Answers issued to Members on 20 March 2009

[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 Health and Social Services

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

Jenny Randerson(Cardiff Central): is the £10m of Welsh Assembly Government money for the apprenticeship programme 'new money’ or is it from existing money allocated to colleges? (WAQ53741)

The Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (Jane Hutt): The £10m to be allocated to apprenticeship training is additional new money from the Welsh Assembly Government.

David Melding (South Wales Central): How many HE institutions in Wales have adopted the Frank Buttle Trust’s Quality Mark to help students who were looked after children? (WAQ53774)

Jane Hutt: Six of the 48 UK Quality Mark holders are Welsh HEIs:

• Aberystwyth

• Bangor

• Cardiff

• Glyndŵr

• Swansea

• Swansea Metropolitan.

One Welsh further education college (Coleg Sir Gâr) has also achieved the Frank Buttle Trust Quality Mark for Care Leavers in Higher Education.

David Melding (South Wales Central): What indicators have been identified to monitor and help improve the educational attainment of looked after children? (WAQ53777)

Jane Hutt: Local authorities provide, as part of the local authority performance measurement framework, information on the education of looked after children on changes of school, attendance, exclusion, completion of personal education plans, those who achieve the core subject indicator at the end of Key Stages 2 and 3 and the average point score of qualifications for 16 year olds. Additionally, the indicator on the proportion of Looked After Children leaving school, education or work-based learning at aged 16 without an approved external qualification is one of the statutory indicators within the local authority performance measurement framework.

In addition we are collecting information as part of the RAISE programme on GCSE attainment and other vocational qualifications, special educational needs and type of educational provision attended.

We are working with local authorities and consortia to consider the findings as they emerge from the external evaluation of RAISE.

David Melding (South Wales Central): Will the Minister make a statement on the effectiveness of personal education plans for looked after children? (WAQ53778)

Jane Hutt: The effectiveness of personal education plans (PEPs) is key to the improvements that we are seeing in the arrangements for the education of looked after children, brought about by initiatives such as the £1m a year funding from the RAISE programme. The PEPs should ensure that the educational needs of looked after children are assessed and supported and bringing together the various agencies supporting the children and young people.

The Welsh Assembly Government is currently undergoing an exercise to assess their effectiveness further. Local authorities across Wales are consulting with young people about their PEPs using a survey to gather their opinions. Fostering Network are also in consultation with foster carers about the personal education plans of the children whom they foster, given that 75% of children are with foster carers. The results of these surveys are expected in early May.

Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services

Andrew R.T. Davies (South Wales Central): What consideration has the Minister given to the form of Appeals and Exceptional Funding Committees post NHS reorganisation? (WAQ53746)

Edwina Hart: I am currently considering the report provided by Professor Mansel Aylward which sets out a model for an administrative independent appeals process in light of the changes to NHS structures. I will also be establishing a group to implement the findings of the report provided by Professor Routledge, chairman of the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group (AWMSG), regarding his recommendations on the broader issues around availability of medicines.

Andrew R.T. Davies (South Wales Central): What discussions has the Minister had about potential abuse of the free prescriptions policy? WAQ53755)

Edwina Hart: My officials continue to monitor trends in demand and the effect on over the counter sales which reveal that free prescriptions are being well managed by GPs and other practitioners and that people are behaving responsibly when it comes to buying over the counter remedies as opposed to obtaining them on prescription. Monitoring by National Public Health Service on the impact of the abolition of the prescription charge in Wales confirms this.

Andrew R.T. Davies (South Wales Central): Will the Minister make a statement on the implementation of the recommendations of the Routledge Report including any financial resource implications? (WAQ53756)

Edwina Hart: I will be establishing an implementation group to fully assess the resource implications of the report and implement the findings as appropriate in due course.

Andrew R.T. Davies (South Wales Central): What plans has the Minister made to implement recommendations of the Routledge Report? (WAQ53757)

Edwina Hart: I will be establishing an implementation group to fully assess the resource implications of the report and implement the findings as appropriate in due course.

Andrew R.T. Davies (South Wales Central): When does the Minister anticipate bringing forward a policy announcement on top-up medicines? (WAQ53759)

The Minister for Health and Social Services (Edwina Hart): I will be establishing an implementation group to fully assess the resource implications of the report and implement the findings as appropriate in due course. This will include further consideration of the issue of co-payments.

Andrew R.T. Davies (South Wales Central): Will the Minister provide a list of all the Task & Finish groups she has established since May 2007 and provide an update on the status of each one? (WAQ53766)

Edwina Hart: Information on all but one of the Task and Finish groups established since May 2007 is in the public domain. I will continue to advise Members on the progress of their work.

The Category C Ambulance Response Time Task and Finish Group met for the first time in February 2009 and once it has developed a model robust enough for implementation I will report it publicly.

Andrew R.T. Davies (South Wales Central): How does the Minister intend to spend money saved from medicines coming off patent and reductions in medicine prices? (WAQ53769)

Edwina Hart: I will apply any savings achieved in one area of the health arena to another in accordance with my health priorities at any particular time.