Answers issued to Members on 15 May 2009

[R] signifies that the Member has declared an interest.
[W] signifies that the question was tabled in Welsh.

Contents

Questions to the Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing

Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services

Questions to the Minister for Heritage

Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs

Questions to the Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing

Dai Lloyd (South Wales West): Will the Minister make a statement on planned initiatives for the fuel poor? (WAQ54078)

The Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing (Jane Davidson): Our draft National Energy Efficiency and Savings Plan (NEESP) was issued for consultation on 16 March and sets out our proposals for short term actions to tackle fuel poverty in Wales.

The proposals include making significant changes to the existing Home Energy Efficiency Scheme to more effectively target fuel poor households and developing and formalising referral networks between different advice providers.

The consultation closes on 5 June. The initiatives that will be taken forward in the future to help fuel poor households will be determined following the outcome of the consultation.

Dai Lloyd (South Wales West): Will the Minister make a statement regarding progress on the National Energy Efficiency Savings Plan? (WAQ54079)

Jane Davidson: The National Energy Efficiency Savings Plan was published for consultation on the 16 March and will close on the 5 June. My officials have attended a number of events across Wales as part of the consultation and feedback from these events will be analysed alongside the written responses received.

Once the outcome of the consultation is known I will make a statement on our Strategy for tackling Fuel Poverty in Wales. I expect to make this statement in the summer.

Other actions on promoting energy efficiency will be contained in the consultation on the Climate Change Strategy—Programme of Action which will be published in June.

Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire): Will the Minister make a statement on the cost that private owners of water supplies will have to bear following the proposed introduction of the Private Wales Supplies (Wales) Regulations 2009? (WAQ54080)

Jane Davidson: Our strategic position statement on water, which I launched in March, identified as a top priority the need for everyone in Wales is to have access to clean, wholesome drinking water. This includes both public water supplies and private supplies.

Our current legislation on private water supplies dates from 1981. We launched a consultation on new regulations in March, with a closing date for comment of the 6th June. The proposed regulations will modernise the way private water supplies are regulated, introducing risk assessments. These will enable local authorities to focus their efforts on the most vulnerable supplies and ensuring health is protected. This is especially important for transient users such as those staying in holiday cottages and other accommodation on private supplies.

The consultation document includes an interim impact assessment which contains details of the anticipated costs. This will be reviewed in the light of the responses to the consultation.

Nick Bourne (Mid and West Wales): In respect of the need to install a first time sewerage infrastructure for residents of Goginan, Ceredigion under Section 101a of the Water Industry Act 1991 (a) what surveys have been carried out by any agents or consultants working for Dwr Cymru, (b) what economic and environmental appraisals have been undertaken in respect of such surveys, and (c) have these been furnished to the Environment Agency? (WAQ54093)

Jane Davidson: Dwr Cymru Welsh Water has advised that it has commissioned a study from specialist S101A consultants, Faber Maunsell, in response to an application for the provision of a public sewer under at Goginan. The study is expected to be completed by the end of June 2009. Dwr Cymru Welsh Water will write to the applicants with their conclusions when they have completed their consideration of the consultant’s report and will notify the Environment Agency and the Local Authority of the outcome.

Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services

Irene James (Islwyn): How many (a) Implantable Cardiac Defibrillators and (b) pacemakers have been implanted in each of the last five years? (WAQ54105)

Irene James (Islwyn): Will the Minister make a statement on the uptake levels of Implantable Cardiac Defibrillators and pacemakers in Wales, in comparison with the rest of the UK? (WAQ54107)

The Minister for Health and Social Services (Edwina Hart): This information is available within the public domain at http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sites3/page.cfm?orgid=338&pid=34406

Questions to the Minister for Heritage

Nick Bourne (Mid and West Wales): What is the percentage of a) children and b) adults in Wales attending designated historic environment sites in each year since 1999? (WAQ54123)

The Minister for Heritage (Alun Ffred Jones): Where monuments in the care of Cadw, the Welsh Assembly Government’s historic environment service, are concerned historic data of this sort are not held. Research commissioned by Cadw and undertaken at a range of its monuments in 2008 identified the following age profile amongst visitors:

Cadw offers free educational visits to its monuments and historical data on the numbers benefiting from this initiative is held. The table below shows this information alongside total visitor numbers:

Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs

Brynle Williams (North Wales): Will the Minister detail the Welsh Assembly Government’s plans for the development of inshore fisheries? (WAQ54113)

The Minister for Rural Affairs (Elin Jones): As you will be aware I announced in September 2008 that the Welsh Assembly Government would be assuming control of inshore fisheries in Wales. This requires the amalgamation of the staff and functions of the two Sea Fisheries Committees operative in Wales with the Welsh Assembly Government Fisheries Unit. The project to deliver these changes is well under way, with the first stage (discover phase) due to come to an end next month.

Stakeholder engagement is a vital element of the current SFC model and will be central to the future management of fisheries in Wales. I am looking forward to hearing from the Stakeholder Advisory Group suggestions on how we can make stakeholder input work best in Wales. The size and nature of Wales gives us an opportunity to shape and manage fisheries in a way that would not be possible in England due to the varied nature and distribution of their industry and I believe that the model of inshore fisheries being developed by us is the best for Wales.

Inshore fisheries are a vital contributor to rural communities around Wales making my goal of viable and sustainable fisheries even more important. I believe that the nature of the fishing industry in Wales, nearly completely inshore, gives us a real opportunity to create and maintain a sustainable fishing industry in line with the aims of the Wales Fisheries Strategy. The local rapport that the staff of the SFCs has built with the industry, not to mention their experience and expertise of the subject, is vital and something I am determined not to lose.

You will also be aware that the reform of inshore fisheries management is one of a number of measures being introduced to improve fisheries in Wales. In April last year the Marine and Fisheries Agency fisheries inspectors successfully transferred into the direct employment of the Welsh Assembly Government.

Brynle Williams (North Wales): Will the Minister detail the costs incurred by her department due to the merger of Non Departmental Public Bodies with the Assembly Government? (WAQ54115)

Elin Jones: No significant additional costs were incurred by my department as a result of the merger of the Assembly Government Sponsored Bodies, like the Welsh Development Agency. Any costs incurred were met from central budgets, as is usually the case with mergers.