Written Assembly Questions for answer on 25 April 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 Communities and Tackling Poverty
Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire): Will the Minister make a statement on the status of the National Children and Young People’s Participation Standards for Wales? (WAQ66714)
Answer received on 25 April 2014
The Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty (Jeff Cuthbert): The National Children and Young People’s Participation Standards for Wales were developed by the Participation Unit, hosted by Save the Children. They facilitated a consortium that provided expertise and advice on the Standards, and the Participation Unit took these forward and promoted and drove the Standards nationally.
The National Participation Standards are still promoted and used at a local level.
I believe the Standards to be a good benchmark for individuals and organisations and they were endorsed by the Welsh Government, along with other organisations.
Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire): What support is provided by the Welsh Government to implement the National Children and Young People’s Participation Standards for Wales? (WAQ66715)
Answer received on 25 April 2014
Jeff Cuthbert: The National Children and Young People’s Participation Standards for Wales were developed and promoted by the Participation Unit, hosted by Save the Children and supported by a consortium that provided expertise and advice.
The Participation Unit was provided with a Welsh Government annual grant of £100k to take forward children and young people’s participation Wales. The Participation Unit also received funding from other sources, including ESF. In 2012 the Participation Unit informed the Welsh Government that they would not be submitting a bid for core funding in 2012/13 as they had sufficient funds in place and wanted to be seen to be more independent of government.
In addition, the Welsh Government transferred funding from the Cymorth Grant to local authorities through the Revenue Support Grant (RSG) to support core functions of Children and Young People’s partnerships, including participation. As it was included in the baseline of the RSG, this funding continues. Local Authorities are expected to make use of opportunities to maximise the resources available through collaboration so that participation becomes embedded and sustainable across partner organisations.
To ask the Minister for Economy, Science and Transport
Byron Davies (South Wales West): What discussions has the Minister had with Transport for London regarding the use of contactless payment technology for transport services and their application in Wales, if available please provide dates for meetings with Transport for London between the Minister or her officials since the start of the Fourth Assembly? (WAQ66709)
Answer received on 25 April 2014
The Minister for Economy, Science and Transport (Edwina Hart): The Welsh Government is a member of the Integrated Transport Smartcard Organisation (ITSO) which provides us with the opportunity to collaborate with other organisations about smartcard schemes, including Transport for London.
Byron Davies (South Wales West): What progress has been made in developing a contactless payment transport card in Wales, please provide the most up-to-date cost estimates for such a scheme and timescale for implementation? (WAQ66710)
Answer received on 25 April 2014
Edwina Hart: GoCymru was successfully trialled with Cardiff Bus, Newport Bus and six operators in North Wales. Costs for deploying GoCymru across bus and rail could be up to £20 million and would take up to 4 years to implement.
Eluned Parrott (South Wales Central): What actions will the Welsh Government take to facilitate connections between the Cambrian Line and the train services provided from Porthmadog Harbour Station on the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland railways in order to support the tourist industry? (WAQ66711)
Answer received on 25 April 2014
Edwina Hart: The additional services between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury will provide improved connections between the Cambrian Mainline and the Cambrian Coast, to Pwhlleli via Porthmadog. Arriva Trains Wales and the Ffestiniog Railway work together to seek to optimise connections between Arriva services and the Ffestiniog Railway at both Porthmadog/Minffordd and at Blaenau Ffestiniog, on the Conwy Valley line.
Eluned Parrott (South Wales Central): What assessment has the Minister made of the current levels of train rolling stock in Wales ahead of extra services on the Cambrian and Heart of Wales lines and will any additional stock need to be procured? (WAQ66712)
Answer received on 25 April 2014
Edwina Hart: These services will be introduced with no requirement to procure additional rolling stock.
To ask the Minister for Education and Skills
Eluned Parrot (South Wales Central): Given that in Plenary on 4th March, the Minister for Local Government and Government Business indicated you might bring forward a statement reminding schools of their duty to pupils and encouraging them to warn girls about the dangers of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), will the Minister follow the lead of the UK Government by writing to all schools regarding this issue? (WAQ66713)
Answer received on 20 May 2014
The Minister for Education and Skills (Huw Lewis): Yes. I have committed to write to every head teacher in Wales to highlight the importance of being alert to the potential signs of Female Genital Mutilation, and to outline appropriate action that should be taken in these circumstances. The Welsh Government is also preparing statutory guidance on safeguarding in education, which will highlight the statutory duties and responsibilities of schools and local authorities to keep our children safe and this will include specific advice on issues around FGM.
Simon Thomas (Mid and West Wales): Will the Minister make a statement on the report 'Improving Schools in Wales: An OECD Perspective'? (WAQ66716)
Answer received on 12 May 2014
Huw Lewis: Improving Schools in Wales: An OECD Perspective
was commissioned by the Welsh Government in December 2012. The OECD were asked to provide an external assessment of the quality and equity of education policy and outcomes in Wales and to highlight areas of policy which might add value and improve education outcomes.
The OECD has provided a comprehensive and exacting report. It is important if you want to be the best that you learn from the best. I welcome the report’s findings and am heartened that we are already doing much of what has been recommended as part of our reform of education standards in Wales. It is good to see that the direction of travel we have set is the right one. The main thrust of the report was that Wales should keep its focus on a long-term and sustained school improvement strategy. This is what we are doing. We are beginning to see the results and are making positive progress especially around exam performance. That’s good news for learners in Wales.
Along with officials, I attended the OECD’s Education Policy Committee Meeting in Paris to discuss the report’s findings on April 11th and was pleased with the feedback and suggestions for developing the policy options from the report and officials are using this helpful feedback in the development of our education strategies.
To ask the Minister for Health and Social Services
Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire): Will the Minister provide an update on progress to clear the backlog of claims over eligibility for continuing health care? (WAQ66708)
Answer received on 29 April 2014
The Minister for Health and Social Services (Mark Drakeford): There are currently two processes for dealing with claims for Continuing NHS Healthcare (CHC).
Retrospective claims received prior to, or on, 15 August 2010
Based on the latest reported figures, the total number of claims being managed by the National Project (through Powys Teaching Health Board) is 2,525. There are currently only 13 cases (less than 1%) which have not yet been reviewed. These are expected to be reviewed within the next month, in advance of the June 2014 deadline.
There are also 540 claims (21%) which have been reviewed for eligibility. These are either in the final stages of negotiation, or claimants are in the process of being notified of the outcome.
Retrospective claims received post 15 August 2010
These claims are managed by individual Health Boards and have no deadline for completion. To address the current backlog of claims, from July the National Project team will work alongside the individual Health Board teams to ensure the timely handling of outstanding claims.
The 2010 National Framework for CHC has recently been reviewed and subject to a public consultation exercise. The revised Framework will be published by the end of June and will propose that no retrospective review should take longer than two years to be processed.
Darren Millar (Clwyd West): Will the Minister make a statement on the entitlement of men aged fifty and over in Wales to a PSA test upon request from a GP? (WAQ66717)
Answer received on 29 April 2014
Mark Drakeford: NICE guidance states the benefits of PSA testing have not been shown to clearly outweigh the harms on routine screening for prostate cancer, thus there is not an entitlement or a routine screening programme for men 50 or over in Wales. However, the PSA test is routinely available from GPs across Wales and it may be requested, on the basis of clinical suspicion, regardless of age.
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): What progress has been made in the review of the Individual Patient Funding Request (IPFR) process, and what is the objective of that review? (WAQ66718)
Answer received on 29 April 2014
Mark Drakeford: In October 2013 I announced a review of the Individual Patient Funding Request (IPFR) process would be undertaken to explore how the current process could be improved, with particular emphasis on transparency and inter-panel consistency. The review group are now in the process of completing their report and I will be issuing a Written Statement shortly after the end of recess.
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): What steps is the Minister taking to increase access to medicines through the Individual Patient Funding Request (IPFR) process? (WAQ66719)
Answer received on 29 April 2014
Mark Drakeford: The Individual Patient Funding Request (IPFR) process is used by clinicians seeking access to a technology that is not recommended for routine use in NHS Wales. For patients in whom clinical exceptionality can be demonstrated the technology is funded and made available. The IPFR process is not designed to reduce or increase routine access to medicines.
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): What plans has the Minister put in place to improve access to medicines in Wales? (WAQ66720)
Answer received on 29 April 2014
Mark Drakeford: Access to medicines is a continually evolving agenda. For example, in 2014 Welsh Government have agreed processes for dealing with Highly Specialised Technologies and an Early Access Scheme for medicines prior to licensing. We have undertaken work on access to orphan and ultra-orphan medicines and will shortly be publishing the findings of a review on the Individual Patient Funding Request process. In January the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group published their five year strategy entitled “Improving the patient’s experience of medicines in Wales” and in February they also published a short report on their patient and public engagement strategy. All are examples of a continuing commitment to improve access to medicines in Wales.
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): What assessment has the Minister made of the report from the University of Bristol which showed that patients suffering from cancer in England are up to seven times more likely to be prescribed expensive cancer drugs than fellow sufferers in Wales? (WAQ66721)
Answer received on 29 April 2014
Mark Drakeford: The paper by Chamberlain et al and published in the British Journal of Cancer in February 2014 demonstrated:
Wales had a faster uptake of the medicines most recently launched and subsequently recommended by NICE.
Medicines deemed not cost-effective by NICE were more frequently prescribed in England than in Wales.
The Cancer Drugs Fund in England did not expedite access to new cost-effective cancer medicines when compared to Wales.
In England there is provision of less-evidence based treatment and/or more unlicensed treatment, when alternative, more cost-effective treatments exist.
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): What assessment has the Minister made of the ongoing reforms to medicines access in Scotland, including the new peer approved clinical system? (WAQ66722)
Answer received on 29 April 2014
Mark Drakeford: The review of access to medicines in Scotland was initially led by Professor Philip Routledge, the current chair of the All Wales Medicines Group. My officials have met with him to discuss his recommendations.
The Peer Approved Clinical System (PACS) in Scotland will replace their existing Individual Patient Treatment Request system by May this year. Observers have raised concerns that the new system may be less transparent than the current process and indicated there are implications for clinician time and workloads. My officials will continue to monitor developments as the scheme becomes fully operational.
To ask the Minister for Natural Resources and Food
Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire): Will the Minister make a statement on tackling littering and dog fouling? (WAQ66707)
Answer received on 29 April 2014
The Minister for Natural Resources and Food (Alun Davies): The Welsh Government is investing in a number of schemes to address the problem of litter. Our aim is to prevent litter from occurring in the first place, through education and raising awareness. The Welsh Government is also keen to promote responsible dog ownership to reduce dog fouling.
Funding is provided annually to community groups, local authorities and Keep Wales Tidy to support the delivery of our Tidy Towns
programme. The aim of this programme is to empower the people of Wales to take responsibility for the quality of their own local environment and contribute towards a clean and safe Wales. Welsh Government funding also enables Keep Wales Tidy to deliver specific campaigns aimed at tackling all types of litter and dog fouling.
Local authorities in Wales have a statutory duty to ensure that the highways, public walkways and recreational areas are kept clear of litter and dog faeces and are responsible for enforcement. Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN’s) ranging from £75 to £150 can be issued to anyone caught littering, including dog walkers who do not clean up after their dogs.