16/05/2014 - Written Assembly Questions and Answers

Published 13/06/2014 | Last Updated 02/04/2015

Written Assembly Questions tabled on 9 May 2014 for answer on 16 May 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 Minister for Culture and Sport

Rhodri Glyn Thomas (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): Will the Minister make a statement regarding the delayed publication of a green paper consultation into access and outdoor recreation legislation? (WAQ67004)

Answer received on 21 May 2014

The Minister for Culture and Sport (John Griffiths): I recently issued a Written Statement outlining the Welsh Government’s position on access and outdoor recreation. A green paper on improving public access to land and seeking better facilitation of voluntary access to water will be issued later on this year.

To ask the Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty

David Melding (South Wales Central): What is being done to ensure that the workplace is becoming more accommodating for people with sight loss? (WAQ67007)

Answer received on 15 May 2014

The Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty (Jeff Cuthbert): In general, employment programmes are the responsibility of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Although employment policy is not a devolved responsibility of Welsh Government, employment was included as a key priority in our Framework for Action on Independent Living for disabled people which was published last year. Besides promoting independence, being in work can help improve confidence, health and well-being, and provide a route out of poverty. People can also benefit enormously from the social aspects of employment.

The Welsh Government is therefore supporting disabled people into employment within our devolved powers through our education and training policies and through our support for business. For example, we expect any business seeking support from Welsh Government to sign up to our principles of Corporate Social Responsibility, which include a commitment to good employment practices.

When developing the Framework for Action on Independent Living, disabled people told us about the barriers they face to getting and keeping a job, for example:

Disproportionately low skill and qualification levels. This can be for all sorts of reasons, from absence from school during childhood, barriers to access to mainstream education, lack of specialist support, and low expectations – sometimes of parents or staff, and sometimes of disabled people themselves;
Physical barriers, such as access to buildings and transport to work;
Negative attitudes of employers or other staff; and
Lack of awareness of the support that is available to help support people into education and skills training, and into employment.

tWe are aiming to address lower skills and qualifications levels amongst disabled people by ensuring that all Welsh Government education and training policies are fully inclusive so that disabled children, young people and adults have the same opportunities as their non-disabled peers.

Other priorities in the Framework for Action on Independent Living include accessibility of public transport and access to buildings; making progress in these areas will also help create an enabling society that provides the all-round support needed to help disabled people to get and keep good jobs. This is important for people with sight loss as Blind people often face additional barriers in accessing work, sometimes attitudinal.

As regards UK-wide employment policy, Welsh Government officials are working closely with DWP as they develop the thinking on their UK Disability and Health Employment Strategy to help ensure that we maximise positive outcomes for disabled people in Wales.

The UK Government’s Disability Confident campaign is intended to work with employers to remove barriers to employing disabled people, increase understanding, help address negative attitudes and ensure that disabled people have the opportunity to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations. I support these intentions and want to help ensure that we get that message across to employers in Wales so I will be participating in a regional event being held in Cardiff on 20^th May as part of this campaign.

Officials are also working closely with their counterparts in the DWP to help ensure that we maximise support through DWP’s Access to Work Programme which can provide support to disabled people, including people with sight loss, to secure and stay in employment.

Programmes that support unemployed people, or people in the workplace, either through the DWP or the Welsh Government are generally open to all, irrespective of their personal circumstances.

The Equality Act 2010 also supports disabled people in the workplace

by placing a duty on employers to make reasonable adjustments. The duty to make reasonable adjustments aims to make sure that, as far as is reasonable,a disabledworker has the same access to everything that is involved in doing and keeping a job as a non-disabled person.

For people with sight loss this could mean for example providing special equipment such as large screens, providing instruction manuals in Braille or audio format, or arranging facilities for assistance dogs. Many of the adjustments employers can make may not be particularly expensive, and employers are not required to do more than what is reasonable. What is reasonable depends, among other factors, on the size and nature of the organisation.

To ask the Minister for Economy, Science and Transport

William Graham (South Wales East): Further to the answer to WAQ65251, will the Minister provide an update on the proposals for the three business rates schemes which were under construction? (WAQ67015)

Answer received on 15 May 2014

The Minister for Economy, Science and Transport (Edwina Hart): We have established the Open for Business, New Developments and Wales Retail Relief Schemes. Information about these schemes can be found on the Welsh Government website.

William Graham (South Wales East): Will the Minister provide an update on the successful applications for the new Business Improvement Districs? (WAQ67016)

Answer received on 15 May 2014

Edwina Hart: Funding has been announced for nine areas. These areas are working to progress to successful Business Improvement District (BID) ballots, and complete feasibility reports which are to be submitted by 31 July 2014.

To ask the Minister for Education and Skills

David Melding (South Wales Central): What assessment has the Minister made of the consistency of the delivery of the early learning Foundation Phase policy? (WAQ67005)

Answer received on 14 May 2014

The Minister for Education and Skills (Huw Lewis): Following the full roll-out in 2010, the Foundation Phase is undergoing a long-term evaluation undertaken by the WISERD research centre at Cardiff University, to ensure that its implementation is progressing well and that it promotes effective learning for all children in Wales.

Early evidence from the Foundation Phase evaluation and from Estyn thematic reports has been positive about the Foundation Phase and I am pleased that early indications from those delivering the Foundation Phase show that there is a positive reported impact on our youngest learners, in particular around wellbeing, attitudes to learning and confidence. I am also aware that we needed to take a closer look at how the Foundation Phase is being implemented across Wales and to look to strengthen that delivery now.

For that reason I commissioned a short-term stocktake of the Foundation Phase, which began in September 2013, with a final report submitted at the end of March 2014. The stocktake was confined to looking at implementation, quality and reducing variability. The Foundation Phase stocktake report is due to be published shortly.

We will need to carefully consider the recommendations falling from that report along with the findings from the Foundation Phase evaluation which completes in June 2014 and other ongoing reviews

David Melding (South Wales Central): Will the Minister make a statement on what progress has been made to set up an independent exams regulator? (WAQ67006)

Answer received on 19 May 2014

Huw Lewis: The First Minister has already made a commitment that we will bring forward legislation on the establishment of Qualifications Wales before the end of this Assembly term. A consultation on the establishment of the new body was issued in October 2013 and work is underway to develop the necessary legislation to establish the new body. A summary of the responses to the consultation will be published shortly.

Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire): Will the Minister make a statement on how primary school banding will be applied to small rural schools? (WAQ67008)

Answer received on 15 May 2014

Huw Lewis: I issued a Ministerial Written Statement last week regarding the development of a primary school grading model, alongside the review of the measures included in the secondary school banding model.

This work is in early development therefore I cannot comment on how primary school grading will be applied specifically to small rural schools. I recognise that within small primary schools there are some inherent difficulties which are being considered as part of the process of developing a primary school grading model.

Eluned Parrott (South Wales Central): What assessment has been made of the people who move from Jobs Growth Wales (JGW) to the Young Recruits Programme and how many people does the Welsh Government estimate took a pay cut during this process having been paid the national minimum wage (NMW) with JGW to now being paid the significantly lower Apprenticeship NMW rate? (WAQ67017)