Written Assembly Questions tabled on 10 May 2017 for answer on 17 May 2017
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
Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): Was a Welsh Government Head Lease agreement was considered as an alternative to the provision of a Welsh Government guarantee for the Circuit of Wales project? (WAQ73472)
Answer received on 15 May 2017
The Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure (Ken Skates): There has not been any proposal from the developers for Welsh Government support for the Circuit under which Welsh Government would enter into a head lease agreement and, therefore, this has not been considered as an alternative.
Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): Who first proposed a 100 per cent Government Guarantee for the Circuit of Wales project and on what date? (WAQ73473)
Answer received on 15 May 2017
Ken Skates: This was proposed by the Heads of the Valley Development Company (HOVDC) in August 2015 in the form of an underwriting of a lease which HOVDC suggested was to be held by Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council.
Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): Who first proposed a Welsh Government guarantee as a means of facilitating the investment in the Circuit of Wales project and on what date? (WAQ73474)
Answer received on 15 May 2017
Ken Skates: This was proposed in January 2016 by the Heads of the Valley Development Company as a guarantee of a head lease which was to be held by Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council.
Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): Who first proposed an 80 per cent Government Guarantee for the Circuit of Wales project and on what date? (WAQ73475)
Answer received on 15 May 2017
Ken Skates: This was first set out in a document dated 15 April 2016 sent from the Heads of the Valley Development Company to Monmouthshire County Council, in place of the January 2016 proposal referred to in WAQ73474.
Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): Further to WAQ73059 will the Cabinet Secretary state the net public cost to the taxpayer of the headlease in relation to a) Cyrus House; and b) the Life Sciences Hub? (WAQ73476)
Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr): What are the figures for the level of occupancy of the Life Sciences Hub since it was opened? (WAQ73477)
Answer received on 17 May 2017
Minister for Skills and Science (Julie James): Welsh Ministers acquired the long leasehold interests for Cyrus House on 31 March 2016 at a purchase price of £1.80m. The current ground rent payable by Welsh Ministers on the property is £4,033 p.a. and the current annual rental receivable is £76,000 p.a.
Welsh Ministers hold a Head Lease from Aviva Life and Pensions for Life Sciences Hub Wales which started on 31 July 2013. It will expire on 30 July 2023 with a break on 30 July 2018, that being the break notice period. The annual rental is £274,758 pa. The Hub holds an Under Lease which started on 4 July 2014 and expires on 29 June 2018 at an annual rental of £274,758 pa.
The occupancy rate for meeting room and venue space for the Hub was 28% from July 2014 to March 2015, and then 35% and 47% in the two subsequent financial years. Similarly, it had 69, 91 and 141 members in the three financial years from 2014.
All figures quoted above are exclusive of VAT.
To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): Further to WAQ73421, will the Cabinet Secretary outline what specific support the Welsh Government has provided to Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to improve performance in A&E waiting times? (WAQ73470)
Answer received on 17 May 2017
Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport (Vaughan Gething): In order to improve escalation processes, the Welsh Government has commissioned the NHS Wales Delivery Unit to undertake a six month targeted intervention at both Wrexham Maelor and Ysbyty Glan Clwyd sites, which will focus on improving senior decision making processes to limit risks to patient safety and enable better patient flow through the hospital sites, at times of peak pressure. A key component of this work will relate to emergency care access targets.
Alongside this work, the Welsh Government has sought assurance on the role of Clinical Directors in the escalation process, the use of data intelligence to inform capacity and demand planning and the impact that actions from the local operational plan are having on delivery.
Officials continue to engage with the Health Board and seek assurance on improvement through daily urgent care conference calls. The Deputy Chief Executive of NHS Wales will also be holding summit meetings with each health board to discuss unscheduled care improvement over the coming weeks.
To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): Will the Cabinet Secretary provide full details, including dates and values, of all Welsh Government Invest to Save projects implemented by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board since 2011? (WAQ73465)
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): Will the Cabinet Secretary provide full details, including dates and values, of the Enhanced Care At Home in North Wales Invest to Save project implemented by Conwy, Denbighshire and Flintshire local authorities? (WAQ73466)
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): Will the Cabinet Secretary provide full details, including costs payable by the Welsh Government, of the Theatre Optimisation System Invest to Save project implemented by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board? (WAQ73467)
Derbyniwyd ateb ar 17 Mai 2017
Mark Drakeford: Details of all live and completed projects supported through the Invest to Save fund are published on the Welsh Government's website and can be found at:
http://gov.wales/docs/dpsp/publications/valuewales/170307-projects-2015-en.pdf
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): What is the total value, and total projected savings, of all Invest to Save projects implemented by Health Boards in Wales since 2011; and will the Cabinet Secretary outline the value of savings realised to date? (WAQ73468)
Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy): What is the total value, and total projected savings, of all Invest to Save projects implemented by Local Authorities in Wales since 2011; and will the Cabinet Secretary outline the value of savings realised to date? (WAQ73469)
Answer received on 17 May 2017
Mark Drakeford: Details of all live and completed projects supported through the Invest to Save fund are published on the Welsh Government's website and can be found at:
http://gov.wales/docs/dpsp/publications/valuewales/170307-projects-2015-en.pdf
The total projected savings of all Invest to Save projects implemented by Health Boards and Local Authorities since 2011 is over £85.7 million per annum and £3.1 million per annum respectively.
Assessing the total cash benefits generated by the portfolio of Invest to Save projects is complex and influenced by a number of different factors, including that Invest to Save funding meets up to 75% of total project costs so it would not be appropriate to attribute all of the savings as a direct result of the Invest to Save funding.
Angela Burns (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire): Will the Cabinet Secretary detail how the Government plans to allocate the Welsh proceeds of the Soft Drink Industry Levy? (WAQ73471)
Answer received on 17 May 2017
Mark Drakeford: Funding provided to Wales is not ring-fenced for specific purposes and is allocated through Welsh Government budgets in line with the Welsh Government's strategic priorities.