Written Assembly Questions tabled on 17 November 2014 for answer on 24 November 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)
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 Minister for Natural Resources
William Powell (Mid and West Wales): On what date does the Minister next intend to amend The Sheep and Goat (Records, Identification, Movements) (Wales) Order 2009? (WAQ68020)
Answer received 25 November 2014
The Deputy Minister for Farming and Food (Rebecca Evans): I will shortly be issuing a Written Statement detailing the outcome of the EIDCymru and slaughter derogation consultation and the timetable for implementation of EIDCymru. The Sheep and Goat (Records, Identification, Movements) (Wales) Order 2009 will be amended in line with the timescale in my Written Statement.
To ask the Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty
Angela Burns (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire): Will the Minister make a statement on delays to the recruitment process for the role of Children's Commissioner for Wales? (WAQ68023)
Angela Burns (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire): Will the Minister provide a guarantee that the next Children's Commissioner will be appointed in time, with no period of empty office? (WAQ68024)
Angela Burns (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire): How much money has been spent to date on the recruitment process for the next Children's Commissioner for Wales? (WAQ68025)
Angela Burns (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire): How much money is expected to be spent on the next stage of the recruitment process for the next Children's Commissioner for Wales? (WAQ68026)
Answer received on 25 November 2014 (WAQ68023-26)
The Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty (Lesley Griffiths): I issued a written statement to Assembly Members on 16 October 2014 on the process of appointing the next Children’s Commissioner for Wales. I clarified the appointment process has been restarted in line with the principles of a regulated public appointment.
The appointment process will be completed early in the New Year. The current Commissioner will finish his term of office on 28 February. Whether the new Commissioner is available to take up post on 1 March will depend on their individual circumstances. We will only know this when we make the appointment. We have been working with the Commissioner’s office throughout to ensure there is a smooth transition from one Commissioner to the next. The current legislation does not allow for Mr Towler’s tenure to be extended, however, if needed, arrangements will be put in place to ensure the continuity of service for children and young people in Wales. In this situation the Deputy Children’s Commissioner would take up the responsibilities of the Children’s Commissioner.
There were no costs incurred during the first recruitment process, other than administrative costs, as the post was advertised through networks within Wales and on a limited basis in the UK.
~Having started the process again, we have taken the decision to advertise the post differently and more widely this time, to ensure we attract the widest field of candidates possible. This will result in some additional costs. We foresee the total costs for recruiting the Commissioner will be no more than £20k.
To ask the Minister for Health and Social Services
Darren Millar (Clwyd West): What assessment has the Minister made of eye assessments for new patients being prioritised over follow-up appointments in order to meet waiting time targets? (WAQ68021)
Answer received on 25 November 2014
The Deputy Minister for Health (Vaughan Gething): All patients, whether new or follow-up, should be seen in order of clinical priority. Patients are prioritised according to their need and not to meet waiting time targets.
A new system to monitor new and follow-up patients according to clinical priority is being trialled in ophthalmology in two health board areas. The results of this will be available in January.
Darren Millar (Clwyd West): How many patients waiting for an eye appointment have lost their sight while on the waiting list? (WAQ68022)
Answer received on 24 November 2014
The Deputy Minister for Health (Vaughan Gething): There have been 26 serious incidents reported to the Welsh Government this year which have involved a deterioration of sight of varying degrees. We have reinforced to health boards the need to report all such cases as serious incidents through clarifying the definition of harm with relation to loss of visual acuity.
Ophthalmology is a high volume specialty; it accounts for more than 10% of all outpatient appointments in secondary care and cataract surgery is the most common operation performed in Wales. The eye care statistics for Wales are released in June annually. The 2012-13 figures produced for the latest release are shown in table 1 below.
Table 1
| 2012-13 eye care statistics | |
| Total number of patients treated | 101,614 |
| Total number of patients admitted for a procedure | 24,069 |
| Total number of new patient appointments | 83,088 |
| Total number of patient follow up appointments | 247,558 |
Visual acuity is recorded at every eye appointment. Some intervention, such as cataract operations, are designed to improve vision but others, such as treatment for glaucoma, aim to prevent deterioration in vision. However, even with optimal treatment some conditions progress and some eye conditions don't affect visual acuity until in the very late stages of the disease.