Written Assembly Questions for answer on 13 August 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
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): Will the First Minister advise on all costs associated with the creation and management of the Welsh Government’s websites, broken down by website, for the financial year 2013/14? (WAQ67572)
Answer received on 1 September 2014
The First Minister (Carwyn Jones): The following are the costs associated with the creation and management of Welsh Government websites for the financial year 2013-14. Management costs have been broken down by website where possible, as the majority of them share costs that cannot be attributed to individual sites.
Website creation costs during financial year 2013/14
- Assets Cymru – £4,000*
- CSSIW – £40,608
- Enterprise Troopers – £4,263
- Help to Buy Wales – £5,544
- HWB - Not available **
- Just Ask Wales – £10,000
- Learning and Skills Observatory – £6,000*
- National Procurement Service – £7,560
- Organ Donation Wales – £4,200
- Procurement Route Planner – £23,910
- Sell2Wales – £75,600
- St David Awards – £10,716
- Visit Wales – £174,000
- Young Carers' Toolkit – Not available **
Attributed website management costs during financial year 2013/14
- Academi Wales Learning Channel – £7,800
- Business Wales Marketing Zone – £24,995
- Event Wales International Conference – £4,400
- Expertise Wales – £46,712
- Learning and Skills Observatory – £2,500
- Maintenance Matters Wales – £200
- Sell2Wales – £134,340
- Stats Wales – £40,000
- Traffic Wales – £24,000*
- UNCRC Let's get it right – £16,140
- Welsh Backs – £350
- Welsh Government Publications Catalogue – £11,000
- World Skills UK Wales – £17,000
- Your future, your choice, your action – £3,000
* = costs are approximate
**= costs form part of a wider contract
To ask the Minister for Natural Resources, Culture and Sport
Simon Thomas (Mid and West Wales): Does the review of the LANDMAP in Pembrokeshire meet the Government’s expectations? (WAQ67586W)
Answer received on 19 August 2014
John Griffiths: Natural Resource Wales has instigated a programme of quality assurance to ensure that the LANDMAP data meets their agreed quality assurance standards. The work in Pembrokeshire is part of this on-going work to ensure standards and monitor landscape change.
Data which has been subject to these Quality Assurance Standards will become LANDMAP information and will have been verified as being of a consistent standard, accurate and high quality.
Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire): Will the Minister make a statement on what discussions he has had regarding the governance of the Welsh Amateur Boxing Association (WABA) since a 2013 audit found the body ‘not fit for purpose’? (WAQ67587)
Answer received on 19 August 2014
John Griffiths: Sport Wales provide me with regular updates involving the governance of the Welsh Amateur Boxing Association.
To ask the Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty
Lynne Neagle (Torfaen): What steps are being taken to ensure continued youth engagement with the Welsh Government, following the recent review of the Children and Families Organisation Grant and its impact on Funky Dragon? (WAQ67576)
Answer received on 15 August 2014
Y Gweinidog Cymunedau a Threchu Tlodi (Jeff Cuthbert): We continue to be committed to providing opportunities for children and young people to have their voices heard and to their participation and engagement in decisions that affect them. The Children and Family Delivery Grant included a clear priority to specifically provide support for policy and strategic development in relation to children, young people and families and systemic opportunities for them to participate in decisions that affect them and to have their voices heard.
Children in Wales have been awarded a grant under this priority. They will be delivering their project in partnership with Tros Gynnal Plant and Voices from Care. Their project is also supported by Barnardos Cymru, Action for Children, Pro-Mo Cymru and Youth Friendly..
Together they will support children and young people, with a specific focus on marginalised children, to express their views and have their voices heard by organisations that are delivering for children and young people. They will also capture views through e media.
Specifically, they will:
inform and enable children and young people to participate effectively with Ministers and Policy Makers;
ensure that the Children and Young People’s Workforce are informed of children’s right to participate and structures are in place;
support a better informed and engaged workforce to deliver Welsh Government Policy; and
effectively influence and contribute to policy development
They will work with youth forums, networks and other groups across Wales to hear the views of children and young people and influence the workings of government.
You will also be aware of the positive developments in youth engagement that have been launched by the National Assembly for Wales. They have set out their public commitment to children and young people having an opportunity to provide their opinion on the issues that matter to them at the heart of the Welsh Democracy. I am certain that our respective participation programmes will compliment each other and support children and young people to have a strong voice in Wales.
To ask the Minister for Economy, Science and Transport
Alun Ffred Jones (Arfon): When does the Welsh Government expect to be able to make woodland creation grants available? (WAQ67581)
Answer received on 15 August 2014
The Deputy Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries (Rebecca Evans): The Welsh Government expects to make woodland creation grants available in spring 2015 subject to the approval of the Rural Development Programme by the European Commission.
Alun Ffred Jones (Arfon): Why has the Welsh Government not been able to make woodland creation grants available for the coming planting season, contrary to earlier expectations and the introduction of an interim scheme in England? (WAQ67582)
Answer received on 15 August 2014
Rebecca Evans: The Welsh Government has not been able to make woodland creation grants available for the coming planting season due to the transfer of Glastir Woodland Creation to the Welsh Government from Natural Resources Wales, the timing of changes published in Commission Regulations and the availability of suitable technical resources. The Welsh Government expects to make woodland creation grants available in spring 2015 subject to the approval of the Rural Development Programme 2014 to 2020 by the European Commission.
Alun Ffred Jones (Arfon): What sources of funding are currently available for the purpose of woodland creation? (WAQ67583)
Answer received on 15 August 2014
Rebecca Evans: Funding is currently available for woodland creation as a potential integrated element of the Nature Fund. The Welsh Government expects to make woodland creation grants available in spring 2015 subject to the approval of the Rural Development Programme 2014 to 2020.
Alun Ffred Jones (Arfon): Will the Welsh Government have an EU compliant computer system established by next year, allowing people to apply for woodland creation grants? If not, could this be organised? (WAQ67584)
Answer received on 15 August 2014
Rebecca Evans: The Welsh Government will have an EU compliant computer system established by next year, which will allow people to apply for woodland creation grants.
Alun Ffred Jones (Arfon): How many expressions of interest in Glastir Woodland Creation has the Welsh Government received, or inherited from Natural Resources Wales or Forestry Commission Wales, who used to administer the scheme and how is the Welsh Government responding to these expressions of interest? (WAQ67585)
Answer to follow.
Answer received on 15 August 2014
Rebecca Evans: To date, 25 expressions of interest have been received for Glastir Woodland Creation, which will be progressed following the approval of the Rural Development Programme 2014 to 2020.
To ask the Minister for Education and Skills
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): Will the Minister advise what specific education and training programmes are available for unemployed persons aged from 50 to 65 years of age? (WAQ67573)
Answer received on 15 August 2014
The Deputy Minister for Skills & Technology (Ken Skates):
The Welsh Government’s priorities for employment and skills include an emphasis on enabling people of all ages to achieve their potential through the development of skills and qualifications. The Government fully recognises the importance that employment and skills can make to the well-being and financial security of older people.
The Welsh Government ensures that the development of all employability policies and programmes consider the particular challenges facing older people and encourages the same across the public and private sectors.
We are actively looking at ways in which we can support older people and widen access to employment and work-based training. This work is ongoing through our all-age Apprenticeship programme and our Work Ready programme for people aged 18 and over, ensuring that older people have the right skills for employment.
In January we published our policy statement on skills which sets out our ambition for a more responsive employment and skills system that supports businesses and individuals and actively promotes jobs and growth.
The Skills Implementation Plan, launched by the Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology on 15 July 2014, acknowledges the need for Wales to develop a skills system that can provide the support necessary to assist individuals into employment. This includes providing individuals with access to the information they need to improve their skills as well as preventing vulnerable individuals, e.g. older people and those with disabilities, from dropping out of the workforce.
Skills are essential to enter and maintain employment. Therefore, we have focused a large share of European funding on supporting individuals to improve their skills and helping people into work.
Having learnt lessons from the last round of European funding we are currently working on an effective transition into the 2014-2020 Structural Fund Programmes. Our aim will be to create a more flexible system of support that clearly identifies and responds to the needs of both businesses and individuals.
The Government considers it essential that future employment and skills support is accessible to people of all ages and abilities and is in line with the Strategy for Older People in Wales.
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): What steps is the Welsh Government taking to boost recruitment of teachers and other staff into Pupil Referral Units in Wales? (WAQ67574)
Answer received on 13 August 2014
Huw Lewis: The Welsh Government continues to encourage the best qualified individuals to consider teaching as a career in the maintained sector. However, the responsibility of recruiting teachers and other staff to work in Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) rests with the local authority.
The recommendations arising from the evaluation of education provision for children and young people educated outside the school setting, carried out by Edinburgh University in 2013, are being used to inform policy development in respect of PRUs. Whilst the Edinburgh University report did not highlight the recruitment of teachers and other staff to PRUs as being an issue, I am aware that the recent report by the Children’s Commissioner referred to difficulties in recruiting highly motivated and well qualified staff to PRU settings.
However, one of the recommendations in the Edinburgh report was that local authorities should ensure that PRU staff are fully included in all local staff development opportunities and information dissemination on curriculum, behaviour management and additional learning needs. My officials have written to local authorities to bring their attention to the report and its recommendations and will be writing to them again shortly to request an update on progress.
Teachers working in a PRU are required by regulations to register with the General Teaching Council for Wales (GTCW).
The Education (Wales) Act 2014 (“the Act”) reconfigures the GTCW; extends the current remit of the body to create a new body to be known as the Education Workforce Council (‘the EWC’). The Act also sets a requirement on Further Education (FE) teachers; FE learning support workers; and school learning support workers to register with the EWC. This will help to improve and maintain high standards of teaching and the quality of learning in Wales by regulating and supporting the wider education workforce.
The benefits to registration are that, it enhances the status of the workforce; recognises that all education practitioners play a vital role in supporting teaching and learning and raising standards.
To ask the Minister for Finance
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): Will the Minister provide a breakdown of the expenditure by Welsh Ministers using their Ministerial credit cards, for the past three financial years: 2011/13, 2012/13 and 2013/14? (WAQ67571)
Answer received on 13 August 2014
The Minister for Finance (Jane Hutt): Ministers do not have Ministerial credit cards.
To ask the Minister for Health and Social Services
Aled Roberts (North Wales): What is the average waiting time in Wales for patients with cystic fibrosis to receive a double lung transplant? (WAQ67565)
Answer received on 13 August 2014
The Minister for Health and Social Services (Mark Drakeford): In the last three years, 12 patients with cystic fibrosis from Wales received a double lung transplant and the median waiting time was 221 days.The latest published median waiting time for the UK (all adult lung transplants) was 265 days.
Aled Roberts (North Wales): What assessment has the Minister made of the impact on the Welsh NHS of an increasing number of adult patients with cystic fibrosis? (WAQ67566)
Aled Roberts (North Wales): What steps is the Minister taking to manage the impact on the Welsh NHS of an increasing number of adult patients with cystic fibrosis? (WAQ67567)
Answer received on 13 August 2014 (WAQ67566/7)
Mark Drakeford: The Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee (WHSSC) undertook a review of cystic fibrosis (CF) provision within NHS Wales last year which included a health needs assessment to consider the number of adult patients with CF in Wales. The review conlcuded we can expect an increase in the number of adults with CF of between 10 and 30 over the next five years.
WHSSC continues to work with CF centres across NHS Wales to ensure there is an appropriate level of staffing available in line with the CF standards.
Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire): How much has NHS Wales spent per year on medicines not recommended by NICE and not submitted to or not recommended by the AWMSG over the past three financial years and what proportion of this spending was through Individual Patient Funding Requests? (WAQ67568)
Answer received on 13 August 2014
Mark Drakeford: The information requested is currently only available for 2012-2013. In that year NHS Wales spent £2.3 million on 34 medicines not recommended for use by NICE or AWMSG for a specific indication. This figure excludes medicines with a positive recommendation for another indication (15 medicines) and those medicines with established use for an alternative indication (2 medicines). The proportion of the spend linked to Individual Patient Funding Requests is not known.
Aled Roberts (North Wales): What bids and/or business cases for funding for robotic cancer treatment under the Health Technologies Fund has the Minister received from north Wales or south-west Wales since October 2013? (WAQ67569)
Answer received on 13 August 2014
Mark Drakeford: The relevant LHBs have explored the potential to develop robotic services in these parts of Wales. Discussions continue with them on matching investment with meeting local health needs in the most effective way. I will update you on the developments in the autumn.
Aled Roberts (North Wales): What applications for funding under the Health Technologies Fund has the Minister received from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board for the 2014-15 period? (WAQ67570)
Answer received on 13 August 2014
Mark Drakeford: Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board submitted five applications for funding to the Health Technology and Telehealth Fund, two of which were supported. Further details can be found in the attached table.
| Project Title | Brief Summary | Funding Applied for | Project Total | Supported Yes/No |
| Innovation in Telecare | Project to improve ICT infrastructure at the North Wales Regional Call Monitoring Centre to support and monitor individuals utilising technology in Telecare and Telehealth. Investment in third generation Telecare Technolgy for those with a Learning Disability and for Children's Services and Transition. | £430,000.00 | £630,000.00 | Yes |
| Developing Primary and Community Services | Improved network infrastructure requiring Lync, along with increased bandwidth to some community hospital sites and wireless capability to enable staff to access systems in community settings. The project is split into a number of phases to provide technology in palliative care, telerehab, minor injury units, GP practices and other community hospital settings. . | £478,662.00 | £513,662.00 | Yes |
| The Development of a Virtual Clinic for Primary to Secondary Care Patient and Clinician Communication and Support System | Project to provide a secure hand held device that will hold a number of applications for patient support and education and enable community staff to access BCUHB resources and the internet securely. | £548,000.00 | £548,000.00 | No |
| Activate Your Heart (AYH) | The aim is for people with cardiac disease to manage their condition effectively through an online rehabilitation programme. Individuals will receive 24 hours/7 day access though mobile phone or tablet devices. Individuals will have access to a wide range of educational resources to help establish personal goals. | £304,175.00 | £304,175.00 | No |
| Telehealth solution to arrhythmia detection in Primary Care | Project to purchase 3 year lease on 60 Cardionetics CNet 5000 24-Hour Ambulatory ECG Monitors. This will achieve a redesigned pathway for Arhythmia patients enabling them to present at community hospitals for monitoring. The results of which will be provided to GPs within 10 days. | £253,280.00 | £253,280.00 | No |
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): Will the Minister confirm what discussions he or his officials have had with other national and international organisations regarding the Ebola virus? (WAQ67575)
Answer received on 13 August 2014
Mark Drakeford: Welsh Government officials and Public Health Wales colleagues are working closely with government departments and appropriate agencies across the UK in responding to the threats posed by the Ebola virus. Through those agencies, international links are established.
David Melding (South Wales Central): Has any review been undertaken by the Welsh Government or Cardiff and Vale University Health Board of rheumatology services at University Hospital of Wales and will the Minister make a statement on this? (WAQ67578)
Answer received on 13 August 2014
Mark Drakeford: There are no plans to review the rheumatology services at the University Hospital of Wales.
David Melding (South Wales Central): What discussions has the Minister had with Cardiff and Vale University Health Board on the capacity and development of rheumatology services at UHW? (WAQ67579)
Answer received on 13 August 2014
Mark Drakeford: There have been no discussions regarding the rheumatology services at the University Hospital of Wales.
David Melding (South Wales Central): What additional funding has been made available to Cardiff and Vale University Health Board to develop rheumatology services at UHW? (WAQ67580)
Answer received on 13 August 2014
Mark Drakeford: The Welsh Government has not had any additional funding requests from Cardiff and Vale University Health Board to develop rheumatology services at UHW.
To ask the Assembly Commission
Lynne Neagle (Torfaen): What steps is the Commission taking to ensure continued youth engagement with the Assembly, following the recent review of the Children and Families Organisation Grant and its impact on Funky Dragon? (WAQ67577)
Answer received on 29 August 2014
The Assembly Commission (Sandy Mewies): The Assembly Commission’s aim is to ensure that every young person in Wales can contribute to the work of the Assembly.
To that end, in July 2013, the Commission established a Steering Group of external experts in the field of youth engagement to explore what steps the Assembly could take to broaden its work with young people, in particular those harder to reach young people.
There were 3,000 responses to the ‘Your Assembly - your say, your way’ consultation and 86% of the people who responded said that they wanted to be involved in decisions that affected them and their communities. Funky Dragon was a valuable part of the Steering Group for this work, along with others, providing expertise in the development of our youth engagement strategy.
We are now implementing a number of service improvements to achieve this vision. We are bringing in youth worker skills to complement the existing expertise in our Education and Outreach teams by end September. We are also strengthening our networks of youth groups and other organisations. Central to all of these efforts is our determination to involve young people from harder to reach groups in our work, for example, by offering more engagement outside the school environment
The purpose of our youth engagement activities is fundamentally different to the youth engagement activities funded by the Welsh Government. Our activities are focused on helping the Assembly deliver its duties of representing Wales and its people, making laws for Wales and holding the Welsh Government to account. Since Funky Dragon was established as a youth led charity in 2002, it has worked tirelessly to provide opportunities for young people across Wales to voice their opinions on Welsh government policy. The funding of Funky Dragon is a matter entirely for the Welsh Government.