Written Assembly Questions tabled on 14 September 2016 for answer on 21 September 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
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Will the First Minister please outline all Secretaries of State of departments of the UK Government he has met in the period 14th July 2016-14th September 2016, including how many times he has met each Secretary of State in question, and the date and length of each of these respective meetings? (WAQ70955)
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Will the Minister please outline all Secretaries of State of departments of the UK Government he has met in the period 14th July 2016-14th September 2016, including how many times he has met each Secretary of State in question, and the date and length of each of these respective meetings? (WAQ70954)
Answer received on 23 October 2017
The First Minsiter (Carwyn Jones): I am responding to both questions. The information, including telephone discussions, is in the table below:
First Minister
| Secretary of State | Meeting or Phone call | Date of Meeting/Call | Meeting Length |
| Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy | Phone call | 15 July | 15 minutes |
| Prime Minister | Meeting | 18 July | 1 hour |
| Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union | Phone call | 19 July | 20 minutes |
| Secretary of State for Wales; Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | Extraordinary British Irish Council Meeting | 22 July | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy | Meeting | 4 August | 30 minutes |
Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | Phone call | 3 August | 15 minutes |
To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure
Suzy Davies (South Wales West): Could the Minister confirm the purpose and reason for the steps at various points along the M4 motorway? (WAQ70946)
Suzy Davies (South Wales West): What was the total cost of installing the steps at various points along the M4 motorway? (WAQ70947)
Suzy Davies (South Wales West): When was the decision made to install the steps at various points along the M4 motorway, and when was the work started and completed? (WAQ70948)
Answer received on 23 October 2017
The Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure (Ken Skates): Steps are installed to provide a safe means of access to roadside infrastructure. This is in line with the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges and legislative requirements for providing safe maintenance access.
This has always been part of highway construction across all highways in the UK.
We do not have costs for these individual assets as they have been installed as part of larger schemes since the initial construction of the motorway.
To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport
Suzy Davies (South Wales West): What public health provisions or considerations does the Welsh Government make for people or families that are currently residing full-time in tents in Wales? (WAQ70949)
Answer received on 23 October 2017
The Minister for Social Services and Public Health (Rebecca Evans): There are a number of public health provisions in legislation to deal with threats to public health posed to and by people living in tents. The Public Health Act 1936 provides that tents used for human habitation are subject to the provisions of that Act relating to nuisances, filthy or verminous premises, and the prevention of disease, as if they were houses or buildings used for human habitation. Local authorities may also make byelaws for promoting cleanliness in, and the habitable conditions of tents used for human habitation generally for the prevention of nuisances. The Act also gives the Local Authority the power to control the use of movable dwellings and to licence the use of land as a site for such a dwelling. A site must not be used for the siting of tents for more than 42 consecutive days or more than 60 days in any 12 months, without the benefit of a licence.
The Public Health Control of Disease Act 1984 as amended by the Health and Social Care Act 2008 applies all references to “premises” to include tents or movable structures. The relevant public health provisions of the 1984 Act therefore apply to tents used for human habitation. This provides local authorities with wide, flexible powers to deal with incidents or emergencies where infection or contamination presents, or could present a significant risk to human health.
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Will the Minister outline what provision is in place for those suffering from paternal postnatal depression and other related conditions and whether he has any plans to increase this? (WAQ70953)
Answer received on 22 September 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport (Vaughan Gething): The birth of a child is a significant life event which can be a stressful time for many parents. Such life events can trigger depressive episodes in men and women.
Over the last two years the Welsh Government has provided additional investment into local primary mental health support services which sit alongside, or within, GP surgeries to provide assessment, information and advice and evidence based interventions. In addition, £3m has been invested to improve access and availability of evidence based psychological therapies for adults.
From 2016/17, we have also invested an additional £1.5m for community perinatal mental health services. The new community-based specialist services in every Welsh health board will help to improve mental health outcomes for women with perinatal illnesses, as well as their babies and their families. If a father is identified as having a depressive illness we would expect the service to manage this appropriately.
The Together for Mental Health delivery plan 2016-19 will be launched in October and will provide detail of the Welsh Government priorities for this time period.
To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs
Suzy Davies (South Wales West): What discussions have you had with both Welsh Government and UK Government officials about any potential impact that the proposed wind farm development at Mynydd y Gwair could have on renewable energy subsidies? (WAQ70952)
Answer received on 21 September 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs (Lesley Griffiths): None. Individual wind farm developments at this scale do not have an impact on renewable energy subsidies although the sudden and deep subsidy cuts imposed recently by the UK Government have affected many individual projects. The Mynydd y Gwair development is not affected by these changes as it successfully bid to the Department for Energy and Climate Change for a Round 1 Contract for Difference with a 2017-18 project delivery date.
To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children
Suzy Davies (South Wales West): Could the Minister confirm the number of people or families that are currently residing full-time if tents in Wales; are such figures included in statistics of homelessness numbers, and if not, what status are they given? (WAQ70950)
Answer received on 21 September 2016
The Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children (Carl Sargeant): No distinction is made between someone sleeping rough and someone residing in a tent. The count is informed by an intelligence gathering exercise two weeks prior, during which local authorities and other organisations share information on service users and known rough sleeping areas.
In 2015, the two week intelligence gathering exercise estimated a maximum of 240 people were sleeping rough in Wales. However, on the night of the count itself, 82 people were identified sleeping rough. This year's count will take place in November.
To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Steffan Lewis (South Wales East): Will the Minister consider recognising the success of the Duolingo Welsh language course, which has over 50 thousand users in Wales and 260,000 worldwide? (WAQ70951)
Answer received on 21 September 2016
The Minister for Lifelong Learning and Welsh Language (Alun Davies): Welsh is one of just 20 language available to study through the English language on the online Welsh-language learning course Duolingo. The 273,000 learners reported as being registered is positive and to be not just recognised but also applauded.
Online courses such as this give people the chance to learn a language at their own pace through their own phone, tablet or computer.
The digital sphere encourages language learning beyond physical boundaries. This approach also promotes Wales and its language internationally.