Natasha Asghar: Minister, may I ask for a statement from the Minister for Climate Change on measures to encourage people to switch to electric vehicles here in Wales? The UK Government's grant scheme for electric cars, vans and trucks has been updated to target less expensive models and reflect a greater range of affordable vehicles to people. This allows the scheme's funding to go further and help more...
Natasha Asghar: Minister, the Welsh Government set out in its child poverty strategy in 2015 that its ambition was to make sure no child was living in poverty by 2020. Needless to say, we're now in 2021. Save the Children has reported that Wales has the highest child poverty rate of any nation in the United Kingdom. Figures from 2019-20 showed that 31 per cent of children in Wales were still living in...
Natasha Asghar: Minister, the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns across the United Kingdom resulted in a loss of months of driver training and the cancellation of 28,000 HGV driver tests. This has undermined efforts to grow the pool of 300,000 qualified lorry drivers in the UK, which is urgently needed as a third of those drivers are over 55 and, as you mentioned, heading for retirement. The Road Haulage...
Natasha Asghar: Minister, hospice care, especially for children, is a sensitive and emotive subject, but the pandemic and lockdowns have made a difficult subject worse. Last year, Tŷ Hafan and Tŷ Gobaith jointly published 'Family Voices', a report that gave voice to the most important concerns of families who have children with life-limiting conditions. They stressed that they urgently needed more of the...
Natasha Asghar: Thank you, Presiding Officer. In the film Back to the Future, Doc Brown says to Marty McFly, 'Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads.' Listening to those words, he could have easily been talking about Wales today. It's a sad fact that they reflect the attitude of the Welsh Government, and, in particular, the Deputy Minister for Climate Change. However, Wales does still need roads to...
Natasha Asghar: Wales has some of the worst air quality in the UK. I have mentioned on a few occasions since I've been here that Cardiff and Port Talbot both have higher PM10 levels than either Birmingham or Manchester, and that's just simply unacceptable. Congestion on Welsh roads is a major factor in this. Stop-start traffic not only emits more greenhouse gases than free-flowing traffic, it also causes...
Natasha Asghar: First Minister, thank you so much for mentioning women and young people in your previous answer, but I'd like to focus on older people. The older people's commissioner for Wales, in 2018, reported that an estimated 112,500 older people actually live in poverty here in Wales, with 50,000 people living in severe poverty. Last year, the charity Independent Age produced a report saying that...
Natasha Asghar: Thank you, Presiding Officer. Deputy Minister, in 2019, the Federation of Small Businesses Wales released a report called '"Are we there yet?" A Roadmap to Better Infrastructure for Wales'. It was based around a significant survey of work from the small and medium-sized enterprise sector looking at the role of infrastructure. The survey found that 86 per cent put investment in road...
Natasha Asghar: Thank you, Minister, for not answering the question. I was actually asking about participation in the actual plan that's going ahead, not actually what you answered. But, anyway, next question: can I, please, ask the Minister for more detail about tackling the problems of air quality and congestion? How are issues of congestion and air quality going to be taken into account in the road...
Natasha Asghar: Okay. Thank you very much. The signal that public transport is a priority is welcome, and genuinely welcome. However, the timescales involved in infrastructure strategy, including public transport improvements, are long and cannot address immediate problems. How will you take into account the time lag here, bearing in mind the need to ensure gaps in infrastructure needs are filled in the...
Natasha Asghar: 9. What measures will the Minister propose to strengthen the protection of animals in Wales during the current Senedd term? OQ56824
Natasha Asghar: Minister, manufacturing accounts for just 10 per cent of the UK's gross domestic product, which is amongst the lowest of all countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Increasing manufacturing can boost national earnings, and the value of free ports lies in its power to boost economic activity and create new job opportunities in areas of deprivation. A report by...
Natasha Asghar: Minister, the COVID lockdown has seen a rise in the number of pets being stolen, with the result that pet abduction is to be made a criminal offence in England. Theft of a pet is currently treated as a loss of the owner's property under the Theft Act of 1968, but this does not adequately recognise the great emotional distress that this can cause to the owner, and also the pet. What action...
Natasha Asghar: Minister, I completely echo what you say, as well as my colleague from Newport West, in that we owe an incredible debt to veterans. Research from the Royal British Legion revealed that members of the armed forces community are exposed to events and challenges that make them more vulnerable to loneliness and isolation. They found that one in six members of the ex-service community reported...
Natasha Asghar: 1. What measures will the Welsh Government introduce to support businesses in the current Senedd term? OQ56948
Natasha Asghar: First Minister, I'm sure you'll agree that a thriving retail sector is vital to the economic development of all communities across Wales. It is concerning for me, however, that almost one in five shops in Wales are now empty according to the Welsh Retail Consortium. One of the main factors causing the decline of our high streets is the high level of business rates here in Wales. I heard your...
Natasha Asghar: Minister, may I ask for a statement from the Minister for health on the availability of electroretinography services for eye patients here in Wales? Wales is the only country in the UK that does not have access to this service for eye patients, and I'm advised that the only centre in Wales, which was based in Cardiff, closed 18 months ago. I asked the Minister about this in a written...
Natasha Asghar: 1. What action is the Welsh Government taking to encourage greener transport? OQ56949
Natasha Asghar: 8. What action will the Welsh Government take to ensure the delivery of high standards in education? OQ56951
Natasha Asghar: Thanks, Deputy Minister. I have a feeling you enjoyed that question. Surveys by the Federation of Small Businesses in Wales show that many firms are looking to adopt electric vehicles in the next five to 10 years, which is great news. However, at present, the cost of electric vehicles and the lack of charging infrastructure are key barriers to businesses wishing to decarbonise transport. This...
