Written Assembly Questions tabled on 18 March 2015 for answer on 25 March 2015
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 Education and Skills
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): What steps is the Welsh Government taking to reduce the gap in the literacy and numeracy of children living in the most and least deprived areas of Wales? (WAQ68502)
Answer received on 25 March 2015
The Minister for Education and Skiills (Huw Lewis): Raising standards in literacy and numeracy, and reducing the impact of deprivation on educational attainment, are key and inter-linked priorities for the Welsh Government. The National Literacy and Numeracy Programmes set out a comprehensive strategic vision targeted at these priorities. As I set out last October in Qualified for Life: an education improvement plan, these programmes will be refreshed over the year ahead.
We continue to grant fund a range of interventions that have a significant focus on helping learners from deprived backgrounds – including the Booktrust Cymru scheme; the Welsh Books Council Reading Promotion Programme; and the Premier League Reading Stars Cymru project. I have also charged a group of mathematics professionals to develop a mathematics action plan by the summer, with recommendations we can move swiftly on to improve mathematics attainment in all primary and secondary settings.
In tackling the impact of deprivation on education and attainment, we have already set out clearly what we are doing and what more we will do. This is outlined in Rewriting the Future: Raising ambition and attainment in Welsh schools, launched in June 2014.
The policy is supported by the Pupil Deprivation Grant (PDG), which I more than doubled in 2014-15 and it will rise again in each of the next two years. The PDG is allocated on a per capita basis, rather than geographically targeted, but it follows that schools in areas of deprivation will have a higher density of pupils eligible for the grant and will therefore receive more funding. The PDG is also match-funded by the Communities First PDG matched fund, which supports schools and Communities First clusters to work together to tackle this agenda.
The impact of our actions is beginning to bear fruit. Data released in January (Statistical Bulletin SB 01/2015: Achievement and entitlement to free school meals in Wales, 2014) show that the attainment of pupils eligible for free school meals (eFSM) is at an all-time high. Furthermore, the gap in attainment between eFSM pupils and their counterparts has reduced at Foundation Phase level, Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3. At Key Stage 4, eFSM attainment of level 2 inclusive has improved by 2 percentage points this year. I am particularly pleased that a closer look at this data reveals that some schools have made remarkable progress in closing the gap between eFSM and non-FSM learners.
To ask the Minister for Finance and Government Business
Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire): What measures does the Welsh Government have in place to recover grant funds when a company stops trading? (WAQ68500)
Answer received on 24 March 2015
The Minister for Finance and Government Business (Jane Hutt): The terms and conditions of a grant award letter contain a general provision referred to as the "Notification Events".
This requires a company to notify the Welsh Government immediately if they cease, or threaten to cease, trading. These terms and conditions also give the Welsh Government powers in these circumstances, to recover all or part of the grant funding paid.
When a company notifies the Welsh Government that it has, or will, cease trading, an invoice is issued to the company for the amount of grant that needs to be repaid. An invoice would also be issued if the Welsh Government becomes aware from other sources that a company has ceased trading. If necessary, the company or its’ representative is pursued for payment of the debt.
To ask the Minister for Health and Social Services
David Melding (South Wales Central): How many people formally admitted under the Mental Health Act 1983 received electroconvulsive therapy treatment in 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2013/14? (WAQ68497)
Answer Received on 31 March 2015
The Minister for Health and Social Services (Mark Drakeford): This information is held by individual health boards, but is not collated centrally by the Welsh Government.
David Melding (South Wales Central): Will the Minister make a statement on current policies regarding children admitted to mixed-sex psychiatric wards? (WAQ68498)
Answer to follow.
David Melding (South Wales Central): How many people under the age of 18 were admitted into adult psychiatric wards in 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2013/14 and will the Minister make a statement regarding these figures? (WAQ68499)
Answer to follow.
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): What consideration has the Welsh Government given to encouraging pharmacists to work in GP surgeries in order to alleviate pressures on the Welsh NHS? (WAQ68501)
Answer Received on 31 March 2015
The Minister for Health and Social Services (Mark Drakeford): The contribution of pharmacists in primary care has been a regular feature of the prudent healthcare approach in Wales. The practical consequences can be found in the primary care plan for Wales, the additional investment in primary care in 2014/15 and 2015/16, and will be further represented in the forthcoming primary care workforce plan.
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): With reference to the Liver Disease Delivery Plan and the recent consultation process, will the Minister note when the Welsh Government plans to issue a formal response? (WAQ68506)
Answer received on 25 March 2015
The Deputy Minister for Health (Vaughan Gething): The development of the Liver Disease Delivery Plan is currently in its final stages prior to publication. I expect to launch it and the consultation summary in April.
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Will the Minister provide the number of diagnosed cases of hepatitis C per year, giving figures for each of the last three years? (WAQ68507)
Answer received on 24 March 2015
The Minister for Health and Social Services (Mark Drakeford): Historic data on confirmed cases of hepatitis C are published on a UK basis by Public Health England. The "Hepatitis C in the UK - 2014 Report" can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hepatitis-c-in-the-uk. Figures 32 and 33 show the latest available data for Wales, up to 2013.
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Will the Minister provide figures for the number of patients being treated for hepatitis C each year for the last three years? (WAQ68508)
Answer received on 24 March 2015
The Minister for Health and Social Services (Mark Drakeford): It is estimated that across Wales in 2011 and 2012 over 400 individuals commenced treatment for hepatitis C and nearly 200 individuals achieved a sustained virologic response following treatment. This data is published by Public Health Wales at:
http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sites3/page.cfm?orgid=457&pid=68681.
Data for 2013 will be available in July 2015.
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): With reference to the Liver Disease Delivery Plan, what assessment has been made of the Scottish experience of implementing a similar strategy, and how does the Minister expect this to influence the Welsh Government's own plan? (WAQ68509)
Answer received on 25 March 2015
Vaughan Gething: We believe our Liver Disease Plan will cover a broader range of issues than the Scottish Government’s approach and it does not have a directly comparable plan to tackle liver disease nor develop liver disease services. We are aware of its Hepatitis C Action Plan and have considered it in the development of our Liver Disease Delivery Plan.
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): With reference to the Liver Disease Delivery Plan, will the Minister confirm if he plans to achieve its objectives out of existing resources, or whether additional funding could be made available to help its implementation? (WAQ68510)
Answer received on 25 March 2015
Vaughan Gething: The Welsh Government has developed a number of disease specific delivery plans which act as a framework to develop service models within each health board’s existing resources. With regard to the Liver Disease Delivery Plan, the £1.377 million allocated in previous years to support blood borne viral hepatitis services will now be added to the NHS Wales core allocation and will support the continuation of work on blood born viral hepatitis as well as the implementation of the plan. We have also recently announced an additional £10 million to support the priority areas of ten of the delivery plans, including the Liver Disease Delivery Plan.
To ask the Minister for Public Services
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): What factors were considered by the Welsh Government in allocating funds to the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission to undertake work resulting from the Local Government (Wales) Bill? (WAQ68503)
Answer received on 24 March 2015
The Minister for Public Services (Leighton Andrews): The additional funding will enable the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales to complete its electoral arrangements reviews of proposed new principal areas in time for the first elections to the new merged authorities. The Regulatory Impact Assessment for the Bill indicates that the funding will cover additional staff and administrative costs, such as travel and subsistence, training and IT (ref. paragraph 113).
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): What consideration has the Welsh Government given to a consistent approach for job evaluation procedures across Wales in new local authorities? (WAQ68504)
Answer received on 24 Mawrth 2015
The Minister for Public Services (Leighton Andrews): This is a matter which the Public Services Staff Commission being established this Autumn will be able to consider as part of its work.
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): With reference to local government reorganisation, when does the Welsh Government plan to indicate the proposed ratio of electorate to elected members per ward? (WAQ68505)
Answer received on 24 March 2015
Leighton Andrews: The Local Government (Wales) Bill includes a provision enabling the Welsh Ministers to direct the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission to review proposed principal local authority areas. A direction to the Commission would not be issued until the Bill has been enacted and the map of proposed authorities published.