of the development of the scheme, activities to comply with the appropriate environmental legislation have been undertaken to protect wildlife sites, habitats and species. This includes an Environmental Impact Assessment, which was reported in an Environmental Statement published prior to the Public Inquiry in to the entire A465 dualling scheme held in 1998.
Since then a considerable amount of environmental survey work has been carried out. For each remaining phase a further Environmental Impact Assessment will be required, the findings of which will be reported in Environmental Statements and, where appropriate, Statements to Inform an Appropriate Assessment under the EU Habitats Directive. These Statements will be published with the Draft Orders under the Highways Act 1980 and it will be open to interested parties to submit objections, representations and letters of support in relation to them.
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Leanne Wood (South Wales Central): What are the current response targets for Category A, Category B and Category C emergency calls in Rhondda Cynon Taff?(WAQ50331)
The Minister for Health and Social Services (Edwina Hart): There are no targets set for individual Local Health Board areas. Performance in all geographical areas does, however, need to reflect continuous improvement in achieving the overall target.Leanne Wood (South Wales Central): What does the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust regard as an acceptable response time and travelling distance for an ambulance to travel, to reach a 999 emergency call incident in Rhondda Cynon Taff?(WAQ50332)
Edwina Hart: The Trust must respond to an all Wales average of at least 60% of life threatening emergency incidents in Rhondda Cynon Taff (RCT) within 8 minutes of the chief complaint being identified, with a resuscitation response (i.e. an ambulance crew, a rapid response paramedic or a first responder) as defined in Welsh Assembly Government standards.
Leanne Wood (South Wales Central): What have been the actual response times for Category A, Category B and Category C ambulance emergency calls in Rhondda Cynon Taff since August 2006?(WAQ50333)
Edwina Hart: The table below provides quarterly performance data on the Ambulance Services response times in Rhondda Cynon Taff. It should be noted that Category C calls currently receive a Category B response. Ambulance Services response times in Rhondda Cynon Taff Per cent:Quarter ending |
September 2006 |
December 2006 |
March 2007 |
June 2007 |
|
Percentage of Category A calls resulting in an emergency response arriving within |
||||
8 minutes |
47.3 |
49.7 |
51.9 |
64.7 |
9 minutes |
53.6 |
55.4 |
56.8 |
69.6 |
10 minutes |
59.2 |
60.2 |
60.5 |
73.6 |
Percentage of Category A calls resulting in an ambulance arriving within 14/18/21 minutes(1) |
75.9 |
68.5 |
79.4 |
90.6 |
Percentage of Category B calls resulting in an ambulance arriving within 14/18/21 minutes(1) |
66.7 |
58.2 |
55.7 |
72.8 |
Leanne Wood (South Wales Central): What is the longest time, per month from August 2006 to current date, for a fully-equipped, double-staffed, paramedic ambulance from the initiation of an emergency 999 call in the Ambulance Dispatch Centre (Control Centre), to arriving on scene of an incident to back up a Rapid Response Vehicle (RRV) in Rhondda Cynon Taff? (WAQ50334)
Edwina Hart: From a call volume of 8,392 999 calls for the period from August 2006 to August 2007 in Rhondda Cynon Taff, the longest monthly response times of an emergency ambulance, from confirmation of chief complaint to arrival at scene are set out below. In all cases a paramedic in a Rapid Response Vehicle will have attended in advance of an ambulance arriving.
Month |
Aug 2006 |
Sep 2006 |
Oct 2006 |
Nov 2006 |
Dec 2006 |
Jan 2007 |
Feb 2007 |
Hr:Min:Sec |
00:31:00 |
00:38:00 |
00:37:22 |
01:04:55 |
00:45:00 |
00:42:20 |
00:53:58 |
Month |
Mar 2007 |
Apr 2007 |
May 2007 |
Jun 2007 |
Jul 2007 |
Aug 2007 |
Hr:Min:Sec |
00:51:00 |
00:35:07 |
00:46:00 |
00:52:20 |
00:39:08 |
00:43:00 |
Leanne Wood (South Wales Central): What is the average time a fully-equipped, double-staffed, paramedic ambulance takes from the initiation of an emergency 999 call in the Ambulance Dispatch Centre (Control Centre), to arriving on scene of an incident to back up a Rapid Response Vehicle (RRV) on both a weekly and monthly basis in Rhondda Cynon Taf since August 2006?(WAQ50335)
Edwina Hart: From a call volume of 8,392 999 calls for the period from August 2006 to August 2007 in Rhondda Cynon Taff, the average time taken by a fully-equipped, double-staffed, paramedic ambulance from the initiation of an emergency 999 call in the Ambulance Dispatch Centre (Control Centre), to arriving on scene of an incident to back up a Rapid Response Vehicle was nine minutes.
The Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust has provided the following monthly averages:
Month |
Aug 2006 |
Sep 2006 |
Oct 2006 |
Nov 2006 |
Dec 2006 |
Jan 2007 |
Feb 2007 |
Min:Sec |
08:31 |
09:20 |
09:20 |
09:36 |
09:29 |
09:43 |
11:24 |
Month |
Mar 2007 |
Apr 2007 |
May 2007 |
Jun 2007 |
Jul 2007 |
Aug 2007 |
Min:Sec |
09:21 |
07:39 |
08:36 |
08:20 |
08:31 |
08:35 |
Andrew R.T. Davies (South Wales Central): How did the Welsh Assembly Government arrive at the figure of £75,000, the amount allocated to Cardiff & Vale NHS Trust for the implementation of Agenda for Change?(WAQ50340)
Edwina Hart: The Welsh Assembly Government identified a global amount over two years to assist NHS Trusts in Wales with the costs of their implementation teams working on Agenda for Change. The funding commenced in December 2003 and expired in November 2005 and £75,000 was the average allocation for each trust.
Andrew R.T. Davies (South Wales Central): What progress is the Welsh Assembly Government making in the identification of Welsh NHS staff in the England & Wales Electronic Staff Records?(WAQ50341)
Edwina Hart: The Electronic Staff Records system allows input of language spoken including Welsh.