Written Assembly Questions tabled on 5 June 2014 for answer on 12 June 2014
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 First Minister
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): How many consultations have been launched by each Minister in the Welsh Government since May 2011? (WAQ67186)
Answer received on 13 June 2014
The First Minister (Carwyn Jones): The numbers of public consultations Ministers have issued since May 2011 in each subject area are as shown in the following table.
| Subject area | Total |
| Business and economy | 7 |
| Children and young people | 7 |
| Communities | 18 |
| Culture and sport | 4 |
| Education and skills | 62 |
| Environment and countryside | 109 |
| Equality and diversity | 5 |
| Finance and law | 2 |
| Health and social care | 71 |
| Housing and regeneration | 15 |
| Improving public services | 5 |
| Local government | 28 |
| Older people | 1 |
| Planning | 18 |
| Statistics | 20 |
| Sustainable development | 2 |
| Tourism | 2 |
| Transport | 20 |
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Have Welsh Government staff or Ministers been on any team building, bonding or activity days in the past five years and if so, where, when and at what cost? (WAQ67187)
Answer received on 17 June 2014
Carwyn Jones: Staffing within the Welsh Government is a matter for the Permanent Secretary. I have asked him to write to you separately with the information you have requested.
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): How much has the Welsh Government spent on newspapers in each of the last five years and would the Minister provide a breakdown by publication? (WAQ67188)
Answer received on 13 June 2014
Carwyn Jones: The Welsh Government’s Library Service has spent the following amounts on hard copy newspapers between April 2009 to March 2014 on behalf of Welsh Government staff:
| Financial Year | Newspaper Expenditure £ |
| 2009-10 | 34,356 |
| 2010-11 | 49,999 |
| 2011-12 | 26,258 |
| 2012-13 | 26,055 |
| 2013-14 | 30,772 |
| Total Expenditure for the five year period | 167,440 |
The Welsh Government’s Library Service subscribed to the following hard copy newspapers on behalf of Welsh Government staff:
| Daily Newspapers | Number of Copies |
| Echo | 9 |
| Express | 1 |
| Financial Times | 9 |
| Guardian | 4 |
| I (shortened version of the Independent newspaper) | 2 |
| Independent | 3 |
| 1 | |
| Mirror | 2 |
| Daily Post | 1 |
| South Wales Argus | 3 |
| Sun | 1 |
| Telegraph | 4 |
| Times | 5 |
| Western Mail | 33 |
| Weekly Newspapers | Number of Copies |
| Brecon and Radnor | 1 |
| Caernarfon and Denbigh | 1 |
| County Times | 1 |
| Holyhead and Anglesey News | 1 |
| Mid Wales Journal | 1 |
| Observer | 1 |
| Scotland on Sunday | 1 |
| Sunday Independent | 1 |
| Sunday Telegraph | 1 |
| Sunday Times | 1 |
| Times Educational Supplement | 7 |
| Times Higher Educational Supplement | 7 |
| Wales on Sunday | 2 |
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): How much has the Welsh Government spent on magazine subscriptions in each of the last five years and which publications were purchased? (WAQ67189)
Please refer to the page "Information Further to Written Assembly Questions (WAQ67189)"
To ask the Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty
Simon Thomas (Mid and West Wales): What discussions has the Minister held in relation to post services in Montgomeryshire following moving the sorting office to Chester? (WAQ67190)W
Answer received on 29 July 2014
The Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty (Jeff Cuthbert): I have held no discussions on this matter. Royal Mail issues are not currently devolved to the Welsh Ministers.
Simon Thomas (Mid and West Wales): What discussions has the Minister held in relation to creating a special postal code for Mid Wales? (WAQ67191)W
Answer received on 29 July 2014
Jeff Cuthbert: I have had no discussion on this matter. Royal Mail issues are not currently devolved to the Welsh Ministers.
To ask the Minister for Health and Social Services
Darren Millar (Clwyd West): What action has the Minister taken to support Cervical Screening Awareness Week? (WAQ67192)
Answer received on 13 June 2014
The Minister for Health and Social Services (Mark Drakeford): NHS population based screening programmes are delivered by Public Health Wales’ screening division on behalf of the Welsh Government.
Public Health Wales’ screening engagement team works throughout the year to raise awareness of all screening programmes. Key messages for the screening programme were launched last week. Cervical Screening Wales will be supporting Cervical Screening Awareness Week through a range of social media sites. I will also be attending the Cervical Cancer Awareness Week event in Ty Hywel on Wednesday, 18 June.
The Screening for Life campaign will run throughout July. This builds on the success of last year’s campaign and will raise awareness of all population screening programmes in Wales.
Darren Millar (Clwyd West): Will the Minister respond to the Demos report ‘Behind the Screen’ and, in particular, the figures which show:
1) the worrying decline in screening rates for all age groups, but particularly for women 25-29 and 50-64; and
2) the costs to both the National Health Service and individual women as a result of screening uptake levels? (WAQ67193)
Answer received on 13 June 2014
Mark Drakeford: There is no evidence to suggest a decline in cervical screening coverage in Wales. The table below shows the coverage for women who had been screened with an adequate result at least once in the last 5 years and illustrates that there is little variation in coverage rates across these age ranges.
| | *5 yr coverage by age band | ||||
| 25-64 | 25-29 | 50-54 | 55-59 | 60-64 | |
| 2010-11 | 79.6 | 75.7 | 80.4 | 78.3 | 75.2 |
| 2011-12 | 79.7 | 76.5 | 80.2 | 78.0 | 75.1 |
| 2012-13 | 79.5 | 76.8 | 79.9 | 77.5 | 74.8 |
The costs to the NHS and women, shown in the report relate to England. Comparable data is not available for Wales.
*Source Cervical Screening Wales KC reports are available at:
http://www.cervicalscreeningwales.wales.nhs.uk/statistical-reports
Darren Millar (Clwyd West): What steps the Minister will take to progress the recommendations of the Demos report Behind the Screen to increase uptake of cervical screening? (WAQ67194)
Answer received on 11 June 2014
Mark Drakeford: Cervical screening coverage in Wales remains constant. For the last 3 years to 2012-13, coverage rates for women aged 25 to 64 (who had been screened with an adequate result at least once in the last 5 years) have been 79.6% (2010-11), 79.7% (2011-12) and 79.5% (2012-13) (Cervical Screening Wales KC Reports).
The Wales Screening Committee will discuss the report at a future meeting. Officials will advise me of any actions arising from those discussions.