Written Assembly Questions tabled on 5 July 2016 for answer on 12 July 2016
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 Health, Well-being and Sport
Angela Burns (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire): Since 2011, how many GP surgeries have closed across Wales each year and where have these been located? (WAQ70590)
Answer received on 12 July 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport (Vaughan Gething):
Since 2011, eight GP practices have closed* across Wales.
| Location of practice | Year practice closed |
| Shotton, Flintshire | 2012 |
| Bangor, Gwynedd | 2013 |
| Bangor, Gwynedd | 2014 |
| Newport , Gwent | 2014 |
| Aberaeron , Ceredigion | 2014 |
| Maesteg , Mid Glamorgan | 2015 |
| Newport, Gwent | 2016 |
| Llanhilleth , Blaenau Gwent | 2016 |
* This does not include any practice mergers; practices coming into health board management; or branch surgery closures.
Angela Burns (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire): For each year since 2011, how many Individual Patient Funding Requests (IPFRs) for medications have been made to each health board; and of these requests, how many IPFRs were accepted and how many were rejected by each health board? (WAQ70591)
Answer received on 12 July 2016
Vaughan Gething: Information on individual patient funding requests by health board is not collected centrally. Public Health Wales (PHW) has published annual reports, “Individual patient funding requests and top-up payments: annual report for Wales” for 2013 - 2015. They can be accessed on the PHW web site in the Annual Report section by clicking on the link below:- http://www2.nphs.wales.nhs.uk:8080/
Data for 2011-12 may be available from individual health boards.
The annual report of IPFR data for 2015-16 will be published in September by the All Wales Therapeutics and Toxicology Centre.
To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): How many Private Finance Initiative (PFI) agreements is the Welsh Government currently using, and for each scheme, will the Minister disclose: a) what project the PFI was taken out to fund; b) its initial capital cost, c) any unitary charges, d) interest costs and e) the predicted time scale until the PFI is paid in full? (WAQ70592)
Answer received on 12 July 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government (Mark Drakeford): This information is published by HM Treasury as part of the data it publishes on all PFI schemes in England and Wales. The latest figures are available in the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-and-private-finance-2-projects-2015-summary-data
Mark Isherwood (North Wales): Based on the Welsh Labour 2016 Manifesto commitment to cut tax for small businesses, will the new rate relief threshold be increased from the existing £6,000, and if so, by how much? (WAQ70593)
Mark Isherwood (North Wales): Based on the Welsh Labour 2016 Manifesto commitment to cut tax for small businesses, will the new rate relief threshold for tapered relief be increased from the existing £12,000, and if so, by how much? (WAQ70594)
Answer received on 12 July 2016
Mark Drakeford: A temporary Small Business Rates Relief scheme is already in place for 2016-17. I will be considering the options over the summer for future relief from non‑domestic rates to support small businesses in Wales. This work will be informed by the outcome of the 2017 revaluation exercise currently being undertaken by the Valuation Office Agency.
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): Further to the Record of Proceeding for 30th March 2016, will the Minister confirm whether the previous Minister for Public Services wrote to all local authorities to remind them of their duties under the Equal Pay Act before the end of the last Assembly term? (WAQ70595)
Mark Drakeford: The former Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty, Lesley Griffiths AM wrote to all local authorities on 17 March 2016 reminding them of their duties in tackling gender pay inequality.
I have attached the letter for your information: