​Written Assembly Questions tabled on 8 February 2017 for answer on 15 February 2017

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

Eluned Morgan (Mid and West Wales): Will the Welsh Government provide a figure for the number of people from the EU, excluding UK citizens, who are in receipt of benefits, and how many of these are in receipt of in-work benefits? (WAQ72052)

Answer received on 15 February 2017.

First Minister (Carwyn Jones): As at February 2016, within Wales, 7.7 thousand non-UK nationals (based on nationality at the time of registration for a National Insurance Number) were claiming a DWP working age benefit. Of these, 2.8 thousand were EU nationals.

The benefits included are Jobseeker’s Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, Incapacity Benefit and Severe Disablement Allowance, Income Support, Carer’s Allowance, Income Support and Pension Credit, Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payments, and Widow’s Benefit. Universal Credit claimants are excluded.

These statistics do not provide a measure of non-UK nationals claiming benefits based on their current nationality; the statistics do provide an estimate of the number of people claiming a DWP working age benefit who, when they first registered for a national insurance number, were non-UK nationals.

HMRC administered benefits and Housing Benefit are excluded from the figures.

 Source: Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Where specific  questions on DWP statistics are asked but data are not part of regular Official and National Statistics publications, a DWP ad-hoc publication is released.

To this end an adhoc on “Nationality at point of National Insurance Number registration of DWP working age benefit claimants in Wales” will be released here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ad-hoc-statistical-publications-list

To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure

Steffan Lewis (South Wales East): How many private sector apprenticeship learning programmes have there been for each of the last ten financial years, by local authority of residence? (WAQ72045)

Answer received on 15 February 2017

Minister for Skills and Science (Julie James): Information on apprenticeship learning programmes is collected from work-based learning providers through the Lifelong Learning Wales Record. Since 2008/09 this has included the status of the apprenticeship employer as a public, private or third sector (from 2014/15 onwards only) organisation.
 
Please note:

• The employer status is as recorded by the work-based learning provider, and we are aware that there are some inaccuracies within this information.
• Noting these quality issues around the data, the following table provides the number of apprenticeship programmes identified as with private sector organisations by academic year from 2008/09 to 2015/16 (provisional) by local authority of residence of the learner.
• This is a count of all active apprenticeship learning programmes, and therefore the same programme can be present in a number of academic years.     
  
   

Russell George (Montgomeryshire): What is the overall percentage of premises in Wales which can receive broadband services at a minimum of 30 Mbps? (WAQ72048)

Answer received on 16 February 2017

Minister for Skills and Science (Julie James:) The latest figures highlighted within Ofcom’s Connected Nations 2016 report (published in December 2016) show that the overall percentage of premises in Wales that can receive a minimum of 30Mbps is 85%.

Russell George (Montgomeryshire): What percentage of premises, listed by local authority area, within the Superfast Cymru Contract Intervention Area are capable of having access to broadband services at a minimum of 30 Mbps PPIR with 2 Mbps CIR as per the contract between Welsh Government and BT? (WAQ72049)

Answer received on 14 February 2017.

Julie James : The percentage of premises, listed by local authority area, that can achieve broadband speeds of 30Mbps+ as a result of the Superfast Cymru project are -

Blaenau Gwent - 97.97%

Bridgend - 88.77%

Caerphilly - 88.81%

Cardiff - 64.38%

Carmarthenshire - 73.92%

Ceredigion - 61.35%

Conwy - 88.34%

Denbighshire - 71.72%

Flintshire - 77.33%

Gwynedd - 80.47%

Isle of Anglesey - 80.98%

Merthyr Tydfil - 98.39%

Monmouthshire - 70.66%

Neath Port Talbot - 85.78%

Newport - 82.15%

Pembrokeshire - 83.57%

Powys - 67.12%

Rhondda Cynon Taf - 95.07%

Swansea - 82.40%

Torfaen - 89.50%

Vale of Glamorgan - 77.77%

Wrexham - 79.10%

Russell George (Montgomeryshire): What percentage of premises, listed by local authority area, within the Superfast Cymru Contract Intervention Area are capable of having access to broadband services at a minimum of 100 Mbps PPIR with 10 Mbps CIR as per the contract between Welsh Government and BT? (WAQ72050)

Answer received on 15 February 2017.

Julie James: All exchanges and FTTC cabinets within the Superfast Cymru Intervention Area are Fibre on Demand (FOD) enabled and are capable of delivering broadband services at a minimum of 100 Mbps PPIR and 10 Mbps CIR.
 
Premises served by an FTTP solution (of which there will be an estimated 90,000) are also capable of speeds over 100Mbps PPIR and 10 Mbps CIR
 
The percentage of premises, listed by local authority area, within the Superfast Cymru intervention area currently served by FTTP are: 
 

Russell George (Montgomeryshire): What percentage of premises, listed by local authority area, within the Superfast Cymru Contract Intervention Area are capable of having access to broadband services at a minimum of 24 Mbps PPIR with 0.5 Mbps CIR as per the contract between Welsh Government and BT? (WAQ72051)

Answer received on 14 February 2017.

Julie James: The percentage of premises, listed by local authority area, within the Superfast Cymru intervention area capable of having access to broadband band services at a minimum of 24 Mbps are: 

To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport

Steffan Lewis (South Wales East): Since 2000, how many applicants for retrospective NHS Continuity of Care claims have died whilst waiting for a determination on their application? (WAQ72046)

Answer received on 14 February 2017;

Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport: Vaughan Gething AM:  The Welsh Government does not hold or collect data on the number of applicants that have died whilst waiting for a determination on their claim.

However, in order to accelerate the speed at which claims are handled, an amended process has been introduced.  This process has been approved by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales. The Welsh Government has also introduced a monthly reporting process, ensuring that progress in processing claims and any problems/challenges are captured and managed as early as possible.

Mark Isherwood (North Wales): What assurances can the Cabinet Secretary give that the Armed Forces Free Swimming (AFFS) Scheme, will be extended beyond 31 March 2017, and what financial support will be given to Local Authorities to deliver this scheme? (WAQ72047)

Answer recieved on 15 February 2017

Rebecca Evans: The free swimming offer is part of our Package of Support for the Armed Forces Community and is a commitment we intend to continue offering to our Veterans and Armed Forces personnel.

Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the closure of the Enlli Ward at Ysbyty Gwynedd and advise as to how he is working to ensure continuation of service provision to patients at this time? (WAQ72059)

Answer received on 14 February 2017

Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport (Vaughan Gething):  Enlli ward was used as part of the health board’s winter plans to support increases in unscheduled care pressures. This was to help reduce the number of patients delayed in the emergency department and being cared for  in ambulances.

It was due to revert to an orthopaedic ward after January but due to staffing issues across the trauma and orthopaedic wards this was not possible. Half of the bed capacity of Enlli ward has therefore been transferred to Conwy ward and any patient who requires hip or knee surgery, and falls outside the MRSA free criteria, will receive their treatment on Conwy ward.

The health board had also planned a reduction in inpatient orthopaedic activity during the winter months and changed the surgical operating capacity to focus on daycase activity through the Tudno day surgery unit, which means long waiting patients are continuing to be treated during times of bed pressures.

To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs

 
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): By what date does the Cabinet Secretary intend to publish the results of the Government's consultations into "Air quality and noise management in Wales"? (WAQ72053)

Answer received on 14 February 2017,

Cabinet Seretary for Environment and Rural Affairs (Lesley Griffiths): By the 31 March, 2017.
 

Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): What discussions has the Cabinet Secretary had with local authority representatives about the use of LPG and its positive impact on air quality compared to diesel? (WAQ72054)

Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): Will the Cabinet Secretary outline the specific steps taken to quantify the air quality benefits of supporting the conversion of taxis to LPG? (WAQ72055)

Answer received on 20 February 2017

Lesley Griffiths: My officials have held discussions with the National Procurement Service and the All Wales Transport Group (consisting of Local Authority Fleet Managers) to establish how many LPG vehicles are used by Welsh Local Authorities.

Only one Local Authority (Ynys Mon) reported using LPG vehicles within its fleet. Feedback from the All Wales Transport Group indicates the number of LPG vehicles operated by Local Authorities has been falling in Wales. This has been due to back up and spares availability being poor, meaning vehicles with problems suffer extended periods of downtime. Gradually, over time, these vehicles have been replaced by more reliable diesel powered vehicles across nearly all Local Authority fleets.

As we know, diesel engines emit greater levels of nitrogen oxides than new petrol vehicles. According to the UK Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), local pollutant emissions, for example nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, from well-engineered LPG and CNG vehicles are similar to that of a new petrol vehicle.

In addition, many LPG vehicles have this fuel technology 'retrofitted'. Sometimes poor quality retrofits can off-set many of the air quality benefits of switching fuels.

Improving air quality is a key objective for the Welsh Government. Emissions from road vehicles are a significant source of pollution affecting people's health. Therefore, to ensure this is achieved we will consider all available evidence for technologies and actions which provide the potential to improve air quality in Wales.

To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children

Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): What plans does the Welsh Government have to introduce a Home Building Fund, as the UK Government have done in England, to help SMEs in the building industry to access finance? (WAQ72058)

Answer recieved on 16 February 2017

Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children (Carl Sargeant):  The Welsh Government has been providing SME home builders with access to finance through the Wales Property Development Fundsince 2013.

To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government

Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): How is the Welsh Government working to actively seek engagement with the Reforming Local Government: Resilient and Renewed White Paper? (WAQ72056)

Answer received on 14 February 2017.

Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government (Mark Drakeford): I began the process of engagement on the White Paper long before the formal consultation was launched on 31 January.  I sought views from Local Authority Leaders across all 22 Local Authorities and my officials held events with Chief Executives and professional leads from local government, and the wider public services, throughout the Autumn. 

The White Paper was greatly enhanced by being developed through a collaborative approach.    There is now a plan of ongoing engagement both at political and official level throughout the consultation process and beyond so we can ensure that together we create a resilient and renewed local government.

We have asked Local Authorities to highlight the consultation, for example through their websites, to encourage participation by citizens.

Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): Will the Cabinet Secretary confirm how he intends to take forward his proposed 'framework which allows for choices in how scrutiny is undertaken', as outlined in the Reforming Local Government: Resilient and Renewed White Paper – does he envisage each authority deciding and proceeding individually, or for a consensus to be formed and all authorities to proceed in the same manner? (WAQ72057)

Answer recieved on 17 February 2017

Mark Drakeford: It will be for each individual local authority to choose which option from the framework it wishes to adopt.