Answers issued to Members on 10 June 2009

[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 Environment, Sustainability and Housing

Questions to the Minister for Heritage

Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy and Transport

Mark Isherwood (North Wales): Further to your department’s discussion with Air Products, Acrefair, Wrexham, what financial support could be made available by or via the Welsh Assembly Government in support of counter proposals to keep this plant open? (WAQ54290)

The Deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy and Transport (Ieuan Wyn Jones): Any assistance provided to undertakings engaged in economic activity needs to be awarded in line with the European Commission’s State aid rules. My officials are currently exploring all legal funding options within the powers of the Welsh Assembly Government to provide support to Air Products, taking into account the full scope of the State aid rules and ensuring that any support provided is based on a sound business case.

Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire): How much funding has Network Rail allocated for the Cambrian Line? (WAQ54299)

The Deputy First Minister: Network Rail is investing £5 million from its Performance Fund to improve the infrastructure of the Cambrian Railway between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury, as part of a joint investment with the Welsh Assembly Government.

Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire): How much funding has Network Rail spent on the Cambrian Line? (WAQ54300)

The Deputy First Minister: Network Rail has spent £3.8 million from its Performance Fund to improve the infrastructure of the Cambrian Railway between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury.

Network Rail is also funding the ERTMS signalling system which is being trailed on the Cambrian Line, and also provides funding for other renewal and maintenance work. This is a matter for Network Rail and I have asked them to contact you to explain this in more detail.

Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire): How much funding has the Welsh Assembly Government allocated for the Cambrian Line? (WAQ54301)

The Deputy First Minister: I am providing capital funding of £8 million to improve the infrastructure of the Cambrian Railway between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury, as part of a joint investment with Network Rail. I am also providing funding of some £1.7 million annually for 4 car trains on the Cambrian Main Line.

Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire): How much has the Welsh Assembly Government spent on the Cambrian Line? (WAQ54302)

The Deputy First Minister: So far, £5 million (of the £8 million) has been spent to improve the infrastructure of the Cambrian Railways between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury has been spent.

Since December 2006, some £1.7 million (at current prices) has been spent annually to strengthen services on the Cambrian Mainline to 4 car trains.

Kirsty Williams: Will the Minister make a statement on whether any progress has been made with UK Government colleagues and the Scottish Executive about the harmonisation of the concessionary bus pass scheme In England, Scotland and Wales across the United Kingdom? (WAQ54307)

The Deputy First Minister: Discussions are continuing between my officials and those of the UK Government and Scottish Government.

Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire): When will the re-tendering process begin for FSB4 provision in Mid Wales? (WAQ54308)

The Deputy First Minister: The tender process is due to begin on Monday 8th June 2009, and a new contractor should be appointed by early August.

Mark Isherwood (North Wales): Further to your comments to Ann Jones in the Siambr on 3 June 2009 relating to Community Transport Concessionary Fares Initiative, what now are your funding plans for this and subsequent financial years? (WAQ54311)

The Deputy First Minister: The funding arrangements for the Community Transport Concessionary Fares Initiative (CTCFI) will remain unchanged for 2009-10.

This means that the 15 community transport operators within the scope of the CTCFI will be able to offer the same level of service as in the previous 3 years.

For 2010/11 and 2011/12 I have asked my officials to work closely with the Community Transport Association Cymru to look at the feasibility of a funding model that is sustainable and which covers the community transport sector as a whole.

Questions to the Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing

Mark Isherwood (North Wales): Further to the extension granted to Flintshire County Council in respect of the Welsh Housing Quality Standard (a) what is the current position, (b) what has been agreed or is in the process of agreement, and (c) what timescales apply? (WAQ54317)

The Deputy Minister for Housing (Jocelyn Davies): On 17th February 2009 Flintshire Council voted unanimously to ballot its tenants on the transfer of the housing stock to a registered social landlord. The authority reports that the ballot is likely to take place in late next year, (2010). In the meantime my officials are working closely with the authority’s chief executive during this pre-ballot period and the next meeting is scheduled for 15th July 2009.

Questions to the Minister for Heritage

Alun Cairns (South Wales West): Will the Minister (a) list the museums and galleries supported in Wales, together with financial assistance awarded to each and (b) the number of visitors attracted to each over the last 12 months? (WAQ54303)

The Minister for Heritage (Alun Ffred Jones): The Heritage Department of the Welsh Assembly Government distributed around £500,000 in grants to 50 local museums in 2008-09 and has so far allocated around £540,000 in grants to 28 local museums in 2009-10. Full details are provided in Appendix 1. The grants are subject to application processes and are distributed by my officials in CyMAL: Museums Archives and Libraries Wales division and Cadw.

The Welsh Assembly Government provided £24.5 million in grant-in-aid to Amgueddfa Cymru—National Museum Wales in 2008-09, and will provide £25.1 million in 2009-10. In addition across 2008-10 it is providing £1 million to develop the Upper West Wing at the National Museum Cardiff and £250k to invest in energy saving measures. The total visitor figures for all 7 Amgueddfa Cymru—National Museum Wales sites in 2008 was over 1.5 million.

The Arts Council of Wales, as an Assembly Government Sponsored Body, receives grant-in-aid from the Welsh Assembly Government and has invested around £1,035,000 in grants to galleries in 2008-09. Full details are outlined in Appendix 2. It should be noted that this excludes grants of around £2,642,000 provided to multi functional arts centres with gallery spaces in 2008-09, as specific gallery funding cannot be isolated.

Visitor numbers for the past 12 months, where available, have been added to the lists using the latest Visits to Tourist Attractions 2008 survey results prepared for Visit Wales by Beaufort Research.

Appendix 1

CyMAL: Museums Archives and Libraries Wales division

Cadw division—grants from Cadw for historic building repair/restoration

* The visitor figures are based on questionnaires returned by museums and galleries as part of research carried out by Beaufort Research for Visit Wales.

Appendix 2

Arts Council of Wales funding to galleries

* The visitor figures are based on questionnaires returned by museums and galleries as part of research carried out by Beaufort Research for Visit Wales.

Alun Cairns (South Wales West): How many people have visited the National Botanical Gardens for each of the last 5 years? (WAQ54304)

Alun Ffred Jones: The National Botanic Garden of Wales have advised us that the visitor numbers are as follows:

Nick Bourne (Mid and West Wales): Will the Minister provide a list of the amount spent on cultural projects or institutions since 2000 indicating in each case which local authority or authorities the institution or project is based? (WAQ54312)

Alun Ffred Jones: It is not possible to provide a list of spending on cultural projects or institutions since 2000 by local authority from my portfolio, as the expenditure recorded in my department is not collated on that basis. Most of the money that my department spends on culture is made through Assembly Government Sponsored Bodies.