Answers issued to Members on 16 March 2009

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

Contents

Questions to the First Minister

Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy and Transport

Questions to the Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills

Questions to the Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing

Questions to the Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery

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 Social Justice and Local Government

Questions to the First Minister

Nick Ramsay (Monmouth): Will the Minister outline the cost of running the Welsh Assembly Government civil service in each year since 1999? (WAQ53709)

The First Minister (Rhodri Morgan): The Permanent Secretary will write to you in response to this question and a copy of the letter will be placed on the internet.

Jenny Randerson (Cardiff Central): When does the Welsh Assembly Government intend to publish the report by Professor Christopher Pollock regarding a permanent office of the Chief Scientific Advisor to the Welsh Assembly Government? (WAQ53716)

The First Minister: The report and its publication are still under consideration.

Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy and Transport

Nick Bourne (Mid and West Wales): What postal service arrangements are employed in your department and can you provide details of the delivery service used, including whether it is Royal Mail, other or both, giving the volume and value for each year since 1999? (WAQ53649) Transferred for answer by the Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery.

The Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery (Andrew Davies): I refer you to the answer to WAQ53655.

Questions to the Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills

Nick Bourne (Mid and West Wales): What postal service arrangements are employed in your department and can you provide details of the delivery service used, including whether it is Royal Mail, other or both, giving the volume and value for each year since 1999? (WAQ53664) Transferred for answer by the Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery.

The Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery (Andrew Davies): I refer you to the answer to WAQ53655.

Nick Bourne (Mid and West Wales): What services are provided in the areas for which you are responsible through the Post Office network? (WAQ53666)

The Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (Jane Hutt): DCELLS does not provide services through the Post office network.

Questions to the Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing

Nick Bourne (Mid and West Wales): What postal service arrangements are employed in your department and can you provide details of the delivery service used, including whether it is Royal Mail, other or both, giving the volume and value for each year since 1999? (WAQ53652) Transferred for answer by the Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery.

The Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery (Andrew Davies): I refer you to the answer to WAQ53655.

Jonathan Morgan (Cardiff North): What guidance has the Minister issued to local authorities in relation to the proportion of planning applications which should be determined by local authority officers instead of planning committees? (WAQ53733)

The Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing (Jane Davidson): Technical Advice Note 17, 'Planning and Managing Development’, the Consultation Draft of which issued in August 2007, advised that, while the Welsh Assembly Government has not set a specific target for delegated decisions on planning applications, responsibility for as many such decisions as possible should be delegated to Officers.

I understand that rates of delegation in Wales vary between 60 and 90%. Delegation allows the local planning authority to offer a more efficient and responsive planning service, and enables Members to concentrate on major, more controversial planning issues.

Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire): Will the Minister detail any guidance she has issued on the minimum distance between poultry sheds and residential properties? (WAQ53714)

Jane Davidson: Guidance on agricultural considerations is set out in planning Technical Advice Note (TAN) 6, 'Agriculture and Rural Development’ published in June 2000. The TAN should be read in conjunction with national policies set out in 'Planning Policy Wales’, and should be taken into account by local planning authorities when preparing local development plans and taking planning decisions.

The TAN explains that The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 specifies permitted development rights in relation to a range of agricultural buildings and operations. These rights do not usually apply to buildings used to accommodate livestock when these are to be constructed within 400 metres of the curtilage of a dwelling, or other 'protected building’ such as a school, hospital or offices normally occupied by people.

Proposals for the construction of a 'protected building,’ or for a building to house livestock within 400 metres of an existing 'protected building’, would require planning permission from the relevant local planning authority.

A detailed explanation of permitted development rights for agricultural buildings is set out in TAN 6 and in the Order.  

Questions to the Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery

Nick Bourne (Mid and West Wales): What postal service arrangements are employed in your department and can you provide details of the delivery service used, including whether it is Royal Mail, other or both, giving the volume and value for each year since 1999? (WAQ53655)

The Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery (Andrew Davies): Royal Mail handles the majority of the Welsh Assembly Government’s post. Other service providers are used where appropriate, taking into account value for money and urgency of delivery.

Total expenditure on postage and carriage within the Central Services and Administration budget is provided in the table below.

Total Postage and Carriage Costs

There will also be expenditure through Ministerial portfolio budgets but this is not readily available. Such postage costs relate to Ministerial portfolio activities; for example, the despatch of public consultation documents. Financial information for earlier years has been archived and is not readily available.

Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services

Nick Bourne (Mid and West Wales): What postal service arrangements are employed in your department and can you provide details of the delivery service used, including whether it is Royal Mail, other or both, giving the volume and value for each year since 1999? (WAQ53661) Transferred for answer by the Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery.

The Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery (Andrew Davies): I refer you to the answer to WAQ53655.

Nick Bourne (Mid and West Wales): How much money has been spent in each of the last five years in fighting (a) Breast Cancer, and (b) Prostate Cancer in Wales? (WAQ53712)

The Minister for Health and Social Services (Edwina Hart): This information is not held centrally.

Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire): Will the Minister publish figures detailing the money spent in Wales over the last 5 years on (a) breast cancer and (b) prostate cancer? (WAQ53717)

Edwina Hart: This information is not held centrally.

Jonathan Morgan (Cardiff North): What are the actual efficiency savings required of each NHS Trust and Local Health Board in the current financial year? (WAQ53719)

Edwina Hart: Efficiency targets are not set for individual NHS organisations. In 2008-09 the NHS collectively was expected to generate 2.5% efficiency savings to assist in meeting cost increases.

Jonathan Morgan (Cardiff North): What directions has the Minister issued since 2007 to NHS Trusts? (WAQ53720)

Edwina Hart: Until mid-2008, I issued directions to NHS Trusts through Welsh Health Circulars. These may be found via the following link to the Welsh Assembly Government website:

http://wales.gov.uk/topics/health/publications/health/circulars/?lang=en

I now issue directions in the form of a Ministerial Letter. These may be viewed via the following link:

http://wales.gov.uk/topics/health/publications/health/ministerialletters/?lang=en

Jonathan Morgan (Cardiff North): Will the Minister outline what additional costs have been incurred to progress her restructuring of the NHS? (WAQ53721)

Edwina Hart: The costs of the NHS reforms are still being worked through, but it is expected that they will generate savings both in terms of money as well as improved efficiency, that will be re-invested in patient services.

Jonathan Morgan (Cardiff North): What was the total additional cost of merging the NHS Trust into the Hywel Dda NHS Trust? (WAQ53722)

Edwina Hart: The additional cash cost of merging NHS organisations to form the Hywel Dda NHS Trust was £100k.

Nick Ramsay (Monmouth): How is the Welsh Assembly Government working with local authorities to ensure that adults with autism receive the same level of support as children and young people? (WAQ53727)

Edwina Hart: It is for each local authority to assess the care needs of adults and children on the autism spectrum and to decide how best to meet those assessed care needs.

To support local authorities in implementing our Adult Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Strategic Action Plan for Wales, I have made resources available for an ASD lead to be appointed in each authority. I have also made resources available to fund three Regional Support Officer posts based in the Welsh Local Government Association to help and support these ASD lead officers. Additional support will also be available through an on-line extranet network.

The Adults with ASD Task and Finish Group is due to report to me in the spring on the specific issues that adults with ASD face and what can be done to tackle them. I will consider what further actions may need to be taken in the light of this report.

We have also commissioned research into the prevalence of ASD in older people in Wales and their needs. This research report should be available in the autumn.

Jonathan Morgan (Cardiff North): What efficiency and/or cost savings in actual figures are required from each NHS body during the 2009-10 financial year? (WAQ53734)

Edwina Hart: Efficiency targets are not set for individual NHS organisations. In 2009-10 the NHS collectively is expected to generate 3% efficiency savings.

Jonathan Morgan (Cardiff North): Will the Minister outline the work of the Welsh Analytical Prescribing Support Unit to date? (WAQ53735)

Edwina Hart: The Welsh Analytical Prescribing Support Unit (WAPSU) has not been established. The Welsh Medicines Partnership has undertaken some project management work to establish the proposed unit and has worked on projects on unlicensed medicines and incentivising secondary care. These projects would have fallen under WAPSU’s remit.

Jonathan Morgan (Cardiff North): Will the Minister list all decisions made by Assembly Health Ministers since 1999 together with the actual costs incurred by NHS bodies as a result of those decisions? (WAQ53737)

Edwina Hart: Both I and my two predecessors as Minister for Health and Social Services have made numerous decisions on a daily basis that affect the NHS in Wales. Not all of our decisions will have had financial implications but to list those that have since 1999 would be both cost- and time-prohibitive.

Andrew R.T. Davies (South Wales Central): What measures is the Minister taking to limit the spread of the common cold? (WAQ53763)

Edwina Hart: The Welsh Assembly Government has encouraged good respiratory and hand hygiene practice through a number of public awareness messages. This is an essential part of reducing the spread of the cold virus. Key elements have been the Health Challenge Wales publicity campaign and the production in May 2008 of the 'Coughs and Sneezes Spread Diseases’ information leaflet which was disseminated to the public via GP surgeries, hospitals, schools and other networks.

Questions to the Minister for Heritage

Nick Ramsay (Monmouth): Will the Minister provide details of the amount of money his department spends each year on the development of amateur boxing? (WAQ53696)

The Minister for Heritage (Alun Ffred Jones): Welsh Assembly Government money for sport is channelled through the Sports Council for Wales who advise that in 2007-2008 over £80k was allocated to support the development of boxing across Wales.

Nick Bourne (Mid and West Wales): What postal service arrangements are employed in your department and can you provide details of the delivery service used, including whether it is Royal Mail, other or both, giving the volume and value for each year since 1999? (WAQ53670) Transferred for answer by the Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery.

The Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery (Andrew Davies): I refer you to the answer to WAQ53655.

Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs

Nick Bourne (Mid and West Wales): What postal service arrangements are employed in your department and can you provide details of the delivery service used, including whether it is Royal Mail, other or both, giving the volume and value for each year since 1999? (WAQ53667) Transferred for answer by the Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery.

The Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery (Andrew Davies): I refer you to the answer to WAQ53655.

Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Local Government

Nick Bourne (Mid and West Wales): What postal service arrangements are employed in your department and can you provide details of the delivery service used, including whether it is Royal Mail, other or both, giving the volume and value for each year since 1999? (WAQ53658) Transferred for answer by the Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery.

The Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery (Andrew Davies): I refer you to the answer to WAQ53655.