Mohammad Asghar: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Minister, may I ask for a statement from the Minister for health on the recent findings with regard to cervical screening in Wales? Cervical Screening Wales said that a third of women under 30 years of age are snubbing invites to be tested for cervical cancer, which is really a dreadful disease. Cervical cancer is the most common cancer among young women....
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, an inquiry conducted by the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee has shown that Wales could greatly benefit from the increased use of electric cars. However, the committee expressed concerns that the Welsh Government has been slow in showing leadership in this issue. They went on to say—or, the question, rather, is whether the £2 million recently announced to improve...
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you, Presiding Officer. I'm just grateful to you for letting me speak for a couple of minutes. The fact is that I've been to Kurdistan myself. I stayed in Sulaymaniyah, I stayed in Duhok and I stayed in Diyarbakir. I've travelled through Kurdistan, which is divided into four parts, partly owned by Iranians, partly owned by Syrians, partly owned by Iraqis and partly owned by Turkish. At...
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you for your little lesson, but the fact is what you just heard me saying; you're setting up a very different precedent. You're asking for the people. There's not one Öcalan here. You're not talking about one Abdullah Öcalan. There are a lot of other similar sorts of situations around the globe. Don't underestimate—. You are actually opening Pandora's—. You are opening Pandora's...
Mohammad Asghar: 5. What action is the Welsh Government taking to improve cancer services in Wales? OAQ53659
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you very much for the reply, Minister. Three quarters of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer die within a year of diagnosis; 80 per cent of those with the disease are diagnosed at an advanced stage, by which time surgery is no longer an option. Each year, there are around 500 new cases of pancreatic cancers in Wales. The charity Pancreatic Cancer UK is calling on the Welsh...
Mohammad Asghar: May I ask, Minister: you will remember that, during last week's business statement, both Jenny Rathbone and I raised the issue of cervical screening in Wales? Cervical Screening Wales said that a third of women under the age of 30 are snubbing invites to be tested for cervical cancer. In England, recent concerns about the low rate of women having the test have led to a pilot project being...
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, in 2017, the Marine Conservation Society produced a 'Great British Beach Clean' report. This report revealed that over 670 pieces of litter were collected over every 100m stretch of beaches in Wales, an increase of 11 per cent on the previous year. Litter from our beaches and in our seas is increasing. It is also threatening to entangle, suffocate and slowly kill our marine...
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you, Madam Presiding Officer. Minister, the leader of Caerphilly council said recently—
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, the leader of Caerphilly council said recently that the authority was at the end of its tether after receiving a real-terms cut in its funding. As a result, residents of Caerphilly have seen their council tax bill increase by nearly 7 per cent, combined with a £14 million cut in council services. These cuts to services include Pontllanfraith leisure centre, which could close by the...
Mohammad Asghar: Local government in Wales is facing a funding crisis. The final settlement for the coming financial year delivers a real-term cut in local government funding compared to last year. The Welsh Local Government Association estimated that local authorities needed an increase of some £260 million just to stand still in providing local services. However, the Welsh Government chose to turn a deaf...
Mohammad Asghar: I have already given the figures to you, and you have the power. You have complete control of local government. Austerity measures, as I have been saying earlier—. Actually, this cut was while you left no money in the Treasury when you took over the Government. Basically—[Interruption.] Wait a minute. The Government only cut a penny in the pound, one penny in the pound, to give you—....
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, please could we have a statement from the Minister of health on the risk to future cancer facilities presented by the shortage of specialists in Wales? Figures produced by the Royal College of Radiologists show that only three extra cancer doctors joined NHS Wales in the past five years. We can see the vacancy rates for clinical oncologists are also the highest in the United...
Mohammad Asghar: 4. Will the Minister make a statement on the impact of the land transaction tax in Wales? OAQ53710
Mohammad Asghar: 6. Will the Minister make a statement on National Lottery funding for projects in Wales? OAQ53709
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you very much for the reply, Minister, but the Federation of Small Businesses in Wales recently published a report on creating a new tax system in Wales. When referring to the land transaction tax, the FSB found that many solicitors raised concerns about the properties close to or straddling the English border. They claim that they have difficulty working out which side of the border a...
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you very much, Minister. A recent report from the House of Lords, which you happen to be a Member of, warned of the potential danger that Brexit could make arts funding more London centric. Concerns have been raised about the fairness of the location of lottery funding and that some parts of London have received 10 times more money per head of the population than in Wales. In London,...
Mohammad Asghar: Fifty people died and dozens more were injured when a gunman attacked two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, last month. This horrific event was a direct attack on the values of tolerance and freedom of worship, which we all hold dear. Recently, security had to be stepped up at mosques around Birmingham after five were targeted during a spate of vandalism. The Home Secretary, Sajid Javid,...
Mohammad Asghar: I am grateful for the opportunity to speak this afternoon on the findings of this report, produced jointly by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales and Care Inspectorate Wales. The findings make grim reading. The report found disparity and variability in the consistency and availability of treatment, care and support provided by community mental health teams across Wales. It makes 23 recommendations...
Mohammad Asghar: 4. What action is the Welsh Government taking to improve the road transport network? OAQ53747
