Written Questions tabled on 21/03/2023 for answer on 28/03/2023
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.
First Minister
What was the total cost for the First Minister and his staff to visit Paris in March 2023?
This information will be published here - Ministerial Code information publication: 6th Senedd | GOV.WALES - in line with the Ministerial code, after the end of the financial year.
What was the total cost for the First Minister and his staff to visit Brussels in March 2023?
This information will be published here - Ministerial Code information publication: 6th Senedd | GOV.WALES - in line with the Ministerial code, after the end of the financial year.
Minister for Economy
Will the Minister confirm whether discussions have taken place with Aerodyne Aircrafts Development Limited, and whether those discussions have led to any rentals or acquisitions of business units by the company at the St Athan Enterprise Zone?
My officials have been in discussion with the company and are currently progressing negotiations for their leasehold occupation of 3 buildings at Bro Tathan on commercial terms.
What departure and arrival point did the First Minister use to travel to and from the USA in March 2023?
The First Minister did not travel to the USA in March 2023
What was the total cost for the Minister and his staff to visit the United States in March 2023?
This information will be published here - Ministerial Code information publication: 6th Senedd | GOV.WALES - in line with the Ministerial code, after the end of the financial year.
Minister for Climate Change
What support does the Welsh Government provide to local authorities to maintain unadopted roads in Wales?
Unadopted roads are maintained privately and not at public expense, therefore it is not the local authorities’ responsibility to maintain them.
What support does the Welsh Government provide to local authorities to allow them to adopt unadopted roads in Wales?
A fund of up to £1.4 million was established by Welsh Government and expended in the financial year 2021/22 for a pilot programme for local authorities to adopt roads.
A full report will be published on the findings this Spring, but evidence so far suggests the pilots have been well received locally and the roads are all in the process of being adopted. Following the report publication we will consider how future funding could be provided.
Will the Minister confirm the Welsh Government's intention in purchasing the development site at Haverfordwest for £9.6 million?
The Welsh Government has acquired land at Haverfordwest for £7.14m. Our land can accommodate in the region of 500 homes of which up to 50% will be affordable. The development will be low carbon and centred around a sustainable, well planned community which will seek to reduce dependence on the use of the private car by having active travel as a central theme.
Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
What is the average cost, per head, of providing free school meals?
Under section 512ZB of the Education Act 1996, local authorities are required to provide a free school meal at lunchtime for eligible free school meal pupils. Funding for this is un-hypothecated and is provided to local authorities through the local government Revenue Support Grant (RSG) settlement. Local authorities are responsible for allocating budgets in relation to this provision.
It is not possible to isolate the funding provided to schools in Wales for free school meals because this is included in an overarching category of ‘delegated school catering expenditure’ in the Local Government Settlement.
Regarding Universal Primary Free School Meals, £200m of revenue funding has been committed across the three years 2022-23 to 2024-25 to implement the programme over the course of the Co-operation Agreement.
The unit rate per meal is currently set at £2.90. A review of the unit rate is underway to develop a deeper understanding of costs and possibly refine the rate for future years.
The universal provision of free school meals in primary schools is being delivered in collaboration with Plaid Cymru as part of the Co-operation Agreement.
What assessment has the Welsh Government made of future demand for speech and language therapy, given that speech, language and communication needs are the most common type of additional learning needs in Wales?
Speech and language therapy is an important service for children across Wales. Local authorities are responsible for reviewing and planning their additional learning provision and Health Boards plan their workforce based on demographic and workforce trends. Since 30 September 2017, the number of qualified speech and language therapists in NHS employment has risen by 14.6% to a full time equivalent of 530.4 at 30 September 2022. Each year, Health Education and Improvement Wales develops recommendations on the level of new healthcare training places, informed by health board Integrated Medium Term Plans and wider workforce intelligence.
The ‘Talk With Me: Speech, Language and Communication Delivery Plan‘ published in November 2020, seeks to drive improvement in the way in which children in Wales are supported to develop their SLC skills. This plan includes education, health and social policy, building on existing policies and what works. It was developed in partnership with professionals including the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and sets out the Welsh Government’s programme of work to improve SLC support for children aged 0 to 4 years 11 months.
The Welsh Government’s Child Development Fund has allocated over £18 million to local authorities to tackle developmental delay affecting children under five, including SLC regression, impeded fine and gross motor skills and personal and social development.
What was the total cost for the Minister and his staff to visit Dublin in February and March 2023?
This information will be published here - Ministerial Code information publication: 6th Senedd | GOV.WALES - in line with the Ministerial code, after the end of the financial year.