Written Assembly Questions tabled on 21 December 2016 for answer on 30 December 2016
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 Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Will the Minister confirm that before any monies were given to the Heads of the Valleys Development Company Limited, a best value process was undertaken as stipulated in the contracts? (WAQ71769)
Answer received on 5 January 2017.
The Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure (Ken Skates): The Welsh Government awarded a Property Grant to the Heads of the Valleys Development Company in October 2012. Under the terms of this grant the recipient was obliged to “buy all goods and services in a way that achieved best value in the use of public funds.” Officials were satisfied that this condition was met prior to payments being made.
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Will the Minister confirm that no government monies that were given to Heads of the Valleys Development Company Limited, and subsequently passed to Aventa for services, were spent for party political purposes? (WAQ71770)
Answer received on 5 January 2017.
Ken Skates: I will write to you and a copy of the letter will be put on the internet.
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Will the Minister confirm that his officials have scrutinised Aventa and Heads of the Valleys Development Company Limited accounts as per the contract provision? (WAQ71771)
Answer received on 5 January 2017.
Ken Skates: Appropriate due diligence was undertaken on all support given by Welsh Government to Heads of the Valleys Development Company Limited. Aventa has not received any funding from Welsh Government.
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): In respect of the answer to WAQ71699, how many apprenticeships would have been created in the previous three years, with a breakdown figure for each year and, of those apprenticeships available, how many places were filled? (WAQ71772)
Answer received on 5 January 2017.
Minister for Science and Skills (Julie James): Airbus Group’s apprenticeship delivery at its Broughton site is provided by Coleg Cambria. The College has confirmed Airbus Group’s apprenticeship intake numbers for the past three years as 37 in 2014/15, 38 in 2015/16 and 88 in 2016/17. All apprentices attend college on a full-time basis during their first year.
The demand for apprenticeship places at Airbus Group is usually very high and we are working with them to ensure that all future places are filled.
To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport
Angela Burns (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire): Will the Minister outline how many children are born each year in Wales with Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy and how many people are currently living with this condition in Wales? (WAQ71767) Angela Burns (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire): Will the Minister outline what provision is currently made for NHS patients with Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy and provide details of any information available on new treatments which are likely to become available? (WAQ71768)
Answer recieved on 5 January 2017.
The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-Being and Sport (Vaughan Gething): There are no centrally held figures relating to the number of people who have this rare disease. The disease occurs in about 1 in 30,000-50,000 of the UK population, which means around 60-100 people could be affected in Wales.
Idebenone is the only medicine approved in the UK for the treatment of Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy. The Medicines Healthcare and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency have confirmed the product’s manufacturers do not currently market it in the UK.
Provision of support for people with Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy in Wales is good. We have an international expert, Professor Marcela VotrubaI who runs a Retinal Clinic and a Genetic Eye Clinic, at the University Hospital of Wales. The majority of patients with this condition in Wales are referred here for treatment and access to support.
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Will the Minister confirm that symptoms associated with possible heart problems or stroke do not currently fall within a category red call for the Welsh Ambulance Service? (WAQ71773)
Answer recieved on 5 January 2017.
Vaughan Gething: As I explained in my response to WAQs 71658 and 71661, the cause and clinical severity of conditions such as shortness of breath and chest pains can vary and in order to ensure these calls receive the most appropriate response, call handlers must assess the patient’s clinical condition and circumstances and categorise the call accordingly.
Heart problems and strokes may be categorised within the Red category if their clinical severity render a patient in an immediately life threatening position, or the Amber category if the patient’s condition is serious, but not immediately life threatening.
I have asked Brendan Lloyd, Medical Director for the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust to provide you and other Assembly Members with a technical briefing on the clinical response model to aid your understanding of this matter.
To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): Since his discussions with local authorities during the summer, what considerations has the Minister made to ensuring that the structure of reformed local authorities complement the existing work on City Regions? (WAQ71762)
Answer received on 5 January 2017.
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government (Mark Drakeford): Further extensive engagement to test the options for reform and to refine the proposals set out in my statement on 4 October has taken place over the autumn. That has included discussions with all local authorities within existing City Regions. I am considering the results of these discussions and will set out a way forward in the New Year.
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): With regard to his response to WAQs70576 and 70577, will the Minister provide any updates on the progress of the council tax collection pilots in Newport and Merthyr Tydfil, including the progress of the report? (WAQ71763)
Answer received on 5 January 2017.
Mark Drakeford: The pilots have now concluded and the report will be published in January 2017.
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): With regard to his response to WAQ70387 on Welsh local elections, will the Minister provide an update on his meetings with the Electoral Commission to discuss this matter? (WAQ71764)
Answer received on 5 January 2017.
Mark Drakeford: I met with Gareth Halliwell, the Electoral Commissioner for Wales and Rhydian Thomas, Head of the Electoral Commission Wales on 13 July 2016. We discussed a number of issues including preparation for the local government elections in 2017.
The Electoral Commission proposes a series of media and social media campaigns to promote registration ahead of the elections in May.
I also expect local authorities to promote the election through their websites.
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): Will the Minister outline his response to the Electoral Commission's 2016 report on the Welsh Assembly election turnout, which showed that 45.6 per cent of those registered to vote cast their ballot, in comparison with 55.6 per cent in Scotland and 54.9 per cent in Northern Ireland? (WAQ71765)
Answer received on 5 January 2017.
Mark Drakeford: There are numerous factors which affect the electoral turnout in different areas of the UK. This includes the relatively poor media coverage of Assembly elections and this year the untimely European Referendum may also have been a factor.
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): What measures is the Minister taking to address 25 per cent of Welsh voters who have reported to the Electoral Commission that they had disinterest in the Assembly elections or felt that there was no point in voting, an increase of 5 per cent since 2011? (WAQ71766)
Answer received on 5 January 2017.
Mark Drakeford: As politicians we all have a responsibility to try and increase the interest of voters to elections in Wales. There will always be some people who do not take an interest but we must do all we can to reduce that percentage.
It will become easier for the National Assembly to address the issue of electoral participation when powers provided in the Wales Bill are devolved to the National Assembly for Wales.