Written Assembly Questions tabled on 2 December 2014 for answer on 9 December 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 First Minister
Antoinette Sandbach (North Wales): Will the First Minister disclose any report compiled by the delivery unit on Ynni'r Fro during the fourth Assembly? (WAQ68083)
Answer received on 8 December 2014
The First Minister of Wales (Carwyn Jones): I hold regular meetings with Ministers and their Directors General to discuss delivery. In that context, the Delivery Unit provides me with periodic briefings on the progress and effectiveness of each department towards delivering the government's priorities and programmes, and with early warning of potential delivery issues that may require the attention of Ministers. However, as I have stated previously, the detail of the Delivery Unit's work and the content of their briefings are a matter for me.
To ask the Minister for Economy, Science and Transport
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): How much has the Welsh Government spent on trade missions to each country since 2011? (WAQ68087)
Answer received on 8 December 2014
The Minister for Economy, Science and Transport (Edwina Hart): We do not hold the information in the format you have requested.
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): What are the Welsh Government's current projections for completing the Cardiff Bay link road from the Rover Way/Ocean Way roundabout to the A4232? (WAQ68094)
Answer received on 8 December 2014
Edwina Hart: Construction of this section of the Eastern Bay Link road is scheduled to begin in July 2015 and complete by winter 2016/17.
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Will the Minister make a statement on work to upgrade the Brynglas Tunnels, scheduled to begin in September 2014? (WAQ68096)
Answer received on 8 December 2014
Edwina Hart: An Employer's Agent has been appointed and has started work. We are currently procuring a contractor.
To ask the Minister for Education and Skills
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Would the Minister identify each document sent by the Welsh Government to a) primary and b) secondary schools in the last two full academic years? (WAQ68091)
Answer received on 11 December 2014
The Minister for Education and Skills (Huw Lewis): We publish a full list of documents sent from the Welsh Government to all schools in Wales in the Annual Report to Schools. The 2012/13 report is available at the following link http://wales.gov.uk/topics/educationandskills/publications/guidance/annual-report-to-schools-2012-2013/?lang=en
The 2013/14 report will be published before the end of this academic term.
To ask the Minister for Finance and Government Business
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): How much has the Welsh Government spent on task and finish groups in each year since May 2011? (WAQ68086)
Answer received on 8 December 2014
The Minister for Finance and Government Business (Jane Hutt): Spend on task and finish groups is not separately identified within the finance systems. To provide this information would require significant staff resource across each department within the Welsh Government, involving the review of invoices, claims and other related costs for the period in question.
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Does the Welsh Government make massage treatments available for its staff at Welsh Government offices and what are the associated costs and resources provided? (WAQ68088)
Answer received on 8 December 2014
Jane Hutt: Staffing within the Welsh Government is a matter for the Permanent Secretary. I have asked him to write to you separately with the information you have requested.
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): How many Welsh Government staff are engaged in trade union activities on a a) full-time b) part-time basis and what are their total salary costs? (WAQ68089)
Answer received on 8 December 2014
The Minister for Finance and Government Business (Jane Hutt): Staffing within the Welsh Government is a matter for the Permanent Secretary. I have asked him to write to you separately with the information you have requested.
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): How much money has been given to each trade union by the Welsh Government in the past two financial years? (WAQ68090)
Answer received on 8 December 2014
The Minister for Finance and Government Business (Jane Hutt): The total value of payments made by the Welsh Government to trade unions in the last two financial years are detailed below. Almost all payments were in respect of the Wales Union Learning Fund.
| Union Name | 2012-13 | 2013-14 |
|---|---|---|
| ASLEF | £46,945 | £62,062 |
| BECTU | £109,266 | £150,498 |
| BFAWU | £7,768 | £137,222 |
| COMMUNITY | £89,256 | £79,310 |
| CWU | £50,992 | £76,985 |
| FBU | £60,352 | £62,629 |
| GMB | £30,548 | £81,499 |
| NAPO | £20,438 | £94,979 |
| NUJ | £59,731 | £76,843 |
| NUT | £13,940 | |
| PROSPECT | £414 | £502 |
| UCATT | £59,666 | £68,318 |
| UNISON | £471,476 | £517,601 |
| UNITE | £40,986 | £283,943 |
| USDAW | £55,984 | £55,668 |
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): Would the Minister make a list of all residential properties purchased or sold by the Welsh Government since 1999 with dates and prices? (WAQ68093)
Answer received on 15 December 2014
The Minister for Finance and Government Business (Jane Hutt): I will write to you as soon as possible and a copy of my letter will be published on the Internet.
Andrew RT Davies (South Wales Central): What proportion of capital expenditure for the year 2015/16 will be spent in each of the five Assembly electoral regions? (WAQ68095)
Answer received on 9 December 2014
The Minister for Finance and Government Business (Jane Hutt): The Final Budget 2015-16 sets out the Welsh Government’s plans to invest over £1.4 billion of capital funding across Wales next year. Many of these investments are reflected in the sixth update of the Wales Infrastructure Investment Plan (WIIP) Project Pipeline which I published on 2 December. The Pipeline details all nationally strategic and significant Welsh Government investments with a total scheme value of over £15m that have either started or are due to start within the next three years.
Below this threshold, there are a significant number of capital projects which form part of Departmental capital programmes. During the Finance Committee’s scrutiny of the First Supplementary Budget 2014-15, we discussed at what level it might be appropriate to provide central information on capital investment across all Departments. As a result, I provided the Finance Committee with a geographical breakdown of Welsh Government capital investments in 2014-15 with a total value in excess of £0.5m.
Subject to the approval of our budget proposals for next year, Departments will finalise their plans for 2015-16 and I will write to you with an updated geographical breakdown for next year on the same basis as the information previously provided to the Finance Committee.
To ask the Minister for Health and Social Services
Antoinette Sandbach (North Wales): Will the Minister identify the Welsh Government spend on social care each year since the start of the 4th Assembly – identifying the precise Budget Expenditure Line from each year's Welsh Government budget? (WAQ68084)
Answer received on 15 December 2014
The Minister for Health and Social Services (Mark Drakeford): Most spending on social care is controlled by Local Authorities who are funded through a number of different mechanisms including the Local Government Settlement (Aggregate External Finance (AEF)), local taxes and specific grants from a number of different portfolio areas. AEF is fully unhypothecated and it is up to Authorities how they set their budgets, taking account of local policy decisions and priorities. Whilst AEF is the largest single source of funding for Authorities and therefore the Social Services that they provide, it is not the only one. Additional grants are awarded for areas of social care such as Flying Start & Families First from the Local Government & Communities Directorate and other specific grants from budgets within DHSS.
The gross expenditure on social services since 2011-12 has been as follows:
NB: This is net of Local Authority income from sales, fees and charges and other non-grant sources but includes grant funding from Welsh Government and other bodies.
2011-12 £1,486.5m
2012-13 £1,536.2m
2013-14 £1,640.0m
These figures are reported as part of the annual financial returns completed by the Local Authorities and are taken from the Stats Wales website.
Within the Health and Social Services Major Expenditure Group (MEG) the funding for the Social Services Spending Area (SPA) has been as follows:
2011-12 £177.278m
2012-13 £181.708m
2013-14 £49.179m
It is worth noting that in 2011-12 and 2012-13 the figures above include the budgets for Children, Young People & Families which are not included in 2013-14 due to the change in portfolio responsibilities. A large part of this funding will be included in the spend figures from Local Authorities, given above, but this budget also includes such things as, the funding for the Care Council for Wales and the Older People’s Commissioner and specific grants for the Third Sector.
The Budget Expenditure Lines (BELs) that make up the Social Services Spending Area are detailed in the table below along with final budgets for each year.
| Social Services Budgets in DHSS (by BEL) | Budget 2011-12 | Budget 2012-13 | Budget 2013-14 |
|---|---|---|---|
| BEL 0420 - Grants in Support of Child and Family Services | 2.641 | 2.641 | 4.033 |
| BEL 0460 - Services for Children | 9.195 | 5.391 | 6.284 |
| BEL 0480 -Children's Commissioner | 1.749 | 1.732 | |
| BEL 0521 - Families First (includes CFOG & Childcare & Play) | 49.548 | 50.514 | |
| BEL 5515 - Information Sharing | 1.150 | 1.15 | |
| BEL 5223 - Flying Start | 39.144 | 46.494 | |
| BEL 4760 - Support for Extending Entitlement | 1.413 | 1.369 | |
| BEL 5333 - Advocacy | 0.850 | 0.85 | |
| BEL 1691 - Child Poverty | 0.440 | 0.572 | |
| BEL 0661 - Older Persons Strategy | 0.598 | 1.031 | 1.377 |
| BEL 0620 - Community Services for Adults | 36.887 | 38.412 | 5.16 |
| BEL 0700 - National Strategy for Carers | 1.226 | 4.295 | 4.295 |
| BEL 0750 - Home Care Services | 1.656 | ||
| BEL 0680 - Flexible Care and Joint Working | 5.547 | ||
| BEL 0920 - Social Services Strategy | 13.200 | 15.138 | 16.321 |
| BEL 0582 - Care Council For Wales (Revenue) | 10.287 | 10.372 | 9.994 |
| BEL 0662 - Older People Commissioner | 1.747 | 1.747 | 1.715 |
| Total | 177.278 | 181.708 | 49.179 |
Kirsty Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire): Does the Welsh Government have plans to introduce an Adoption Support Fund as has been done in England? (WAQ68085)
Answer received on 10 December 2014
The Minister for Health and Social Services (Mark Drakeford): Post support will be available in Wales through the National Adoption Service.
Post adoption support and adoption placement disruption were both examined in Welsh Government-commissioned research undertaken by the Universities of Cardiff and Bristol respectively. The findings from the research give an important evidence base to the new Service as it considers how best to co-ordinate and deliver support.
The draft Directions on the National Adoption Service (the Adoption and Children Act 2002 (Joint Adoption Arrangements) (Wales) Directions 2015) include provisions that are relevant to adoption support. The remit they specify for the Service’s Director of Operations includes the coordination of adoption support services.
The National Adoption Service will draw together specialist advice from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, other health representatives and the third sector. By working collaboratively we can ensure that post adoption support is received by those who need it.