​Written Assembly Questions tabled on 17 October 2016 for answer on 24 October 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 Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure

Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Will the Minister make a statement on how the nearly £0.5 million that was awarded to Ruthin Castle Ltd, will be recovered now that it has gone into liquidation? (WAQ71250)

Answer received on 25 October 2016

The Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure (Ken Skates): Ruthin Castle Ltd went into Administration in June 2014. In June 2015 the Welsh Government received £5,469 from the administrators in relation to the £500,000 grant awarded in January 2012. No further recovery is possible given that the company in question went into administration. However, the hotel continues to operate as a four star establishment, making an important contribution to the local economy.

Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Will the Minister explain why the decision to award a substantial grant to Ruthin Castle Ltd was made, when it appeared to have been an unsustainable business faced with significant financial difficulties? (WAQ71251)

Answer received on 25 October 2016

Ken Skates: At the time of application in the 2011/2012 financial year the hotel's performance was improving and the proposed upgrade (part supported by the bank) to create a 4 Star destination hotel and spa was seen as a strategic tourism priority. The hotel remains open and is an attractive accommodation option for visitors to North Wales. Officials continue to monitor the business, with the 4 Star grading again confirmed in June 2016. 2017 projections show that the business is viable going forward.

Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): What steps are now being taken to safeguard against financial losses such as the loss of nearly £0.5 million in funding awarded to Ruthin Castle Ltd? (WAQ71252)

Answer received on 25 October 2016

Ken Skates: Investment applications across all priority sectors are submitted to an Investment Panel for scrutiny. The assessment of risk and appropriate mitigating measures are highlighted at the outset of each case appraisal.

Dai Lloyd (South Wales West): Will the responsibility for the procurement and management of cross-border routes in the new Wales and Borders rail franchise be determined according to the conditions detailed in the St David's Day agreement; that services primarily serving English markets will be placed into other franchises? (WAQ71254)

Dai Lloyd (South Wales West): How and when does the Welsh Government expect to gain competence over the procurement of the Wales and Borders rail franchise? (WAQ71255)

Answer received on 25 October 2016

Ken Skates: An In-principle agreement was reached to devolve the franchise in November 2014 before the St David's Day command paper was produced. The final terms of the devolved franchise are being developed, including how cross-border routes are procured and managed. The Transfer of Functions Order is being prepared and, subject to parliamentary procedures, will be ready for commencement during the second half of 2017.  Whilst this is happening, we are proceeding with the procurement of the next franchise. Due to the cross border nature of the franchise, there will clearly need to be ongoing co-operation between the Welsh Government and Department for Transport.  The devolution settlement will be acknowledging this and the details of the final agreement are still being worked through. 
 

To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport

Steffan Lewis (South Wales East): Following reports included in the book, 'A history of the Royal Cambrian and Llandrindod Wells Residential Schools for the Deaf 1846-1973', how is the Welsh Government reaching out to students who experienced sexual abuse, and what action will the Welsh Government take to ensure that surviving former pupils who were subject to abuse are compensated? (WAQ71248)

Answer received on 28 October 2016

The Minister for Social Services and Public Health (Rebecca Evans): The Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children will write to you and a copy of the letter will be placed on the internet.
 
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Will the Minister make a statement on what he is doing to address instances of medical negligence which, according to the Welsh Government Consolidated Accounts Annual Report 2015-16, appear to account for £682 million allocated to the health portfolio? (WAQ71249)

Answer received on 25 October 2016

The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport (Vaughan Gething): The NHS in Wales is working to reduce the cost of clinical negligence claims by robustly investigating things that go wrong and putting consistent measures in place to learn from its mistakes and prevent harm arising in the first place.  Clinical care can never be risk free but we can take steps to reduce the risks.  This is the key to addressing the costs of medical negligence. 

In addition, a system of redress operates in NHS Wales under the Putting Things Right process, which allows for the settlement of claims under £25,000 without the need for legal action.  This helps to reduce the very high legal costs which NHS bodies are obliged to pay in many cases.

The figure of £682m relates to information provided by Welsh Risk Pool Services (WRPS) and forms part of the Welsh Government provision at 31 March 2016, to cover the potential future liabilities, of the Welsh Risk Pool.  The Welsh Risk Pool was established to administer the risk pooling arrangement for losses arising against NHS bodies. The scope of the WRPS includes losses over £25,000 predominantly relating to clinical negligence claims.  The Welsh Government provision to WRPS is detailed at Annex 1.  The figure of £682m for 2015-2016 compares to £674m for 2014-2015.  A robust but fair approach is adopted by NHS Wales Legal and Risk services, on behalf of NHS Wales' bodies, for defending claims and a significant number are finalised without the need for financial settlement. 

Annex 1

WAQ 71249
 
The Welsh Government provision for Welsh Risk Pool Services (WRPS) is made up of two main elements detailed below.

1. the provision for claims in progress with at least a probable successful outcome for the claimant;
2. the current and future structured settlements for claims that have been settled;

Rhun ap Iorwerth (Ynys Môn): When does the Welsh Government intend to update the Rural Health Plan? (WAQ71253)

Answer received on 25 October 2016

Vaughan Gething: The Rural Health Plan set out the challenges posed by providing health and social care to dispersed populations, and it proposed which organisations should take the lead for developing service responses to the evidence presented. Through the planning structures determined subsequently in Together for Health, NHS organisations have developed assessments of the needs of their own populations and plans for service delivery that are appropriate to their local areas.
In 2014, the Welsh Government Commissioned the Welsh Institute for Health and Social Care (WIHSC) to explore the options for the provision of high quality and sustainable healthcare service in mid Wales, resulting in the Mid Wales Healthcare Study, the establishment of the Mid Wales Healthcare Collaborative, and of a Centre for Excellence in Rural Healthcare, which was announced by my predecessor Mark Drakeford in March 2016.
Over the next period I would expect the cross-government Healthy and Active Strategy, the Parliamentary Review into the long term future of health and social care, and then a refreshed NHS strategy to point the way forward for health care provision at a national level, but also to reflect the circumstances facing rural communities.

To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs

Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): What assessments have the Government made to ensure that there is an appropriate level of electricity capacity for business expansion in all areas across Wales? (WAQ71246)

Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): Will the Minister outline the process businesses can take to ensure there's enough electricity capacity in their area to expand their businesses? (WAQ71247)

Answer received on 25 October 2016

The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs (Lesley Griffiths):  The provision of electricity is a matter for the UK Government.  However, we are working actively with Ofgem, the Distributor Network Operators and National Grid to discuss network capacity in Wales to ensure the regulatory regime will enable and support future business needs across Wales.

There is a significant scale of change needed to the grid infrastructure to enable it to change from a centralised model to a more dynamic system, supporting a mix of local and central generation.  We aim to see far more businesses using locally generated electricity from a range of renewable installations which will minimise the need for additional infrastructure.  Individual businesses will need to contact their local Distributor Network Operator or the National Grid as early as possible in any proposed expansion to ensure there is sufficient electricity capacity.