Written Assembly Questions tabled on 6 October 2016 for answer on 13 October 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 First Minister
Russell George (Montgomeryshire): What representations has the First Minster make to UK Government departments with regard to access to the Single Market since the EU Referendum result? (WAQ71144)
Answer received on 17 October 2016
The First Minister (Carwyn Jones): I have been clear in every statement since the referendum that full and unfettered access to the EU Single Market is a top priority for business and investors in Wales, and that it is essential that businesses in Wales are not disadvantaged through unnecessary trade barriers such as tariffs, quotas or technical barriers to trade. I have emphasised directly to the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union and the Secretary of State for Wales the importance of full and unfettered access to the Single Market for Welsh businesses.
Russell George (Montgomeryshire): What representations has the First Minister made to UK Government departments with regard to freedom of movement of people since the EU Referendum result? (WAQ71145)
Answer received on 17 October 2016
Carwyn Jones: I wrote to the then Home Secretary, now Prime Minister, on 5 July concerning the many sectors of business and public services, including the NHS, which currently depend on EU citizens to fill vital posts. I have also raised this issue directly with the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union and the Secretary of State for Wales; the Cabinet Secretary for Health has made representations to his Whitehall counterpart in relation to NHS staff. This issue was also raised with the UK Government during this summer’s extraordinary summit of the British-Irish Council.
To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure
Russell George (Montgomeryshire): Will the Minister provide an update on the timeline leading to construction of the Dyfi Bridge scheme? (WAQ71125)
Russell George (Montgomeryshire): Will the Minister confirm when he anticipates the construction phase of the Dyfi Bridge will commence? (WAQ71126)
Answer received on 12 October 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure (Ken Skates): We are continuing to progress the development of this scheme and plan to publish draft Statutory Orders and an Environmental Statement in November or December. The timeline for construction will then be considered in light of whether or not a public inquiry is required.
Russell George (Montgomeryshire): Will the Minister provide a breakdown of the funding his department has set aside to achieve the promise of offering fast, reliable broadband to every property in Wales? (WAQ71141)
Answer received on 13 October 2016
The Minister for Skills and Science (Julie James): Wales is in a strong position to offer reliable broadband to every property in Wales. In addition to the current Superfast Broadband Scheme, scheduled to complete next year, we also have an end user grant scheme, Access Broadband Cymru (ABC) which is in place to support anyone needing a broadband upgrade. This scheme has £1.8m allocated to it this financial year and £1.5m allocated in 2017/18.
Any future superfast broadband scheme will be based on the upcoming Open Market Review, as I outlined in my statement earlier this week, which will indicate the number of premises remaining without access to superfast broadband. Until this has been completed it is difficult to assess how much funding will be required however in order to ensure that funding will be available my officials are currently actively pursuing funding from different streams which includes EU funding and the UK Government.
The current Superfast contract also has a mechanism which generates funding based upon take up by users which will be used to support the further roll out of broadband.
Russell George (Montgomeryshire): Will the Minister provide a specific timetable for delivering the promise of offering fast, reliable broadband to every property in Wales? (WAQ71142)
Answer received on 13 October 2016
Julie James: Superfast Cymru, the Access Broadband Cymru scheme and the Ultrafast Connectivity Voucher scheme are already providing fast broadband to properties across Wales. However, as I outlined in my statement earlier this week we also need to focus on what comes next, how we are going to reach the final few per cent of premises. On 9 September we published a public consultation to primarily engage with the telecoms industry to understand their deployment plans.
This will enable us to target premises currently not part of any rollout to further extend the Superfast Cymru project to provide superfast broadband access ahead of the end of the current contract in December 2017. Looking further ahead work is already well underway to launch a further detailed formal open market review process later in the autumn. This is required to underpin the evidence based assessment of where public intervention can take place under EU State Aid guidelines.
Once the outcome of the review has been analysed will we be in a position to confirm both whether and how a new procurement to provide access for further premises can be taken forward. Procurement activity could take place during 2017 with a new contract to commence in early 2018.
Russell George (Montgomeryshire): Will the Minister outline the priorities and measures discussed at his recent meeting with the CEO of TATA UK? (WAQ71146)
Russell George (Montgomeryshire): Will the Minister provide information about the discussions he had with stakeholders immediately prior to his recent meeting with the CEO of TATA UK? (WAQ71147)
Answer received on 12 October 2016
Ken Skates: I met the CEO of Tata Steel on 29 September and reaffirmed our commitment to the steel industry. We discussed a range of potential support we have been exploring, as well as our discussions with relevant stakeholders, to help ensure Tata Steel's Wales operations are on a firmer footing in any future negotiation, as outlined in my letter to Members on 12 September. I will be providing Members with a further full update before the Autumn recess.
Russell George (Montgomeryshire): Will the Minister make a statement on the UK Government's announcement that the Midland Connect scheme will be provided with a further £12 million in funding? (WAQ71148)
Answer received on 20 October 2016
Ken Skates: We are aware of the UK Government’s announcement regarding the £12 million funding and are arranging for a meeting with Sir John Peace, the Chairman of Midlands Connect to discuss the matter.
Russell George (Montgomeryshire): What discussions has the Minister had with the UK Government about the reach of the £12 million in funding it has recently announced for Midland Connect? (WAQ71149)
Answer received on 23 October 2017
Ken Skates: In recognition of the importance of the economy of the region to the economy of Wales arrangements are in hand for a meeting with Sir John Peace, the Chairman of Midlands Connect.
To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport
Sian Gwenllian (Arfon): How many urgent mental health patients from Arfon have been sent to private mental health hospitals in England over the past 12 months, and what is the financial cost? (WAQ71127)W
Answer received on 23 October 2017
The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport (Vaughan Gething):This specific, localised data is not routinely collected by Welsh Government. This question should be directed to Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board who will be able to provide this information.
Jeremy Miles (Neath): Does the Welsh Government intend to bring forward proposals to review the eligibility of health professionals entitled to conduct primary mental health assessments, and if so within what timeframe? (WAQ71170)
Answer received on 20 October 2016
Vaughan Gething: The duty to review the Mental Health (Wales) Measure 2010 was published in December 2015. The Measure contained a number of recommendations, one of which was to review the eligibility of health professionals entitled to conduct primary mental health assessments. All the recommendations were accepted and I will be bringing forward proposals in due course.
Rhun ap Iorwerth (Ynys Môn): Will the Minister outline the policy concerning the availability of 'bisphosphonates' for breast cancer in Wales? (WAQ71169)
Answer received on 12 October 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport (Vaughan Gething): All three cancer centres in Wales are finalising an access policy for this group of medicines. This is a good example of clinical leadership from within NHS Wales and health boards working together to ensure consistent and comprehensive access to a medicine.
To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): What steps is the Welsh Government taking to mitigate against the harmful environmental effects of the oil spillage in Carmarthen, and what assessment has the Minister made of the causes and long term impact? (WAQ71124)
Answer received on 20 October 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs (Lesley Griffiths): I will write to you and a copy of the letter will be placed on the internet.
Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): Will the Minister make a statement on whether the oil leak in Nantycaws, Carmarthenshire is being dealt with in strict accordance with the pipeline's Oil Pollution Emergency Plan? (WAQ71128)
Answer received on 20 October 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs (Lesley Griffiths): I will write to you and a copy of the letter will be placed on the internet.
Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): What discussions has the Minister had with Natural Resources Wales regarding the oil leak from the pipeline at Nantycaws, Carmarthen, and will she make an urgent statement on the incident? (WAQ71129)
Answer received on 20 October 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs (Lesley Griffiths): I will write to you and a copy of the letter will be placed on the internet.
Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): What assessments have been carried out to ascertain the level of contamination to land, wildlife and the watercourse following the oil leak from the pipeline at Nantycaws, Carmarthen? (WAQ71130)
Answer received on 20 October 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs (Lesley Griffiths): I will write to you and a copy of the letter will be placed on the internet.
Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): What resources will be made available to Natural Resources Wales and other agencies to deal with the remedial work following the oil leak from the pipeline at Nantycaws, Carmarthen? (WAQ71131)
Answer received on 20 October 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs (Lesley Griffiths): I will write to you and a copy of the letter will be placed on the internet.
Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): Will the Minister publish the established quantity of oil lost from the pipeline at Nantycaws, Carmarthen? (WAQ71132)
Answer received on 20 October 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs (Lesley Griffiths): I will write to you and a copy of the letter will be placed on the internet.
Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): Will the Minister consider establishing an independent review into the circumstances which led to the oil leak from the pipeline at Nantycaws, Carmarthen? (WAQ71133)
Answer received on 20 October 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs (Lesley Griffiths): I will write to you and a copy of the letter will be placed on the internet.
Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): What discussions has the Minister had with the operators of the oil pipeline at Nantycaws, Carmarthen? (WAQ71134)
Answer received on 20 October 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs (Lesley Griffiths): I will write to you and a copy of the letter will be placed on the internet.
Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): What assessment has the Minister made of the insurance and liability arrangements of the oil pipeline operator at Nantycaws, Carmarthen, and will she pursue action against the operator if this is deemed appropriate? (WAQ71135)
Answer received on 20 October 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs (Lesley Griffiths): I will write to you and a copy of the letter will be placed on the internet.
Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): Will the Minister publish all correspondence the Welsh Government has had with the operators of the oil pipeline at Nantycaws, Carmarthen? (WAQ761136)
Answer received on 20 October 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs (Lesley Griffiths): I will write to you and a copy of the letter will be placed on the internet.
Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire): Will the Minister provide an update on the work of 'Venture'? (WAQ71159)
Answer received on 20 October 2016
Lesley Griffiths: 'Venture' was launched at the Winter Fair on 30 November 2015 in response to Malcolm Thomas' The Next Generation into Farming report.
Since its launch, Malcolm Thomas has chaired a series of Strategic Awareness Events, with over 200 attendees, which have covered the various options available, ensuring those interested are aware of the key components of a successful joint venture.
120 individuals have so far engaged with the scheme, 60% being new entrants seeking opportunities and 40% being established farmers and landowners providing opportunities.
19 matches have been established and they are currently accessing the Farming Connect advisory service to get advice and guidance to form a plan and agree on a business structure for their joint venture. We hope to have the first joint venture agreements signed by the end of this month.
Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire): What discussions has the Minister had with the Grocery Code Adjudicator? (WAQ71160)
Answer received on 20 October 2016
Lesley Griffiths: I have yet to meet the Grocery Code Adjudicator.
Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire): Will the Minister confirm the number of licenses issued to pet shops which trade in exotic animals across Wales? (WAQ71161)
Answer received on 12 October 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs (Lesley Griffiths): This information is not held centrally.
Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire): What steps is the Welsh Government taking to promote farming and the food industries as an attractive career to young people across Wales? (WAQ71162)
Answer received on 13 October 2016
Lesley Griffiths: Welsh Government has demonstrated a strong commitment to helping young people find the right career. We support Skills Cymru, a Welsh careers and skills event, located in Cardiff and Llandudno which attracts up to 10,000 people each year.
The Welsh Food and Drink industry is one of Wales's largest business sectors and the Welsh Government supports a range of career advisory and skills development programmes to encourage individuals into the sector. The Tasty Careers website, funded by Welsh Government, provides an education and careers route map for new entrants to the industry. The Skills Gateway provides skills development support for Welsh Businesses which includes apprenticeship programmes and Jobs Growth Wales. A dedicated Food and Nutrition GSCE course was introduced into the curriculum in September 2016.
In addition to this Welsh Government supports a range of initiatives through the Farming Connect scheme.
The Venture programme provides information on the various joint venture options young people can consider through an integrated package of training, mentoring, business support and specialist legal advice, tailored to personal and business requirements. The Agri-Academy is also a pioneering and innovative personal development programme for those seeking a career in farming and food.
The Junior Programme is aimed at supporting young people aged between 16 and 19 years who hope to follow a career in the food, farming and forestry industries. The programme will offer participants a unique opportunity to shadow high profile individuals in their chosen field of interest. (The Junior Programme is a joint collaboration with Wales YFC).
Welsh Government in co-operation with the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society also founded the Rural Leadership Programme, which aims at inspiring and developing a new generation of leaders in rural Wales and supports a Business and Innovation Programme - aimed at supporting and inspiring the next generation of farming and forestry innovators and entrepreneurs in Wales.
Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire): Will the Minister detail the specific outcomes of her discussions with the EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development regarding Bovine TB? (WAQ71163)
Answer received on 13 October 2016
Lesley Griffiths: Bovine TB falls within the remit of the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis. I discussed bovine TB briefly with members of his team. The discussion focussed on future plans for the Welsh Programme.
Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire): Will the Minister make a statement on the Welsh pork industry? (WAQ71164)
Answer received on 13 October 2016
Lesley Griffiths: The Welsh pig sector is part of the Welsh red meat industry. Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) has the statutory responsibility for the pig industry in Wales, in terms of industry development, marketing and promotion. HCC launched www.porc.wales website in 2015 to provide pork producers in Wales with a platform to showcase pork and pork products, and to stimulate awareness and networking amongst consumers, independent retailers and the foodservice industry.
Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire): Will the Minister make a statement on the Red Tractor Assurance (RTA) Scheme's review of antibiotic standards and will the Welsh Government be feeding into this? (WAQ71165)
Answer received on 12 October 2016
Lesley Griffiths: Red Tractor will consult across the UK on their farm standards later this month. This review will include, but not be confined to medicines usage on participating farms. Welsh Government, the Wales Animal Health and Welfare Framework Group and stakeholders will have the opportunity to consider and respond to this consultation once published. The revised standards will come into effect on 1st October 2017.
Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire): What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the cost incurred by farmers as a result of EU farming regulations and what assessment of EU regulations has the Minister made ahead of Britain leaving the European Union? (WAQ71166)
Answer received on 13 October 2016
Lesley Griffiths: When implementing EU regulations, which is a legal requirement for the Welsh Government, we do so in an efficient and cost effective way. Farmers in Wales, of course, receive considerable EU funding as a direct consequence of them adhering to EU regulations.
Our initial mapping has identified around 3,000 pieces of EU legislation in relation to agriculture.
Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire): What is the Welsh Government doing to support the free range sector in Wales? (WAQ71167)
Answer received on 13 October 2016
Lesley Griffiths: The Welsh Government supports the free range sector in Wales through advisory services such as Farming Connect, which helps farmers and foresters to run their business more efficiently and to safeguard the future of their holding and the surrounding environment, and through investment schemes such as the Sustainable Production Grant.
Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire): What preparatory work has the Welsh Government done regarding the policing of illegal fishing once Britain leaves the EU? (WAQ71168)
Answer received on 13 October 2016
Lesley Griffiths: The First Minister has made clear Wales will need its own Fisheries Policy when the UK leaves the EU to safeguard the future prosperity of Wales’ fishing industry and our coastal communities.
My officials have put in place a project to begin to assess the effects of EU transition on fisheries legislation and the associated enforcement aspects.
To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children
Darren Millar (Clwyd West): How many individuals have accessed the 'Parenting. Give it Time.' website in each month since it was launched? (WAQ71150)
Darren Millar (Clwyd West): How many individuals have accessed the 'Parenting. Give it Time.' Facebook page in each month since it was launched? (WAQ71151)
Darren Millar (Clwyd West): What were the total costs of developing the 'Parenting. Give it Time.' campaign? (WAQ71152)
Darren Millar (Clwyd West): Will the Minister provide details of all the costs associated with 'Parenting. Give it Time.' since it was established, including, but not exclusive to: Website design and development; marketing; advertising; social media campaigns; telephone charges and costs; and staff costs. (WAQ71153)
Darren Millar (Clwyd West): How does the Welsh Government intend to evaluate the impact of 'Parenting. Give it Time.' And will it publish the evaluation once completed? (WAQ71154)
Darren Millar (Clwyd West): Will the Welsh Government publish the business plan for the development of 'Parenting. Give it Time.'? (WAQ71155)
Answer received on 20 October 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children (Carl Sargeant):
Website: These statistics are from 20 November 2105 until end September 2016.
| Month | Sessions | Users | Page views |
| Nov 2015 | 927 | 728 | 3,457 |
| Dec 2015 | 609 | 446 | 1,873 |
| Jan 2016 | 571 | 450 | 1,561 |
| Feb 2016 | 645 | 533 | 1,877 |
| Mar 2016 | 465 | 384 | 1,018 |
| Apr 2016 | 412 | 364 | 869 |
| May 2016 | 600 | 506 | 1,292 |
| Jun 2016 | 307 | 270 | 639 |
| Jul 2016 | 394 | 332 | 640 |
| Aug 2016 | 347 | 280 | 753 |
| Sept 2016 | 353 | 286 | 1,106 |
| Total | 5,630 | 4,579 | 15,085 |
As at 11 October there are 1,757 likes on our Facebook page.
This table provides a breakdown of likes and reach of the 'Parenting. Give it Time' Facebook page since the launch.
- Facebook likes indicate how many people are choosing to follow the 'Parenting. Give it Time' campaign.
- Facebook reach shows how many people, followers or not, actually saw our posts.
| Month | Total number of likes at the end of the month | New likes per month | Total Reach for each month |
| 1-30 September 2016 | 1,755 | 29 | 6,424 |
| 1-31 August 2016 | 1,737 | 16 | 14,183 |
| 1-31 July 2016 | 1,723 | 35 | 17,989 |
| 1-30 June 2016 | 1,704 | 18 | 17,330 |
| 1-31 May 2016 | 1,685 | 12 | 8,630 |
| 1-30 April 2016 | 1,680 | 36 | 14,179 |
| 1-31 March 2016 | 1,650 | 80 | 152,249 |
| 1-29 February 2016 | 1,574 | 240 | 500,269 |
| 1-30 January 2016 | 1,340 | 524 | 296,684 |
| 1-31 December 2015 | 882 | 424 | 162,716 |
| 20-30 November 2015 | 451 | 451 | 87,970 |
Costs – Phase 1
The following table provides an overview of the actual spend in Phase 1 of the campaign:
| Actual Spend November 2015 – March 2016 (including non-recoverable VAT) | |
| Media agency - including advertising costs and social media development | £124,447 |
| Resources - booklets and materials for parents (80,000 booklets and sets of information advice sheets have been printed and distributed across Wales) | £31,285 |
| Website costs | £7,472 |
| Research - Quantitative baseline | £18,930 |
| Total | £182,135 |
Staff and other costs
No additional Welsh Government staff members were employed to work on the campaign, this work was absorbed by existing staff working on parenting policy. Similarly, telephone costs were absorbed into general telephone costs of the organisation, no dedicated phone line was established in relation to the campaign.
Evaluation
The campaign is being evaluated on a number of levels. Firstly we commissioned independent research to gauge the attitudes of parents with children in the target age group (0-5), prior to the campaign. Parents, who agreed to be re-contacted from the National Survey for Wales were invited to take part in the survey. The report 'The Attitudes of Parents towards Managing Young Children's Behaviour' was published on 17 March 2016.
We intend to replicate this research with parents of children in the target age group to see if there are any differences in attitudes.
Secondly we are measuring engagement with the campaign through analysis of traffic and engagement on social media and our dedicated website. We are also assessing the efficacy of our resources through regular feedback from professionals. The feedback received from a recent survey of professionals was overwhelmingly positive with professionals also reporting a positive response from parents.
Thirdly the media agency, engaged to support delivery of the campaign, monitored the effectiveness of the various media channels used to promote the campaign messages in Phase 1.
Business Plan
The specification giving media agencies the opportunity to tender for the positive parenting campaign was published in accordance with Welsh Government procurement policies and procedures.
Darren Millar (Clwyd West): How many parents have completed Welsh Government funded positive parenting courses in each of the past 3 years; providing the percentage of people by gender and each region of Wales? (WAQ71156)
Darren Millar (Clwyd West): How much funding has the Welsh Government made available to support positive parenting courses in Wales in each of the past 3 years? (WAQ71157)
Darren Millar (Clwyd West): What support is available from the Welsh Government to support parenting skills for parents with older children? (WAQ71158)
Answer received on 13 October 2016
Carl Sargeant: The following information relates to parenting services delivered through Flying Start for children aged 0-4 and Families First, which extends to children across the age range. We do not collect detailed information about the gender of parents in either Flying Start or Families First as statistics are counted from the perspective of the child, this being a consistent factor within local authority recording mechanisms.
Families First
Appendix A provides details of the number of parents who have accessed evidence-based parenting programmes and other informal parenting interventions through Families First since April 2015.
Flying Start
Our Flying Start Summary Statistics release provides information about the number of parenting support courses and places offered.
For 2015-16 - Please refer to Tables 11 and 12 in the release or the Excel Spreadsheet http://gov.wales/statistics-and-research/flying-start/?lang=en
For 2014-15 and 2013-14- Please refer to Table 9 in the release or the Excel Spreadsheets.
http://gov.wales/statistics-and-research/flying-start/?tab=previous&lang=en
Funding
We ask Local Authorities to provide information related to outcomes rather than on the proportion of funding they spend specifically on parenting support.
A breakdown of costs attributed to the delivery of parenting support in the Flying Start programme for the last 3 years is attached at Appendix B.
Appendix A - Parenting Support Performance Measures data from the Families First programme
A suite of 19 Families First National Performance Measures was introduced in April 2015. The data below has been collected from individual Local Authorities, where they are relevant to the programme in the authority area for the period 1 April 2015 to 30 June 2016. No performance measures data was available prior to April 2015.
| Local Authority | Number of participant parents completing an evidence-based parenting programme * | Number of parents benefitting from a parenting intervention ** |
| All Wales | 2,972 | 6,780 |
| RCT | 223 | 158 |
| Newport | 105 | 243 |
| Gwynedd | 133 | 147 |
| Swansea | 95 | 753 |
| Vale of Glamorgan | 122 | 292 |
| Pembrokeshire | 170 | 529 |
| Monmouthshire | 126 | 228 |
| Denbighshire | 50 | 51 |
| Cardiff | 1,076 | 863 |
| Neath Port Talbot | 0 | 531 |
| Bridgend | 148 | 193 |
| Conwy | 0 | 51 |
| Caerphilly *** | 34 | 34 |
| Powys | 151 | 0 |
| Flintshire | 59 | 591 |
| Carmarthenshire | 148 | 532 |
| Ceredigion | 45 | 515 |
| Torfaen | 47 | 276 |
| Wrexham | 140 | 559 |
| Blaenau Gwent | 36 | 163 |
| Anglesey | 42 | 49 |
| Merthyr Tydfil *** | 22 | 22 |
*Evidence-based, group-based structured parenting programmes are those that are underpinned by a strong research evidence base, which demonstrates improved outcomes for children and families.
**Informal structured courses are those with a structured curriculum
and a set number of group-based sessions. They may be less formal than the
evidence-based parenting programmes described above and can be used to engage parents in parenting support.
*** All data is collected cumulatively from Local Authorities except for Caerphilly and Merthyr who only provided data for Quarter 1 2016-17 (April – June 2016).
| Appendix B Flying Start Parenting Staff and Contract Expenditure 2013-2015 | | | |
| | | | |
| | 2015-16 | 2014-15 | 2013-14 |
| Anglesey | 241,935 | 209,789 | 223,114 |
| Blaenau Gwent | 206,248 | 336,598 | 66,888 |
| Bridgend | 258,949 | 194,418 | 224,990 |
| Caerphilly | 632,855 | 663,899 | 666,595 |
| Cardiff | 1,684,248 | 1,259,806 | 1,144,450 |
| Carmarthenshire | 478,152 | 429,051 | 373,280 |
| Ceredigion | 228,166 | 221,579 | 187,123 |
| Conwy | 421,556 | 292,936 | 333,561 |
| Denbighshire | 264,064 | 318,772 | 223,862 |
| Flintshire | 647,844 | 635,212 | 464,581 |
| Gwynedd | 301,332 | 303,174 | 160,605 |
| Merthyr Tydfil | 336,543 | 325,661 | 352,746 |
| Monmouthshire | 180,175 | 211,117 | 151,463 |
| Neath Port-Talbot | 429,451 | 274,455 | 228,607 |
| Newport | 836,667 | 724,378 | 559,264 |
| Pembrokeshire | 186,441 | 215,612 | 157,324 |
| Powys | 253,871 | 254,619 | 263,678 |
| Rhondda-Cynon-Taff | 704,487 | 509,530 | 580,966 |
| Swansea | 722,925 | 721,201 | 662,719 |
| Torfaen | 338,608 | 278,229 | 225,326 |
| Vale of Glamorgan | 525,235 | 487,109 | 377,522 |
| Wrexham | 632,690 | 652,741 | 565,553 |
| | | | |
| ALL WALES | 10,512,442 | 9,519,886 | 8,194,217 |
To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government
Mark Isherwood (North Wales): What steps has the Minister taken to review council tax in light of the Programme for Government and the Citizens Advice Bureau report Fairness for All? (WAQ71139)
Answer received on 13 October 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government (Mark Drakeford): I welcome this helpful report. I recently announced the Welsh Government has decided to continue to protect vulnerable and low income households by maintaining full entitlements for the Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS) until the end of 2017-18. The arrangements for 2018-19 onwards will be explored as part of wider considerations about how to make council tax fairer.
Mark Isherwood (North Wales): Will the Minister outline the steps he is taking to improve council tax collection methods in Wales in light of the Citizens Advice Bureau report Fairness for All? (WAQ71140)
Mark Isherwood (North Wales): Will the Minister outline the considerations he has made on introducing a minimum level for outstanding council tax arrears in light of the Citizens Advice Bureau Report Fairness for All? (WAQ71137)
Mark Isherwood (North Wales): Will the Minister outline the mechanisms and guidance the Welsh Government will be issuing to local authorities in light of the Citizens Advice Bureau Report Fairness for All? (WAQ71138)
Answer received on 13 October 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government (Mark Drakeford): I welcome the report from Citizens Advice Cymru which highlights areas where the Welsh Government, local authorities and Citizens Advice Cymru can work more closely together to seek to improve council tax debt collection processes. I am keen to explore opportunities with local authorities to adopt more proactive and citizen‑focused approaches to council tax collection to help prevent debt escalating and will be commissioning further research to take this forward.
Russell George (Montgomeryshire): Is the £98 million for Non-Domestic Rate Relief for 2017-18 an extension of the previous Welsh Government's Non-Domestic Rate Relief announced in the 2016-17 Budget, rather than a tax cut? (WAQ71143)
Answer received on 13 October 2016
Mark Drakeford: Under current legislation, the Small Business Rates Relief scheme in place for 2016-17 is due to end on 31 March 2017. If no action were taken, all small businesses in Wales would have to pay some non-domestic rates from 1 April 2017. As announced on 15 September, I will be bringing forward legislation to enable the Small Business Rates Relief scheme to be extended into 2017-18. This means that 70% of business premises in Wales will benefit from a cut in their rates liability in 2017-18 and over half will pay no rates at all. I will also be implementing a transitional relief scheme, fully funded by the Welsh Government, to assist small businesses affected by the revaluation.
Russell George (Montgomeryshire): Will the Minister make a statement on the UK Government's announcement that the Midland Connect scheme will be provided with a further £12 million in funding? (WAQ71148)
Russell George (Montgomeryshire): What discussions has the Minister had with the UK Government about the reach of the £12 million in funding it has recently announced for Midland Connect? (WAQ71149)
Answer received on 10 October 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government (Ken Skates): In recognition of the importance of the economy of the region to the economy of Wales arrangements are in hand for a meeting with Sir John Peace, the Chairman of Midlands Connect.