Answers to the Written Assembly Questions for answer on 26 February 2010
[R] signifies that the Member has declared an interest.
[W]
signifies that the question was tabled in Welsh.
Contents
Questions to the Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy and Transport
Questions to the Minister for Social Justice and Local Government
To ask the Minister
for Children, Education and Lifelong Learning
Nick Bourne (Mid and West Wales): Further to the answer to WAQ’s 54687, 54688, 54689 and 54690, will the Minister provide details of when the Welsh Assembly Government intends to implement in full its free laptops for schools policy. (WAQ55685)
Answer
issued on 02 March 2010
The One Wales Agreement commits the Welsh Assembly Government to pilot the provision of laptops for children.
The Welsh Assembly Government announced in 2009 that the pilot would provide up to 1,200 laptops for year six pupils from schools located in Communities First and Flying Start areas. Local authorities will be working with selected schools to distribute the laptops and support educational activities. The pilot will be launched in March 2010.
Nick Bourne (Mid and West Wales): In relation to the Welsh Assembly Government’s free laptops for schools scheme, could the Minister provide (a) details of the costs, location and evaluation of the pilot program, and (b) an estimated cost of its full implementation. (WAQ55686)
Answer
issued on 02 March 2010
The One Wales Agreement commits the Welsh Assembly Government to pilot the provision of laptops for children.
The pilot is being implemented through a network of local projects across Wales in which year six pupils from selected schools in Communities First and Flying Start areas will be given access to laptops to support learning activities. Every local authority in Wales will have one or more schools taking part in the pilot.
Evaluation will be an integral part of the pilot including monitoring of agreed outcomes from the local projects and learning lessons from other initiatives which have used mobile technology.
Provision to meet the costs of the pilot is £700,000 over the two financial years 2009-10 and 2010-11.
To
ask the Minister for the Economy and Transport
Nick Bourne (Mid and West Wales): What was the cost of the advertising feature on Page 9 of the Western Mail’s Business in Wales supplement on 17 February 2010. (WAQ55687)
Answer
issued on 15 March 2010
Gross cost of placing the advertising feature on Page 9 of the Western Mail’s Business in Wales supplement on 17 February 2010 was £1,585.00 per insert. There are also creative costs associated but these cannot be easily aggregated.
Nick Bourne (Mid and West Wales): What was the cost of the advertising feature on Page 24 of the Daily Post on 17 February 2010. (WAQ55688)
Answer
issued on 15 March 2010
The gross cost of placing the advertising feature on Page 24 of the Daily Post on 17 February 2010 was £832.50 per insert. There are also creative costs associated but these cannot be easily aggregated.
Nick Bourne (Mid and West Wales): Will the Minister provide details of all the publications featuring the advertising feature promoting Flexible Support for Business which appeared in February 2010. (WAQ55689)
Answer
issued on 15 March 2010
Details of all the publications featuring the advertising feature promoting Flexible Support for Business which appeared in February 2010 are listed below:
• Daily Post (Wales)
• Western Mail
• South Wales Echo
• South Wales Evening Post
• Western Telegraph
• Cambrian News
• South Wales Argus
• Wrexham Leader
• Pontypridd Observer
• Cynon Valley Leader
• Gwent Gazette
• Merthyr Express Series
• Glamorgan Gazette
• Neath & Port Talbot Guardian
• North Wales Weekly News Group
• Tenby Observer
• Carmarthen Journal
• Llanelli Star Series
• Rhyl & Prestatyn Journal Series
• The County Times & Express - Welshpool
Nick Bourne (Mid and West Wales): Will the Minister provide details of the total cost of the advertising feature promoting Flexible Support for Business which appeared in February 2010. (WAQ55690)
Answer
issued on 15 March 2010
The cost, inclusive of VAT, of the advertising feature promoting Flexible Support for Business supersite launch which appeared in February 2010 is £85,168.03 this includes total creative fees for the FS4B supersite campaign and the production, transmission and advertising costs for the press feature element of the campaign that appeared in February 2010.
Nerys Evans (Mid and West Wales): Have speed activated warning signs been erected on the trunk road approaches to the village of Llanddewi Velfrey and if not, what is the timetable for installing them. (WAQ55692)
Answer
issued on 16 March 2010
The speed-activated warning signs for the A40 at Llanddewi Velfrey are not yet in place. They are part of traffic calming measures programmed for installation by the end of March.
To
ask the Minister for Social Justice and Local Government
Nerys Evans (Mid and West Wales): What are the latest developments and the current timetable for moving forward with the Local Government LCO and when are you expecting these enhanced powers to be granted. (WAQ55691)
Answer
issued on 01 March 2010
The Local Government LCO has completed its stages in the National Assembly. The draft Local Government LCO was approved in Plenary by the Assembly on 9 February. I then wrote to the Secretary of State for Wales, who formally laid the draft LCO before both Houses of Parliament on 10 February.
The matter is now with Parliament and we await their consideration.