Answers issued to Members on 25 March 2009

[R] signifies that the Member has declared an interest.
[W] signifies that the question was tabled in Welsh.

Contents

Questions to the Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing

Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services

Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Local Government

Questions to the Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing

Mick Bates (Montgomeryshire): When does the Minister intend on publishing the overarching Welsh Government Energy Strategy for Wales? (WAQ53806)

The Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing (Jane Davidson): I propose that the overarching Energy Strategy for Wales will be published towards the end of the year. The Renewable Energy Route Map consultation was an important step towards an overarching Energy Strategy and we are currently out to consultation on the Bioenergy Action Plan. The responses will be taken into consideration in the formulation and development of the overarching Energy Strategy.

Lynne Neagle (Torfaen): Will the Minister please clarify the section of the Coal MTAN, regarding who decides if a 'proposal is of overriding significance for regeneration, employment and economy in the local area’? (WAQ53811)

Lynne Neagle (Torfaen): Will the Minister please provide a definition of 'significant’ in relation to the following extract from the Coal MTAN 'where the surface expression of underground working does not include the significant handling or storage of the mineral waste’? (WAQ53812)

Lynne Neagle (Torfaen): Will the Minister please provide more detail regarding what is meant by 'coal working would not result in appreciable cumulative and in-combination effects (Coal MTAN)’? (WAQ53813)

Lynne Neagle (Torfaen): Will the Minister please clarify what is meant by the reference to sustainability in Paragraph 49 of the Coal MTAN, does this mean restoration to an original state? (WAQ53814)

Lynne Neagle (Torfaen): Will the Minister please provide the number of criteria considered to decide if opencast mining should be allowed 500m away from settlements? (WAQ53815)

Lynne Neagle (Torfaen): Will the Minister please provide a breakdown of how the decision making process will operate in deciding if an opencast 'proposal is of overriding significance for regeneration, employment and economy in the local area’? (WAQ53816)

Jane Davidson: Planning policy and technical advice notes are broad statements—'material considerations’—not prescriptive documents. The coal MTAN aims to provide comprehensive advice for use in the preparation of development plans and the planning application decision-making process, but it cannot give definitive and specific advice on the weight to be given to various factors in every situation which might arise.

Local planning authorities and Planning Inspectors should have regard to material considerations outlined in the MTAN when making a decision on a planning application. Although not bound by policies, decision-makers should observe them and only depart from them if there are clear reasons for doing so.

The weight attached to certain policies may vary depending on the circumstances. Parts of guidance which may be a material consideration in one case may not necessarily be a material consideration in another, although certain elements of the guidance may be of uniform application.

Brynle Williams (North Wales): Will the Minister provide details of the Welsh Assembly Government’s plans for the reintroduction of wildlife species in Wales? (WAQ53818)

Jane Davidson: The Welsh Assembly Government, or the Countryside Council for Wales on behalf of the Assembly Government, are the licensing bodies for the reintroduction of wildlife species in Wales. We are not currently considering any specific proposals on this.

However, the possible re-introduction of Sea Eagles and Eurasian Beavers to Wales is currently being researched by project teams led by Bangor University and North Wales Wildlife Trust respectively. When the results of these studies are available, the Assembly Government will consult with the Countryside Council for Wales on the possible implications. A key aspect of this consideration will be ensuring that any such introduction would not compromise the viability of other existing species. Due consideration would also need to be given to relevant economic, social and environmental factors. Full consultation with interested parties would then need to be arranged before any reintroduction proposals were taken forward.

Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services

Jeff Cuthbert (Caerphilly): What has been the level of Sure start/Cymorth funding allocated to each local authority since 1999? (WAQ53788)

The Minister for Health and Social Services (Edwina Hart): See attached tables.

* Between 1999 and 2001 the Sure Start funding was split between the local authorities and the health authorities the figures provided are the local authority allocations only.

**Between 2003 and 2008 there was a requirement that there would be a minimum investment of 34 % of each allocation on the 0-3 age group. This requirement ceased on 1 April 2008, coinciding with the transfer of the childcare theme of Cymorth into the Revenue support Grant.

Jonathan Morgan (Cardiff North): What preparations is the Minister making for the implementation of the NICE guidelines on glaucoma which are due for publication in late April 2009? (WAQ53807)

Edwina Hart: I expect the NHS to take full account of NICE clinical guidelines, although as they are usually so broad in nature, I realise it may take some time before the guidance is fully implemented across Wales.

Jonathan Morgan (Cardiff North): What cost estimates for additional treatment has the Minister made for implementation of the forthcoming glaucoma NICE guidelines? (WAQ53808)

Edwina Hart: NICE clinical guidelines are normally published with a costing template which is then used to calculate the cost of implementing the guidance either by individual Local Health Board area or on an all Wales basis. The cost of implementing NICE guidance is taken into account in setting the annual budget allocation for the NHS in Wales.

Dai Lloyd (South Wales West): What steps has the Minister taken since meeting with families at the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign Conference in October, last year to ensure that a high quality and standardised service is accessible to people with muscular dystrophy and related neuromuscular conditions across Wales? (WAQ53819)

Edwina Hart: I remain committed to ensuring all the people of Wales have prompt access to safe and sustainable high quality and well co-ordinated neuromuscular disease specialist services as locally as possible.

Neuromuscular services for children are being considered as part of the All Wales Neurosciences standards being developed as part of the Children and Young People’s Specialised Services Project. The standards were published for consultation last year and my officials are currently finalising the standards document which is due to be issued this summer. I expect services to be delivered to meet these standards.

I have recently asked James Steers, Chair of the Welsh Neuroscience Expert Review Group to reconvene his group of experts to develop the care pathways for long-term neurological conditions, including neuromuscular conditions as the Review recommended. These pathways will set the standard of care patients can expect to receive. The pathways will cover children’s services and will underpin the implementation of the national standards to which I have referred.

Under my plans for a new NHS structure, the seven new Local Health Boards (LHBs) will be responsible for planning and securing services for their residents. Certain specialised services will in future be organised collaboratively by the new LHBs. A further consultation paper will be issued shortly on that issue.

Dai Lloyd (South Wales West): What steps are being taken to ensure that patients and clinical representatives for adults affected by muscular dystrophy are involved in the implementation planning groups for North Wales and Mid and South Wales following the recommendations of the Welsh Adult Neurosciences Expert Review last year? (WAQ53820)

Edwina Hart: I have asked Dr Alan Axford to establish a group to develop an Implementation Plan for the South Wales elements of the recommendations. I recently agreed the Chairs of five workstreams whose task will be to prepare the detailed implementation proposals. I anticipate these workstreams will be seeking membership from appropriate clinicians and other key stakeholders, such as those representing muscular dystrophy sufferers, in the very near future. Meetings of the Groups will commence in April.

The North Wales Neuroscience Implementation Group has been working closely with the Welsh Neurological Alliance as the bridge to the voluntary sector. My Regional Director has received a letter from the Muscular Dystrophy Group and is arranging for the Group to be represented on the workstream.

Peter Black (South Wales West): How many clinical physiologists currently practice in Wales? (WAQ53822)

Edwina Hart: As of 30 September 2008, 404 clinical physiologists currently practice in the NHS in Wales.   

Peter Black (South Wales West): What assessment has been made of the impact on patient safety of the lack of statutory regulation for clinical physiologists? (WAQ53823)

Edwina Hart: Following the review of non-medical professional regulation a UK wide working group has been considering how and when additional healthcare professions should be regulated. This group is due to make its report shortly and will be making recommendations on a template for assessing the appropriateness of regulation for new groups proportionate to risk.

Irene James (Islwyn): What action is the Welsh Assembly Government taking to ensure that the partially sighted can access their hospital test results without help? (WAQ53824)

Edwina Hart: Various pieces of guidance have been issued to the NHS in Wales on the production of information for patients, including a best practice framework sent out in 2002, which highlights the need to ensure that information is presented in a way that is relevant to people’s needs. With this in mind, I would expect NHS Trusts to continually review the format of letters and information sent out to patients to ensure that people are happy with what they are receiving.

Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Local Government

Jonathan Morgan (Cardiff North): In the event of a police authority being unable to reach a decision over a setting of a precept, who takes the decision? (WAQ53809)

The Minister for Social Justice and Local Government (Brian Gibbons): In relation to each financial year a police authority is obliged to make a calculation of their budget requirement under section 43(1) of the Local Government and Finance Act 1992. If the police authority failed to calculate a budget requirement, no one else would have the power to do so. The calculation of a police authority’s budget requirement is exercisable only by the police authority in question.