Answers to the Written Assembly Questions for answer on 18 February 2010

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

Contents

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 Health and Social Services

Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs

To ask the Minister for Children, Education and Lifelong Learning

Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Will the Minister provide figures for the number of children that have been caught cheating in GCSE and A-level examinations over the last five years. (WAQ55629)

Answer issued on 18 February 2010

Data on malpractice in GCSE and GCE examinations is collected and published on a three country basis by the qualifications regulators.  It is not possible to provide this data for Wales, England or Northern Ireland separately.  The figures collected are for the number of penalties issued by awarding organisations not the number of candidates. An individual candidate may be penalised more than once and by more than one awarding organisation.

Malpractice data 2005 -2009 in Wales, England and Northern Ireland

* 2005, 2006 and 2007 figures do not include data for CCEA awarding body. CCEA does not traditionally have a large entry outside of Northern Ireland and malpractice figures are low compared to the other awarding bodies e.g. 47 penalties issued in 2008 and 74 in 2009.

Instances of candidate malpractice remain extremely rare.   For the 2009 examinations, 4,415 penalties were issued across the three countries out of over 14 million examinations sat. This is 0.03 per cent of the total entry: 3 in every 10,000.  

It is also important to understand that not all cases of malpractice included in this data should be seen as 'cheating’, that is a candidate deliberately trying to gain an advantage.  The data includes for example, disruptive or inappropriate behaviour in examinations which would not necessarily constitute cheating but are dealt with via the malpractice process.

The regulators’ report on malpractice in 2009 examinations can be found on the DCELLS website http://wales.gov.uk/topics/educationandskills/publications/reports/malpracticeinexams09/?lang=en

Peter Black (South Wales West): Will the Minister confirm whether or not a proposal has been submitted by Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council to close all of its school sixth forms and open three tertiary colleges and, if so, when a decision will be made. (WAQ55630)

Answer issued on 24 February 2010

In response to the Welsh Assembly Government’s policy, Transforming Education and Training Provision in Wales, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council and Coleg Morgannwg have worked in partnership to produce a proposal for restructuring post-16 learning in Rhondda Cynon Taf.  The proposal considers a number of options, including the introduction of three tertiary hubs, to replace the provision currently available in school sixth forms across the Authority.  A decision will not be made until this proposal has been refined through the development of an Outline Business Case followed by a Full Business Case. If Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council then proceeds with any change that would remove sixth form education from schools, it would be required to publish statutory notices and provide anyone wishing to object with a two month period in which to do so.  If objections are received the matter will be referred for determination by Welsh Ministers.

Peter Black (South Wales West): Will the Minister outline what stage negotiations are currently at between his department and Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council regarding their plans for post sixteen education. (WAQ55631)

Answer issued on 24 February 2010

Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council in partnership with Coleg Morgannwg has developed a case for restructuring post-16 learning in Rhonnda Cynon Taf. The proposal has been appraised by DCELLS and approval has been given for the learning partnership to progress to the next stage of development which is the Outline Business Case (OBC). This will explore and test a number of options against evidence-based criteria. Once completed, the OBC will be sent to DCELLS for appraisal and comment. At present no decision has been taken on the way forward.

Jenny Randerson (Cardiff Central): How many applications for funding for specialist residential courses in further education for students with severe autism were rejected in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. (WAQ55637)

Answer issued on 24 February 2010

The information requested regarding the rejection of applications for specialist residential further education for learners with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) between the 2006/2007 and 2009/2010 academic year is as follows:

To ask the Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing

Mick Bates (Montgomeryshire): What standard of build will the housing developed using the £42 million allocated to deliver 400+ affordable houses under Tranche 2 of the Strategic Capital Investment Framework process be. (WAQ55634) Transferred for answer by the Deputy Minister for Housing and Regeneration

Answer issued on 24 February 2010

The Deputy Minister for Housing and Regeneration (Jocelyn Davies):  The £42 million allocated to deliver 400+ affordable homes was made available from Tranche 1 of the Strategic Capital Investment Fund. Homes built on land purchased under this programme are required to meet Welsh Assembly Government "Design Quality Requirements”.  Homes purchased from the private sector (either completed or under construction) are required to meet the Welsh Assembly Government "Off the Shelf Procurement Guide” which sets out criteria to assist Registered Social Landlords in making judgments about the functionality and value for money of properties offered by private house builders.

Peter Black (South Wales West): Will the Minister detail (a) what the increase in the number of affordable homes in Wales has been since May 2007, (b) whether this figure includes the number lost through sales (such as right to buy) and demolitions, and (c) the methodology used to calculate this figure. (WAQ55639) Transferred for answer by the Deputy Minister for Housing and Regeneration

Answer issued on 24 February 2010

Jocelyn Davies: a) Over the two years, 2007-08 and 2008-09, local authorities reported that a total of 4,235 additional affordable housing units of all tenures had been delivered across Wales.  Local Authorities estimated that a further 2,700 affordable housing units are planned for delivery during 2009-10 though these figures are estimates and may be subject to change.  A further data collection exercise will take place from March 2010 that will identify the actual number delivered during 2009-10.

b) The affordable housing data collection exercise was designed to monitor progress against the One Wales target to provide 6,500 additional affordable homes between 2007 and 2011. The data collected relate to additional affordable housing units only.. Information on dwellings subject to sale and demolition is available separately.

c) Data were collected from the 22 Local Authorities, Registered Social Landlords and National Park Authorities.  The collection is based on the full Technical Advice Note (TAN) 2 definition for affordable housing and covers all additional affordable housing units (including general needs, supported housing, sheltered accommodation and extra care units), whether through new build, purchase, acquisition, leasing or conversion of existing dwellings.

The TAN 2 definition is available at

http://wales.gov.uk/topics/planning/policy/tans/tan2?skip=1&lang=en

Further information is shown in the Statistical Release "Affordable Housing Provision in Wales 2007-08 to 2010-11” (SDR196/2009), available via the following link:

http://wales.gov.uk/topics/statistics/headlines/housing2009/hdw20091214/?lang=en

Peter Black (South Wales West): How many (a) local authority owned properties and (b) registered social landlord owned rental properties have been sold or demolished since May 2007. (WAQ55640) Transferred for answer by the Deputy Minister for Housing and Regeneration

Answer issued on 24 February 2010

Jocelyn Davies: Information on the number of Local Authority and registered social landlord owned rental properties demolished or sold during 2007-08 and 2008-09 is shown in the following tables.

Source: Annual returns from local authorities

Peter Black (South Wales West): How many affordable properties have been built in Wales since May 2007. (WAQ55641) Transferred for answer by the Deputy Minister for Housing and Regeneration

Answer issued on 24 February 2010

Jocelyn Davies: Over the two years, 2007-08 and 2008-09, local authorities reported that a total of 4,235 additional affordable housing units of all tenures had been delivered across Wales. This figure includes all additional affordable housing units delivered whether through new build, purchase, acquisition, leasing or conversion of existing dwellings.

The information provided does not separately identify the number of newly built properties.

To ask the Minister for Health and Social Services

Peter Black (South Wales West): Does the Minister intend to publish the contents of meeting minutes and the progress report of the Routledge report implementation group, led by Professor Mike Harmer. (WAQ55632)

Answer issued on 24 February 2010

I am not yet in receipt of the final report.  On receipt, I will give due consideration and take advice from my officials re: the implementation and will advise members accordingly.

Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire): What guidance is issued in relation to whether the Statutory timescales for Core Assessments cover core assessments undertaken for adopted children as their post adoption support assessment. (WAQ55633)

Answer issued on 18 February 2010

I refer to my previous answer to (WAQ 55573).  The processes and timescales for undertaking core assessments, including those for post adoption support, are set out in the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families.

To ask the Minister for Rural Affairs

Brynle Williams (North Wales): Will the Minister detail (a) the number of successful grant applications under the Better Woodland for Wales Scheme and (b) the total amount paid for each application in each month since the scheme’s introduction. (WAQ55635)

Answer issued on 24 February 2010

The answer is as follows:

(a). As at the 31st of January 2010, 670 applications had been approved under the Better Woodlands for Wales scheme (BWW).

(b). I am not able to provide payment information that enables the identification of individual applications but the table below shows the amount processed through the online payment system since the start of the scheme.

Payment Month Amount Paid (£)

Apr-07 £3,097.70

May-07 £433.25

Oct-07 £2,372.86

Nov-07 £69,152.23

Dec-07 £44,353.35

Jan-08 £64,828.71

Feb-08 £267,162.50

Mar-08 £649,499.50

Apr-08 £370,266.59

May-08 £201,770.23

Jun-06 £138,765.72

Jul-08 £63,813.48

Aug-08 £82,906.58

Sep-08 £66,797.54

Oct-08 £57,795.27

Nov-08 £39,105.11

Dec-08 £66,074.65

Jan-09 £131,021.88

Feb-09 £414,939.96

Mar-09 £1,009,473.69

Apr-09 £115,127.97

May-09 £44,540.10

Jun-09 £107,097.36

Jul-09 £122,773.57

Aug-09 £131,681.98

Sep-09 £156,893.64

Oct-09 £105,927.69

Nov-09 £139,779.21

Dec-09 £214,655.94

Jan-10 £262,798.43

Total £5,144,906.69

Brynle Williams (North Wales): Will the Minister make a statement on her priorities in relation to developing a Welsh National Forest. (WAQ55636)

Answer issued on 24 February 2010

The Welsh Assembly Government’s strategy for trees and woodlands, Woodlands for Wales, which I launched in March last year sets out my priorities for the development of a Welsh National Forest, as well as highlighting the range of benefits that trees and woodlands can provide.

It is my intention that all the woodlands of Wales should collectively act as the Welsh National Forest and I want Wales to be known for its high quality woodlands that enhance the landscape, are appropriate to local conditions and have a diverse mixture of species and habitats.

The National Forest includes the public woodland estate which is sustainability managed by Forestry Commission Wales, as well as all other woodland irrespective of size, location or ownership, together with the trees outside woodland blocks, in both rural and urban areas.

Key priorities in delivering this aim include the work that FC Wales is doing to make woodlands more diverse by establishing a greater range of tree species, including native trees, and reducing the amount of clear-felling by promoting the use of low impact management systems.

Another priority is to seek ways of increasing public involvement in the management of woodlands through the development of initiatives like the Pathfinder project and promoting the sustainable management of privately owned woodland through the Smallwoods and First Steps grant schemes.  

To promote the amount of indigenous woodlands we have also developed the Plant! scheme where a tree is planted for new babies and adopted children in Wales. By the end of this year the scheme will have enabled the planting of 113,000 native trees at several sites across Wales.

Finally, FC Wales will shortly publish its action plan setting out how it will deliver the aims of Woodlands for Wales and I would urge you to read this document it order to gain a detailed understanding of the contribution our woodlands will make to the future of Wales.

Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire): Will the Minister make a statement on the progress of the implementation of Part 1 of the Commons Act 2006 detailing when she expects local authorities to have the power to correct errors previously made on Commons registers.  (WAQ55638)

Answer issued on 24 February 2010

My officials are in the process of finalising a timetable defining the implementation of Part 1 of the Commons Act 2006 in Wales. Implementation of Part 1 will be phased, with the objective of achieving full implementation of Part 1 in early 2012.