Written Assembly Questions tabled on 23 January 2014 for answer on 30 January 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)
To ask the Minister for Economy, Science and Transport
Eluned Parrott (South Wales Central): What assessment has the Minister made of the feasibility of achieving 160 new enterprises out of just 300 enquiries to the Welsh Government Business Information Helpline during 2014/15 as outlined in the Welsh Government’s Enterprise Zone KPIs? (WAQ66333)
Answer received for publication on 28 January 2014
The Minister for Economy, Science and Transport (Edwina Hart): Our published indicators contain a target for 2014/15 of 160 enterprises financially supported and assisted. These can be new or existing enterprises. We have not set a target for new enterprises created in Enterprise Zones which could result from proactive enquires, through existing relationships or via the Business Wales Helpline.
To ask the Minister for Health and Social Services
Llyr Gruffydd (North Wales): Given that, under changes to UK Government legislation a patient's GP in England will upload personal and identifiable information from the medical record of patients to central servers at the Health and Social Care Information Centre, NHS England could use the information for 'secondary uses' which could be shared with third parties eg universities, charities etc., will the Minister confirm or deny if he plans to develop a similar programme to share patient information? (WAQ66330)
Answer received for publication on 28 January 2014
The Minister for Health and Social Services (Mark Drakeford): There are no plans to develop a similar programme.
Darren Millar (Clwyd West): What was the average NHS waiting time in Wales for hip replacements in each of the past five years? (WAQ66331)
Answer received for publication on 30 January 2014
Mark Drakeford: The average waiting times for hip replacements conducted over the last five years are shown in the table below:
Year | Average Waiting Time (Days) |
2008 | 130 |
2009 | 108 |
2010 | 156 |
2011 | 178 |
2012 | 169 |
Source: Patient Episode Database Wales (PEDW), NHS Wales Informatics Service
Date Extracted: 26/01/2014
Notes:
Based on the number of days between the date decided to admit date and the admission date
Date decided to admit is the date a decision was made that the patient needed to be admitted
Patients with admission method 11 - Waiting list
Admitting episode of the hospital spell
Darren Millar (Clwyd West): How many hip replacement operations were undertaken by the Welsh NHS in each of the last 5 years? (WAQ66332)
Answer received for publication on 30 January 2014
Mark Drakeford: The number of admission episodes based on the principal procedure for hip replacements in the last five years are shown in the table below:
Number of admission episodes based on the principal procedure for hip replacements, 2008/09 – 2012/13 (a) (b) (c) (d)
Financial Year | Admission episodes |
2008/09 | 4,461 |
2009/10 | 3,983 |
2010/11 | 3,836 |
2011/12 | 4,604 |
2012/13 | 4,538 |
Source: Patient Episode Database for Wales (PEDW), NHS Wales Informatics Service
Date Extracted: 27/01/2014
Notes:
(a) Based on the admitted episode (only the first episode of care in each hospital stay is counted).
(b) Relates to the primary intervention/procedure performed on a patient at a particular time, during the admitted episode.
(c) Based on data for the following ICD-10 codes: W370-W374, W378-W384, W388-W396, W398, W399, W930-W933, W938-W943, W948-W954, W958, W959.
(d) Data may be subject to change as further submissions may be received.
Rhodri Glyn Thomas (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): Will the Minister make a statement on waiting times for patients being referred to cancer genetics departments? (WAQ66334)
Answer received for publication on 4 February 2014
Mark Drakeford: This information is not held centrally but can be obtained from the Cancer Genetics Service for Wales.
Rhodri Glyn Thomas (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): What assessment has the Welsh Government made of Electro-Magnetic Syndrome and will the Minister make a statement? (WAQ66335)
Answer received for publication on 30 January 2014
Mark Drakeford: The Welsh Government is advised by Public Health England (PHE - formerly the Health Protection Agency [HPA]) in relation to the protection of communities from chemical and radiation hazards. PHE’s position with regard to Electro-Magnetic Syndrome (also referred to as Electro Sensitivity [ES] and Electro Hypersensitivity [EHS]) is that there is still no convincing scientific evidence that exposures to electro-magnetic and other radio technologies affect human health at levels below internationally agreed guidelines.
PHE publishes comprehensive reviews of the scientific evidence relevant to radio wave exposures and health and keeps the science continuously under review. The most recent PHE-backed review, undertaken by the independent Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation (AGNIR), was published in April 2012. The AGNIR report carefully assessed whether certain people are especially sensitive to exposures to RF fields, leading to unpleasant symptoms which affect their health. AGNIR concludes there is increasing evidence that RF fields below guideline levels do not cause symptoms and cannot be detected by people, even those who consider themselves sensitive to RF fields. PHE agrees with AGNIR that this does not undermine the symptoms that are experienced, but it does suggest causes other than those directly related to RF fields should be considered.
On the basis of the current PHE advice the Welsh Government’s position on “Electro-Magnetic Syndrome” remains unchanged, and I therefore do not intend to make a statement.