​Written Assembly Questions tabled on 11 November for answer on 18 November 2016

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

Steffan Lewis (South Wales East): What representations have the Government made to the UK Government in relation to workers' rights following the vote to leave the European Union? (WAQ71458)

Answer received on 18 November 2016

The First Minister (Carwyn Jones): I have been clear that there must be no rolling back of employment rights and protections for workers, which have improved significantly over the last couple of decades as a result of action at an EU level.
I have emphasised to the Prime Minister the importance we attach to protecting workers’ rights, and this will continue to be a priority for us in future discussions relating to the UK’s exit from the EU.

Steffan Lewis (South Wales East): What assessments has the Welsh Government made on the potential impact of leaving the European Union on anchor companies located in Wales? (WAQ71480)

Answer received on 18 November 2016

Carwyn Jones: The Cabinet Secretary for Economy & Infrastructure and I have held a number of meetings with Anchor and Regional Important Companies to discuss the impact of the UK’s exit from the EU. A report is being compiled jointly by Anchor companies in partnership with the Welsh Government. The report will be used to provide an evidence based view of the impact of exiting the EU on large companies in Wales.

To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure

Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Will the Minister provide a copy of the Strategic Development Framework relating to the Enterprise Zone and the potential development of the Gateway site adjacent to Cardiff Airport?  (WAQ71459)

Answer received on 18 November 2016

The Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure (Ken Skates): A copy of the St Athan and Cardiff Airport Enterprise Zone Strategic Development Framework 2015 has been submitted to the Vale of Glamorgan Council, which includes the Gateway Development Zone. The document can be viewed on the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s website:
http://www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk/Documents/Living/Planning/Policy/LDP/Examination-Documents-2015/ED13-St-Athan-and-Cardiff-Airport-Enterprise-Zone-Draft-Strategic-Development-Framework-2015.pdf

Russell George (Montgomeryshire): Will the minister provide a breakdown of funds being made available to the Better Jobs, Closer to Home pilot? (WAQ71472)

Answer received on 18 November 2016
The Minister for Skills and Science (Julie James): A project team is being established and the team will be scoping future budget requirements for the programme.

Russell George (Montgomeryshire): Will the Minister outline the remit and reach of the Better Jobs, Closer to Home pilot? (WAQ71473)

Answer received on 18 November 2016

Julie James: The work currently scoping the Better Jobs Closer to Home pilot is focused on the creation of employment opportunities to support disadvantaged workers across the Heads of the Valleys utilising public sector reserved procurement contracts. The pilots will form part of the Welsh Government’s wider employability programme.

Russell George (Montgomeryshire): What measures and targets will the Minister use to determine the success of the Better Jobs, Closer to Home pilot? (WAQ71474)

Answer received on 18 November 2016

Julie James: Measures and targets are being developed as part of the Better Jobs Closer to Home scoping work that is currently underway.

Russell George (Montgomeryshire): As regards his response to WAQ70902, will the Minister provide an update on his considerations of the business case regarding the Wales Development Bank? (WAQ71475)

Answer received on 18 November 2016

Ken Skates: Officials are currently evaluating the submitted business case and will be making their recommendations to me shortly. I propose to make an Oral Statement at Plenary before recess, at which time I will be in a position to provide a further update on the Wales Development Bank.

Russell George (Montgomeryshire): What considerations has the Minister given to the ownership structure of the Wales Development Bank? (WAQ71476)

Answer received on 18 November 2016

Ken Skates: Finance Wales is a wholly owned subsidiary of Welsh Government. As it transforms into the Development Bank it will remain under Welsh Government ownership as this will be the most effective way to ensure it aligns with the Governments priorities.

Russell George (Montgomeryshire): Will the Minister provide a breakdown of the £2.5m support for the recruitment of apprentices aged 16-18, as proposed by the 2017-18 Draft Budget, as well as a list of the projects she envisages this will be used for? (WAQ71477)

Answer received on 18 November 2016

Julie James: The Welsh Government is committed to increasing the opportunities for school leavers to immediately progress onto a high quality apprenticeship programme. Currently, circa 14% of apprenticeship programmes are being undertaken by learners aged 16-18. If we wish apprenticeships to become a viable option for school leavers then this percentage needs to increase, with opportunities being made available in line with the school academic calendar.
During 2016-17 we earmarked £2.5m to support the recruitment of additional young apprentices and we will continue this support into 2017-18.
This funding enables Work Based Learning providers to support employers in increasing 16-18 year old recruitment at key points during the year. Providers are expected to:
· Work with employers, particularly micro-businesses, small businesses and other businesses that have not recruited apprentices, to develop recruitment strategies which encourage applications from school leavers;
· work with employers to consider recruitment of apprentices as part of their succession planning;
· support employers’ recruitment and selection processes;
· support employers to develop links with Careers Wales and schools;
· undertake additional coaching and mentoring support for the employer to help school leavers in the transition to work;
· undertake more frequent one-to-one mentoring to ensure that learners remain focused and achieve their apprenticeship programme at a rate which is at or better than expected; and
· Provide any other tailored support to enable the employer to recruit additional 16-18 apprentices at specific times of the year.

Providers receive an enhanced funding rate for every additional 16-18 apprentice they recruit. It is anticipated that this funding will provide support for up to 3,300 young apprentices during 2017-18, which will be a combination of new starts and those learners continuing from 2016-17.

Russell George (Montgomeryshire): What measures and targets does the Minister have in mind for the Inspiring Skills Programme? (WAQ71478)

Russell George (Montgomeryshire): Will the Minister outline both the expected reach of the Inspiring Skills Programme and what involvement the private sector will have in determining the application of this scheme? (WAQ71479)

Answer received on 18 November 2016

Julie James: The Inspiring Skills Excellence in Wales (ISEiW) project targets young people that have the skills to succeed in local, national and international competitions.  The competition ethos of preparation, repetitive practice and performance evaluation drives learner's competence to new levels and improves skills excellence.

The project promotes change across the post 16 learning provider network in terms of delivering more than qualifications – encouraging change to deliver skills that are of a world-class standard, benchmarking the Welsh system against world leaders in skills development. It provides Welsh young people with increased employability skills and life changing opportunities. 

Employers who participate will also receive an added competitive edge through the employment of highly skilled individuals. Engagement with employers is a key activity for the project for both those who have experience in skills competitions and those who are yet to engage.   Employers who have competitors engaged in the competitions are involved in the planning and implementation of training plans and benefit from the knowledge transfer back into industry.

The Inspiring Skills Excellence in Wales (ISEiW) project is measured against seven objectives.

1.    Improve the quality and increase quantity of competition entrants from Wales at WorldSkills UK regional and national competitions. Measured by the number of competitors who qualify at a regional and national level – on mainstream and inclusive competitions. 

2.    Increase the number of competitors from Wales who qualify to join the UK squad for EuroSkills and WorldSkills competitions. Measured by number of Welsh competitors who are invited to WorldSkills Team UK selection events and the number who are successfully recruited into the squad.

3.    Increase the capacity and capability of the Post 16 training sector in relation to identifying and mentoring skills competitors.  Measured by the number of lecturers/assessors/tutors/employers completing ISEiW master-classes.

4.    Continue to develop and move forward a "Team Wales" approach to Skills Competitions. Measured by number of events, activities and participants involved and improvements to sector specific skills, soft skills and emotional resilience of all competitors.

5. Increase the success rate of competitors from Wales at International Competitions - identify and analyse the success achieved and record the outcomes. Record the number of competitor training plans that are implemented.  Record medal success at EuroSkills and WorldSkills.

6.    Encourage and engage employers to support their apprentices as they progress through the competition stages and training activities. Retention of competitors from supporting employers will be measured during the cycle.  Employer visits will be recorded.  Feedback will be collated and retained in order to measure the impact of the additional support provided to competitors.

7.    Develop the talent pipeline in Schools by promoting vocational learning excellence via the delivery of the "Have a Go" initiative.  Measured by recording number of individuals who take part in school, careers and national events.

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

Lynne Neagle (Torfaen): What steps is the Welsh Government taking to ensure that Avastin is made available to patients with grade 4 cervical cancer in Wales? (WAQ71481)

Lynne Neagle (Torfaen): What discussions has the Welsh Government or AWMSG had with the manufacturer of Avastin with a view to securing a patient access scheme for its use in Wales? (WAQ71482)

Answer received on 24 November 2016

The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport (Vaughan Gething): The All-Wales Medicines Strategy Group first invited Roche, who manufacture bevacizumab (Avastin), to participate in an appraisal in 2015. Despite further invitations from AWMSG, the manufacturer did not provide the clinical data required to undertake the appraisal until 7 November this year. A Patient Access Scheme has been agreed with the manufacturer and AWMSG expect to finish their appraisal by March 2017. 
 

To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs

Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire): What action is the Welsh Government taking to protect the Atlantic Puffin, given its place on the Amber List of UK Birds of Conservation Concern? (WAQ71460)

Answer received on 22 November 2016

The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs (Lesley Griffiths): The EU Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds (2009/147/EEC) is the legislative framework which allows us to create Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for the conservation of species. The Atlantic Puffin is protected under Article 4.2 of the Directive, as it is a regularly occurring migratory species which breeds at sites around our coast.

Puffins in Wales have been protected by this legislation since August 1982, when Skomer SPA was first classified under the Directive. The site was subsequently extended twice in 1991 and 2014. A further consultation on extending the boundaries of this site to provide increased protection for puffins and other important species closed earlier this year. I will make a decision on reclassifying the site by the end of the year.  
 
Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire): Will the Minister provide the latest information on the volume of milk used by dairies in Wales for the production of a range of liquid milk and milk products? (WAQ71461)

Answer received on 22 November 2016

Lesley Griffiths: The latest information on milk production and milk use in Wales is contained within the report on the feasibility of increasing milk processing in Wales. This report found about half the milk produced in Wales is processed in Wales with 90% of this milk processed into cheese.
This report completed in November 2015 and was based on the 2014/15 milk year when Welsh production was 1.8 billion litres. 
 
Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire): What is the Welsh Government doing to enhance the shelf life of Welsh red meat to assist the industry in increasing its competitiveness and help reduce waste? (WAQ71462)

Answer received on 22 November 2016

Lesley Griffiths: Welsh Government funded a work package as part of the export project undertaken by Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC) from 2013-2016 to investigate opportunities to extend the shelf-life of fresh Welsh Lamb.
These activities included industry awareness-raising across all parts of the supply chain so producers, abattoirs and processors could be made aware of the impact of extending shelf-life on the supply chain. A series of preliminary studies were undertaken to identify physical factors to be used at farm and processor level to enhance shelf-life and to identify the perceived psychological barriers to implementing practices which could enhance shelf-life.
Welsh Government and HCC are also developing further links through the Courtauld 2025 Wales Working Group in conjunction with WrapCymru to promote and support waste reduction in the red meat processing sector.

Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire): What representations will the Welsh Government make to the Hanoi Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT)? (WAQ71463)

Answer received on 22 November 2016

Lesley Griffiths: None, as the international wildlife trade is a reserved matter. 
 
Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire): Will the Minister provide an update on the Glastir Organic scheme? (WAQ71464)

Answer received on 22 November 2016

Lesley Griffiths: The first contract under the Glastir Organic scheme commenced on 1 January 2015. To date 540 contracts covering 67,721 hectares and worth a total value of £20.79m are in place.
The latest expression of interest round closed on 4 November 2016 and demand has exceeded the available budget. A selection process is underway to identify those expressions of interest which will be offered a contract to commence 1 January 2017.
 
Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire): What is the Welsh Government doing to tackle Bovine Tb in Non-Bovines in Wales? (WAQ71465)

Answer received on 24 November 2016

Lesley Griffiths: The TB Eradication Programme in Wales is aimed at tackling all sources of infection including non-bovines. The Tuberculosis (Wales) Order 2011 provides the Animal and Plant Health Agency with powers to deal effectively with incidents of TB in specified non-bovine animals – South American camelids, goats and deer - similar to those available to cattle. Whilst these species are susceptible to M. bovis infection the risk of infection and of them passing infection to cattle, wildlife and humans is generally considered to be low. We will, however, keep our current passive approach to surveillance in these animals under review as well as the possibility of extending the 2011 Order to cover other susceptible species. 
 
Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire): What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the Kennel Club's "Out of Order: The Impact of Access Restrictions on Dogs and Their Owners"? (WAQ71466)

Answer received on 22 November 2016

Lesley Griffiths: The Welsh Government has noted the Kennel Club's report however, the use of legislative powers to manage dog access is a matter for individual Local Authorities. 
 
Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire): Will the Minister outline what the Welsh Government is doing to support farmers in light of the current market prices for light lambs? (WAQ71467)

Answer received on 22 November 2016

Lesley Griffiths: Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC) is responsible for the development, promotion and marketing of Welsh red meat including light lambs.
Welsh Lamb achieved Protected Geographic Indication (PGI) designation over a decade ago and many continental markets appreciate and are willing to pay a premium for products which have this status.
HCC are also looking to develop new domestic markets for Welsh Lamb, including those from lighter carcases and will continue to provide support to markets including inward missions to bring importers, retailers and suppliers to Wales to promote the Welsh red meat industry and the benefits for their business of purchasing Welsh Lamb. In addition, an important part of the export strategy is to travel with Welsh red meat exporters to increase sales in countries which already import Welsh Lamb and explore potential new markets for our exporters.
HCC continues to work with producers in Wales to promote and support breed improvement strategies that can generate long term genetic improvements in the Welsh ewe flock, including smaller hill ewes. This approach aims to achieve the classification and weight of lambs that best satisfy market requirements.
In addition, the Farming Connect programme provides support and guidance on a number of topics including research and development, knowledge transfer and demonstration events so producers are ideally placed to respond to market need.

Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire): How is the Welsh Government enforcing the Animal Welfare (Breeding of Dogs) (Wales) Regulations in order to tackle irresponsible breeding practices in Wales? (WAQ71468)

Answer received on 22 November 2016

Lesley Griffiths: For those who qualify, the Animal Welfare (Breeding of Dogs) (Wales) Regulations 2014 (the Regulations) set out the requirements for obtaining an appropriate licence via Local Authorities. Extensive guidance was issued to local authorities who have both licencing and enforcement functions prior to the commencement of the Regulations.
In obtaining a licence, due regard has to be paid to the new requirements in the Regulations such as socialisation, enhancement, enrichment and attendant: adult dog ratio.
To facilitate the ‘attendant: adult dog’ review and other matters, the Welsh Government and Local Authorities are also working in partnership through the Animal Health and Welfare Enforcement Partnership Activity Plan on a data collection exercise.
For those people who breed their pet but are not affected by the Regulations, the Code of Practice on the Welfare of Dogs applies as do the requirements in the Animal Welfare Act 2006, especially s9 of the Act on the duty of care.
 
Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire): Will the Minister outline the Welsh Government's position on the use of antimicrobials in farming? (WAQ71469)

Answer received on 22 November 2016

Lesley Griffiths: Our approach to antibiotic use in animals can be summarised as: "As little as possible; as much as necessary".

The Welsh Government supports and contributes to the UK Five Year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy, which includes the need for responsible use of antibiotics in animals.

The Welsh Government has also approved the UK Government's response to the Independent Review of Antimicrobial Resistance, published in September 2016.  For farmed animals, this means delivery in the following areas:

Reducing the risk of antibiotic resistance is a priority for the Wales Animal Health and Welfare Framework.  We are working with stakeholders to ensure responsible use of antibiotics in farming.
 
Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire): Will the Minister confirm when the Welsh Government's review of its export support for Welsh food and drink businesses will be finished and will she publish the review's findings? (WAQ71470)

Answer recieved on 24 November 2016

Lesley Griffiths: The Welsh Government’s UK and International Food and Drink Trade Events programme is in place until end of March 2017 (https://businesswales.gov.wales/foodanddrink/news-and-events/events-calendar-2016-2017).
We have started to consider evidence to identify priority export markets for the sector, which could then inform the development of any future events programme. We expect the report to be finalised at the end of this month.
We will not be publishing this report given that it contains commercially sensitive information we have gained direct from Welsh businesses. I will be publishing a renewed programme which will be based on the recommendations from the report before the end of the financial year.

Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire): Will the Minister confirm whether the Welsh Government will be submitting an entry to the Groceries Code Adjudicator statutory review and if so, will she publish the Welsh Government's entry on the Welsh Government's website? (WAQ71471)

Answer received on 24 November 2016

Lesley Griffiths: I am currently considering the Groceries Code Adjudicator statutory review and the Welsh Government’s response.