Written Assembly Questions tabled on 13 December 2016 for answer on 20 December 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 has the Welsh Government made to ensure that all powers within the National Assembly's devolved competencies will be directly transferred to Wales following the UK's exit from the European Union? (WAQ71712)
Answer received on 22 December 2016
The First Minister (Carwyn Jones): I and my Cabinet colleagues have been consistently clear in discussions with the UK Government that there must be no rolling back of the devolution settlement. All powers within the National Assembly's devolved competencies must remain so following the UK's exit from the European Union. We have also set out our views that new constitutional arrangements will be needed to enable agreements to be reached where appropriate across the four governments within the UK.
Simon Thomas (Mid and West Wales): Will the Minister publish all correspondence between Welsh Government Ministers and Natural Resources Wales regarding Aberthaw power station since September 2016? (WAQ71713)W
Answer received on 22 December 2016
Carwyn Jones: Rwy'n bwriadu ymateb i'ch cwestiwn fel cais am wybodaeth o dan y Ddeddf Rhyddid Gwybodaeth neu'r Rheoliadau Gwybodaeth Amgylcheddol a bydd fy swyddogion yn eich ymateb maes o law.
To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure
Nathan Gill (North Wales): Will the Minister provide a breakdown per financial year of the amount of repayable finance versus non repayable finance since the inception of 'Economic Renewal – A New Direction'? (WAQ71714)
Answer received on 22 December 2016
Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure (Ken Skates): The following breakdown relates to accepted offers under the Repayable Business Finance scheme:
| Financial year | Repayable | Non Repayable |
| 11-12 | 0.4m | 5m |
| 12-13 | 2m | 38m |
| 13-14 | 5m | 53m |
| 14-15 | 23m | 92m |
| 15-16 | 13m | 26m |
To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport
Rhun ap Iorwerth (Ynys Môn): Will the Minister provide details of the timeframe for developing the Welsh Government's new national plan/framework for arthritis and musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions and related health care services? (WAQ71716)
Answer received on 22 December 2016
Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport (Vaughan Gething): Initial scoping work has commenced to refresh the commissioning directive for arthritis and chronic musculoskeletal conditions and the revised directive is expected to be published next financial year.
The need for paediatric service provision across Wales will be considered as part of this process.
To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government
Steffan Lewis (South Wales East): Will the Minister list all projects for each of the last five years (including total monies granted) based in Wales in receipt of European Investment Bank financing? (WAQ71715)
Answer received on 22 December 2016
Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government (Mark Drakeford): Historic investment by the European Investment Bank (EIB) is published by the Bank on its website at:
http://www.eib.org/projects/index.htm
The EIB database provides data at EU member state level, and must be carefully interrogated to identify projects at the sub-member state level. A non-exhaustive list of EIB investment in Wales since 2011 is provided below for reference.
| Name | Description | Sector | Date | Amount (EUR) |
| Swansea University | Optimising the use of space of Swansea University's Singleton campus | Education | 05/12/2016 | 71,285,999 |
| Wales and West Utilities | Upgrading and expanding the gas distribution networks | Energy | 16/11/2016 | 174,195,796 |
| Welsh Water | Improvements to water supply and wastewater collection and treatment. | Water, sewerage | 14/04/2016 | 324,000,000 |
| Bangor University | Expanding and modernising services, to include upgrading teaching and research facilities at the university | Education | 17/03/2016 | 10,227,825 |
| Welsh Water | Improvements to water supply and wastewater treatment | Water, sewerage | 17/11/2014 | 293,273,829 |
| Cardiff Energy-from-Waste | Construction, operation and maintenance of an energy-from-waste combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Cardiff, Wales. | Solid Waste | 16/09/2014 | 135,000,000 |
| Bangor University | Expanding and modernising services, to include upgrading teaching and research facilities | Education | 25/03/2014 | 54,462,935 |
| Norgine | The project concerns the promoter's European based R&D activities, in the fields of gastroenterology and pain management. | Industry | 13/09/2013 | 30,000,000 |
| Swansea University | Development of innovation hub to drive regional regeneration in Wales through R&D carried out in cooperation with commercial entities | Services | 20/09/2012 | 31,688,148 |
| Swansea University | Development of innovation hub to drive regional regeneration in Wales through R&D carried out in cooperation with commercial entities | Education | 20/09/2012 | 43,759,824 |
| Welsh Water | Upgrading of water and sanitation facilities in Wales | Water, sewerage | 03/03/2011 | 117,260,788 |
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Will the Minister state whether the additional 4,814,104 euros from the European Commission's mid-term adjustment is a result of the fall in the value of sterling? (WAQ71717)
Answer received on 22 December 2016
Mark Drakeford: The additional allocation of just over £4.8 million euros to the West Wales and the Valleys European Structural Funds programmes 2014–2020 is not the result of any changes in sterling or euro exchange rates. It is due to a mid-term recalculation of Member State allocations for Cohesion Policy by the European Commission, in accordance with Article 92(3) of the Common Provisions Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013, based on the latest available economic data.