Written Assembly Questions tabled on 12 March 2014 for answer on 19 March 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 5 working days before they are to be answered. In practice, Ministers aim to answer within 7/8 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 Economy, Science and Transport
Antoinette Sandbach (North Wales): Will the Minister confirm a 'Make Safe' grant was provided to Exwavia in December 2013 of £140,000 and that a loan of £160,000 was made to Exwavia in January 2014? (WAQ66563)
Answer received on 19 March 2014
The Minister for Economy, Science and Transport (Edwina Hart): Exwavia was awarded £143,000 of de minimis support in December 2013 and a short term loan of £162,000 at the end of January 2014.
Antoinette Sandbach (North Wales): Will the Minister provide a complete list of companies in which Welsh Government Ministers hold shares on behalf of the Welsh Government, where that shareholding is 20% or less, whether held directly or indirectly via Finance Wales? (WAQ66564)
Answer received on 19 March 2014
Edwina Hart: Companies where WG has an equity stake of 20% or less in either directly or indirectly through FW are:
Clinithink
Inngot
KWR Technologies
Thalia Design
Microvisk
Epitiro Group
Econotherm
Boulders
BTG Ltd
Antoinette Sandbach (North Wales): Will the Minister confirm that an investment of £1.4 million is being made by Finance Wales in April 2014 and that Finance Wales will receive a 20% share of Exwavia in return? (WAQ6565)
Antoinette Sandbach (North Wales): Will the Minister confirm what steps were taken by Finance Wales to inform the Minister for Natural Resources and Food of a potential conflict of interest when considering the time deadline for the removal of paper forms and the Government's own potential interest in an internet service provider company? (WAQ66567)
Answer received on 19 March 2014 (WAQ66565&7)
Edwina Hart: Finance Wales is a subsidiary of the Welsh Government and operates at arms length. Individual investment decisions are therefore a matter for Finance Wales.
To ask the Minister for Education and Skills
Aled Roberts (North Wales): As regulator for qualifications in Wales, how did the Minister participate in the standardisation meetings for the GCSE English language unit, particularly the final boundary-setting meetings which dictated the grades to be awarded and issued? (WAQ66562)
Answer received on 19 March 2014
The Minister for Education and Skills (Huw Lewis): Awarding organisations are responsible for awarding qualifications. This includes setting and marking papers, decisions about standardising and the setting of grade boundaries. In line with established practice, I was not involved in WJEC’s meetings about these issues.
There are established data exchange and maintenance of standards procedures, whereby awarding organisations inform the qualifications regulators of emerging outcomes for full qualifications awards. These inform discussions between regulators and awarding organisations, prior to the finalisation of outcomes and publication of qualification grades.
The arrangements in place for the award of full qualifications are not applied to unit awards. This is because at this stage the degree of volatility between and across units means it is not possible to achieve a coherent statistical profile. It is therefore impossible to make meaningful comparisons.
In January 2014, only two GCSE English Language units were available so no candidates could cash-in for a qualification result at that stage. For summer 2014, these two units will once again be available, along with the two controlled assessment units.
In summer 2014, Welsh Government will be discussing emerging outcomes of all GCSE, AS and A level awards with the relevant awarding organisations, in line with established practice.
Leighton Andrews (Rhondda): Will the Minister set out the process by which the Welsh Government changed the requirements on spelling, punctuation, accuracy and grammar for the English language GCSE? (WAQ66568)
Answer received on 19 March 2014
Huw Lewis: In order to address concerns which were identified in the specification for GCSE English Language you, as the then Minister for Education and Skills, agreed on 2 October 2012, to accredit and introduce, within weeks, a new GCSE English Language specification for candidates in Wales. The new specification would require greater emphasis on sentence structure, punctuation and spelling – features which employers and other stakeholders value.
Welsh Government officials wrote to all centres in Wales to advise them of the reason, nature and timescale of the change on 4 October.
In order to be able to accredit the new qualification, it was necessary to revise the subject criteria for GCSE English Language, published by the Welsh Government. You approved the revised criteria, which were published on 9 October 2012.
WJEC then developed the revised specification, in line with the revised subject criteria. The revised specification was approved for accreditation on 6 November 2012. Prior to that, in order that centres could have early notice of the changes to the specification, permission was given to WJEC to publish the draft specification as soon as possible. The draft specification was published by WJEC on 24 October 2012.
Leighton Andrews (Rhondda): Will the Minister make a statement on higher education governance? (WAQ66569)
Answer received on 19 March 2014
Huw Lewis: Governing bodies are an essential part of the checks and balances in the operation of universities. Successful institutions are characterised by strong, experienced governors, who perform an important public service. In discharging that public service, it is important that they strike a careful balance between the immediate interests of the institution to which they bear responsibility as governors, and the interests of Wales more broadly.
Last year, we consulted on proposals for a new regulatory framework for higher education in Wales, which included revised arrangements for financial and governance assurance. The detail of the proposals is still being finalised but our intention is that, where possible, the revised arrangements for financial and corporate governance assurance should build on HEFCW’s existing functions and practice.
Leighton Andrews (Rhondda): Will the Minister make a statement on the regulations on governor training? (WAQ66570)
Answer received on 19 March 2014
Huw Lewis: The Government of Maintained Schools (Training Requirements for Governors) (Wales) Regulations 2013 came into force in September 2013. They make training mandatory on induction for new governors, understanding data for all governors and training for chairs specific to their role.
Leighton Andrews (Rhondda): Will the Minister make a statement on the regulations concerning local authority powers to federate schools? (WAQ66571)
Answer received on 19 March 2014
Huw Lewis: The new Federation of Maintained School (Wales) Regulations 2014, which enact provisions in the Education (Wales) Measure 2011 to give local authorities the power to establish a federation of between two and six schools, are expected to come into force in May 2014.
Leighton Andrews (Rhondda): Will the Minister make a statement on the statutory guidance on school improvement? (WAQ66572)
Answer received on 24 March 2014
Huw Lewis: The School Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013 consolidates, clarifies and reforms the law in relation to intervention in schools causing concern. A recent commencement order brought into force (on 20 February 2014) the following provisions of the 2013 Act:
(a)Chapter 1 of Part 2 (intervention in conduct of maintained schools);
(b)Chapter 2 of Part 2 (intervention in local authorities);
The provisions in the Act and the published accompanying statutory guidance provides a single point of reform for local authorities when they are considering using their powers to intervene in schools causing concern. The Schools Causing Concern guidance can be accessed via the following link:
However, the School Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013 also provides the Welsh Ministers with the legislative means to respond decisively to school improvement priorities should they arise.
At present, there are no firm plans to issue specific guidance under these new powers. A definitive timetable to implement the school improvement powers will be determined by evidence of successful practice that emerges from work that is currently already underway on school improvement such as: the implementation of the options within the Hill review; the implementation of the new National Model for Regional Working; the evidence emerging from the Lead and Emerging Schools Programme; the implementation of the National Support Programme; and, the establishment of Schools Challenge Cymru.
To be of greatest value, any school improvement guidance needs to be based on practice which has been proven to be effective. I will gather evidence from the implementation and performance of these programmes to determine what guidance will best support schools and their improvement partners.
Leighton Andrews (Rhondda): Will the Minister explain how the new accountability arrangements from 2017 at Key Stage 4 level will operate, and which subjects will be counted within or alongside the Welsh Baccalaureate? (WAQ66573)
Answer received on 19 March 2014
Huw Lewis: At the national qualifications conference on 11 December 2013, I announced that I would take a further look at how we use performance measures in relation to qualifications at Key Stage 4. I have already confirmed that measures of attainment of the Welsh Baccalaureate will become the main threshold measures at Key Stage 4. My further review is currently considering the timing of this change, the exact composition of the measures we will use for reporting from 2017 onwards, and what relative weight we will place on threshold measures, including the new Welsh Baccalaureate measures, and the capped points score. I have indicated that I am considering whether relatively more emphasis should be placed on capped points scores. I shall be seeking stakeholder views on a number of proposals and questions before the end of the spring term. Following this exercise I shall announce, before the end of the school summer term, the full detail of the measures to be used for reporting from 2017 onwards.
To ask the Minister for Finance
Antoinette Sandbach (North Wales): Will the Welsh Government confirm what declarations of interest it made concerning its anticipated shareholding in an internet provider company following the Minister for Natural Resources and Food’s announcement on 11 March 2014 stating that all farmers in Wales would have to complete forms online in 2016? (WAQ66566)
Answer received on 24 March 2014
The Minister for Finance (Jane Hutt): This is a matter for the Minister for ES&T, she will write to you.