Don Touhig: My right hon. Friend and I meet regularly with the First Secretary and his Cabinet colleagues to discuss a range of issues affecting Wales. Wales already has 42 Centres of Regional Excellence and over 170 Centres of Local Development. I understand that the Sports Council for Wales has developed a set of criteria for prioritising the specialist facilities needed by governing bodies of sport.
Don Touhig: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I regularly meet Assembly Ministers and cockle gathering is an issue which has been discussed. In addition, I recently met representatives of the cockle-gathering industry in the Gower together with the Assembly Member for that constituency, Edwina Hart. I have been made fully aware of the problems that the cockle gatherers are facing,...
Don Touhig: I have regular discussions with the First Minister of the National Assembly for Wales on a range of issues. In a relatively short space of time the Coalfields Regeneration Trust has established itself as a leading funder and partner in coalfield regeneration in Wales. All the £3.46 million available for Wales during the first three years has been committed to nearly 60 projects.
Don Touhig: My right hon. Friend and I meet regularly with the First Secretary and his Cabinet Colleagues, to discuss a range of issues affecting Wales. I recognise that several parts of the Cynon Valley rank relatively highly in the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation. The Government and the National Assembly are working in partnership to build a fairer and more inclusive society in which everyone can...
Don Touhig: No companies with fewer than 0.1 per cent. of their global work force employed in Wales, accompanied me on my recent visit to the Czech Republic.
Don Touhig: The companies that accompanied me were: Adams Consulting Engineers Ltd. (Mold, Flintshire); Garner Southall Partnership (Llandrindod Wells, Powys); HPA Property Ltd. (Gorseinon, Swansea); Invest E Ltd. (Welshpool, Powys); MIGs (Cardiff); RPS Chapman Warren (Cardiff); Y Faenol Cyf/The Vaynol Estate (Bangor, Gwynedd).
Don Touhig: None: my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has made no official visit to the Czech Republic. However, I undertook a visit to the Czech Republic from 11 to 13 March. The main objective of my visit was to meet and to support a trade mission organised by Wales Trade International. The trade mission comprised seven Welsh companies, drawn from throughout Wales, each of which was...
Don Touhig: My right hon. Friend and I are in regular contact with colleagues about issues affecting Wales, including policing matters. Interim figures show that on 31 January 2002, there were 7,116 police officers in Wales. In 2002–03, Welsh forces have been allocated funding for an additional 136 recruits under the Crime Fighting Fund. These will be in addition to any other planned recruitment.
Don Touhig: I recognise that prospects for the whole of the North Wales aerospace industry are underpinned by the continued success of Airbus at Broughton. I am pleased that Airbus has so far managed to weather the uncertainty brought about by September 11 with minimal risk to jobs. This has been due in no small part to the good working relationship built up between management and unions. I would urge...
Don Touhig: The National Assembly have put in place various strategies to improve the NHS in Wales through increased funding to support the increased capacity of the NHS in Wales to treat patients, a waiting times strategy. The Government are supporting the Assembly's efforts through the primary legislation programme with measures for restructuring the NHS in Wales contained in the NHS Reform and Health...
Don Touhig: Poverty and social exclusion are complex multi-dimensional issues, affecting many aspects of people's lives including income, health, housing, the quality of their environment and opportunities to learn. There is no single measure that can capture the complex problems that need to be overcome. The annual report "Opportunity for all", available in the House of Commons Library, sets out and...
Don Touhig: My Department maintains close contacts with both Whitehall and the National Assembly in the appropriate policy areas. The Crime Reduction Director for Wales is part of the Home Office regional team and, as such, provides a link between HO and the National Assembly on relevant aspects of youth policy.
Don Touhig: The Assembly is very aware of the problems faced by the care sector. Its objective is to work with local government and the sector to improve the quality of care services and ensure a viable, and vibrant care home sector. At a national level the Assembly is taking strategic action and established a Wales Care Strategy Group to discuss the current problems facing the care sector.
Don Touhig: My right hon. Friend and I have regular discussions with the First Minister and Health Minister of the National Assembly for Wales about health issues in Wales. I am aware that the Assembly has recently discussed and endorsed the Townsend Report's proposals for addressing health inequalities in Wales. These will be particularly important to communities like the Cynon Valley. In addition, I am...
Don Touhig: My right hon. Friend and I have not recently discussed with the First Minister or Health Minister of the National Assembly for Wales Assembly plans for the NHS specific to the Cynon Valley. However, I understand that the Assembly have reaffirmed their commitment to addressing areas of health deprivation in all parts of Wales by endorsing the Townsend report with a view to starting the...
Don Touhig: Neither my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales nor myself have made any such representations. Current UK Government policy is that railway powers should remain a reserved matter, particularly since the majority of the main rail routes start or end in England.
Don Touhig: Neither my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State nor I have had any recent discussions. We are always available to meet colleagues on this or other matters.
Don Touhig: I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues and the First Minister about a range of issues, including poverty in Wales, and ways to tackle it.
Don Touhig: I meet my ministerial colleagues at the Department of Trade and Industry regularly to discuss a range of issues, including energy production in Wales. My hon. Friend the Chancellor's Budget announcements contained a number of incentives for renewable energy production. They include: enhanced capital allowances for business investment in energy saving technologies; exemption from the Climate...
Don Touhig: I meet regularly with colleagues to discuss a range of issues, including student finance.