Written Assembly Questions tabled on 15 January 2014 for answer on 22 January 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)
To ask the Minister for Culture and Sport
Suzy Davies (South Wales West): What financial contribution does the Welsh Government make to the work of the WRU, directly, through sponsorship or otherwise? (WAQ66254)
Answer received for publication on 21 January 2014
The Minister for Culture and Sport (John Griffiths): Through Sport Wales, Welsh Government makes available £400,000 of Exchequer funding annually to the WRU for grassroots rugby.
To ask the Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Further to your written statement on Credit Unions (15/01/14), will the Minister clarify if the assignment of £1.2 million for "this year" relates to this financial year, 2014, or the budget year of 2014-2015? (WAQ66245)
Answer received for publication on 17 January 2014
The Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty (Jeff Cuthbert): The £1.2m funding relates to financial year 2013/14.
To ask the Minister for Economy, Science and Transport
Nick Ramsay (Monmouth): How much has the Welsh Government spent since the start of the Fourth Assembly on trade missions abroad, including travel, accommodation and subsistence costs, together with a breakdown of the trade missions and their relevant costs? (WAQ66244)
Answer received for publication on 17 January 2014
The Minister for Economy, Science and Transport (Edwina Hart): My officials are collating this information. I will write to you in due course.
Eluned Parrott (South Wales Central): Given the Welsh Government’s Enterprise Zone KPIs describes jobs supported as an aggregate of jobs created, jobs safeguarded and jobs assisted, will the disaggregated figures for each of the three categories by published? (WAQ66252)
Answer received for publication on 20 January 2014
Edwina Hart: We have published the indicators and targets against which we will report progress in May of this year and on an annual basis thereafter.
To ask the Minister for Education and Skills
Leighton Andrews (Rhondda): Will the Minister set out the numbers of schools in special measures or in need of significant improvement for every year since 1999? (WAQ66248)
Answer received for publication on 22 January 2014
The Minister for Education and Skills (Huw Lewis): The table below shows the number of maintained schools and pupil referral units that were placed into the statutory categories of special measures and significant improvement (includes previous designation of serious weakness) in each school year from 1998-1999 to 2013-2014. The information has been provided by Estyn.
| Year | Special Measures | Significant Improvement |
| 1998-1999 | 3 | |
| 1999-2000 | 2 | |
| 2000-2001 | 1 | |
| 2001-2002 | 1 | |
| 2002-2003 | 6 | |
| 2003-2004 | 4 | |
| 2004-2005 | 1 | 4 |
| 2005-2006 | 3 | 6 |
| 2006-2007 | 5 | 11 |
| 2007-2008 | 5 | 16 |
| 2008-2009 | 5 | 11 |
| 2009-2010 | 2 | 8 |
| 2010-2011 | 4 | 10 |
| 2011-2012 | 9 | 19 |
| 2012-2013 | 13 | 19 |
| 2013-2014(to date) | 3 | 8 |
| Total | 57 | 122 |
Leighton Andrews (Rhondda): How many students from Wales study medicine in (a) Wales and (b) England and what would be the total cost of paying off their outstanding tuition fees and grant debt assuming current average rates of repayment of loans and discounting any existing subsidies from the Welsh Government? (WAQ66249)
Answer received for publication on 22 January 2014
Huw Lewis: There are currently 985* Welsh-domiciled undergraduate students studying medicine at institutions in England and 570 studying in Wales. In order to calculate the cost of paying-off these students’ outstanding debt a sophisticated costing model would need to be developed and I am therefore unable to provide the information requested at the present time.
*Figure includes 10 students in the category ‘others in medicine and dentistry’ for which the medical students can not be separately identified.
Leighton Andrews (Rhondda): Will the Minister set out the trend in apprenticeship take-up and completion in Wales for the 5 years prior to and since the 2008 economic crisis? (WAQ66250)
Answer received for publication on 27 January 2014
Ken Skates: Table 1 below details the number of apprenticeship programmes commencing each year from 2004/05 to 2012/13.
Table 1: Apprenticeship starts, 2004/05 to 2012/13
| Academic Year | Foundation Apprenticeships (Level 2) | Apprenticeships (Level 3) | Total |
| 2004/05 | 15,250 | 9,360 | 24,610 |
| 2005/06 | 18,835 | 9,245 | 28,080 |
| 2006/07 | 12,715 | 6,920 | 19,635 |
| 2007/08 | 13,865 | 7,705 | 21,570 |
| 2008/09 | 11,000 | 7,140 | 18,140 |
| 2009/10 | 9,540 | 6,880 | 16,420 |
| 2010/11 | 11,205 | 7,430 | 18,635 |
| 2011/12 | 10,205 | 7,425 | 17,630 |
| 2012/13 (p) | 15,210 | 10,425 | 25,635 |
| Source: Lifelong Learning Wales Record | |||
Note that data for previous years is not available on a comparable basis.
Data for 2012/13 is provisional. Final data for 2012/13 is scheduled for release in March 2014.
Table 2 below details the number of successfully completed apprenticeships from 2006/07 to 2011/12. It also shows the apprenticeship framework success rate (calculated as a proportion of all leavers).
Table 2: Successfully completed apprenticeships, 2006/07 to 2011/12
| Academic Year | Foundation Apprenticeships (Level 2) | | Apprenticeships (Level 3) | | All Apprenticeships | |
| | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2006/07 | 8,715 | 58% | 3,745 | 48% | 12,460 | 54% |
| 2007/08 | 8,305 | 68% | 4,240 | 63% | 12,545 | 66% |
| 2008/09 | 8,575 | 76% | 5,125 | 73% | 13,700 | 75% |
| 2009/10 | 8,325 | 81% | 5,190 | 80% | 13,515 | 80% |
| 2010/11 | 7,685 | 81% | 5,600 | 83% | 13,285 | 82% |
| 2011/12 | 7,580 | 84% | 5,650 | 86% | 13,230 | 85% |
| Source: Lifelong Learning Wales Record | ||||||
Note that data for previous years is not available on a comparable basis.
Figures relating to the 2012/13 academic year are scheduled for release in April 2014.
Leighton Andrews (Rhondda): What was the average pay for teachers in 1999 and in 2013, for (a) NQTs; (b) teachers who have completed 5 years; (c) deputy heads in secondary; (d) deputy heads in primary; (e) heads in secondary; and (f) heads in primary? (WAQ66251)
Answer received for publication on 22 January 2014
Huw Lewis: Teachers pay and conditions have not been devolved to the Welsh Government and remain the responsibility of the Department for Education. Therefore, the Welsh Government does not collect the information requested.
To ask the Minister for Finance
Leighton Andrews (Rhondda): What estimate has been made of the gap between revenue raised from taxation in Wales and public spending in Wales per annum, and will the Minister estimate the impact of welfare reform cuts on the size of that gap between now and 2020, based on Welsh Government calculations of the impact of welfare reform? (WAQ66247)
Answer received for publication on 22 January 2014
The Minister for Finance (Jane Hutt): There are no official estimates of the overall fiscal deficit in Wales. The Holtham Commission produced some partial estimates which showed that revenues from centrally collected taxes were higher than the Wales block grant. However, identifiable public spending in Wales, including non-devolved programmes like social security, was higher than those revenues. There are no fiscal projections for Wales, but the Welsh Government is planning to publish shortly estimates of the reductions in benefits and tax credits in Wales as a result of UK Government reforms. This will provide an update to analysis published by the Institute for Fiscal Studies in February 2013 that showed a total reduction of £590 million.
To ask the Minister for Natural Resources and Food
Aled Roberts (North Wales): In light of the recent UK Government announcement of a £30 million investment in tree-planting, what action is the Welsh Government proposing to take to ensure continued support for tree planting in Wales? (WAQ66246)
Answer received for publication on 20 January 2014
The Minister for Natural Resources and Food (Alun Davies): Glastir is the Welsh Government’s main scheme for the provision of investment in tree planting in Wales. I will shortly be consulting on the level of support to be provided through Glastir for woodland creation management and advice as part of the arrangements for the Rural Development Plan for 2014 to 2020.
Suzy Davies (South Wales West): What plans does the Minister have to introduce mandatory vulnerable groups water tariffs in Wales so that there is cross-border equality for vulnerable people, particularly those with disabilities? (WAQ66253)
Answer received for publication on 21 January 2014
Alun Davies: The Welsh Government published its Social Tariff Guidance on 1 March 2013, to enable companies to develop social tariffs, with the aim of the reducing charges for water consumers who have difficulties paying their bills.
The guidance sets out the principles that a social tariff should follow and the framework within which a company should choose to introduce social tariffs. We are currently working with both Dwr Cymru Welsh Water and Dee Valley Water to assist them in developing Social Tariffs to be available from April 2015.