Mohammad Asghar: Good afternoon, Minister. A recent survey found that Wales has been particularly affected by the spread of deadly fungus known as ash dieback. As a result, millions of diseased trees near buildings, roads and railways will have to be cut down, having a very significant impact on the landscape and our wildlife. First Minister, what action is the Welsh Government taking, alongside Natural...
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you very much, First Minister. The cost of widening the A465 Heads of the Valleys road between Gilwern and Brynmawr was originally budgeted at £220 million. In November 2017, it was announced that costs had risen by £51 million and that the completion of the project was delayed until the end of this year. We now hear that the cost has increased by another £54 million and that the...
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, could we please have a statement from the Minister for health on drug rehabilitation services in Wales? Figures published by the Office for National Statistics show that the number of people dying as a result of drug poisoning in Wales has increased by 40 per cent since 2003. However, the only Welsh Government-approved residential rehabilitation centre, Brynawel Rehab, is not...
Mohammad Asghar: The announcement of the arrival of Pinewood in Cardiff five years ago was met with excitement and anticipation. It was hoped that the brand would bring an estimated benefit of £9 million to the Welsh economy. Hopes were raised that the opportunity provided would boost the Welsh film industry on an international level, and yet, only four years later, all hopes were dashed when the Welsh...
Mohammad Asghar: 8. What action is the Welsh Government taking to support the retail sector? OAQ53807
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you very much, First Minister, for the answer. But the figures revealed by the Welsh Retail Consortium show that there were 1,100 fewer shops in Wales in 2018 than there were in 2010—a drop of nearly 9 per cent. They went on to say that business rates were partly to be blamed for these closures and that firms in Wales have recently faced the greatest rise in business rates in Britain....
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, please, could we have a statement from the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism about the future of grass-roots rugby in Wales? The secretary of a junior rugby club was recently quoted as saying that grass-roots rugby is, in his words, 'dying on its feet' as amateur sides struggle to attract players. Around 30 per cent of teams in the amateur second and third divisions...
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you for giving me time to speak on this very, very important issue. The Race Relations Act actually started in 1965, and it actually outlaws discrimination on the grounds of religion, race, caste, colour and belief. That is virtually not happening. Since 1973, governments in the United Kingdom have spent millions and millions of pounds on race relations. Today, have we really achieved...
Mohammad Asghar: In Islam, as I'm telling you now, Leanne, you must remember that our belief is that when you live in a different country as a Muslim, live like them. I'm not saying that I'm agreeing or disagreeing with Boris. Personal views are different. He might have seen a woman living with purdah or a hijab in a different way. But there is a personal choice. This woman or anybody who uses purdah—yes, I...
Mohammad Asghar: Will you take an intervention?
Mohammad Asghar: Do you think the media is one area where we can make the best use of it to make sure that the harmony is there among the communities?
Mohammad Asghar: 5. What action is the Welsh Government taking to improve skills training in Wales? OAQ53808
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you for the reply, Minister. The German vocational education training system combines both books and practical training embedded in a real-life work environment—it is called the dual system. In Germany, the Government does not pay employers to take on apprentices, but pays for equipment and the operation of vocational colleges. The companies who provide training contribute through...
Mohammad Asghar: The skills associated with e-sports and gaming, such as decision making, problem solving, digital literacy and communication, have a wide implication within the economy. They are particularly relevant to those businesses based in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Promoting e-sports, and using online gaming to help, emphasises the STEM agenda, may help to narrow the current...
Mohammad Asghar: 1. What action will the Welsh Government take to improve community safety in the next twelve months? OAQ53830
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you very much for that answer, Minister. Religious intolerance is on the rise around the world. In the last two months, we have seen attacks on mosques in New Zealand, on churches in Sri Lanka and on a synagogue in California. In response, the Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, has doubled the amount of funding available to provide protective security for places of worship. Given that the...
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, please could we have a statement from the Deputy Minister for culture on what more can be done to protect our important historic monuments from vandalism? Last week, the Roman amphitheatre in Caerleon was once again the target for vandals, with stones being removed and thrown around. Removal of these stones has damaged the structure of this ancient monument and its underlying...
Mohammad Asghar: 2. What action is the Welsh Government taking to increase the number of new homes being built? OAQ53832
Mohammad Asghar: What action is the Welsh Government taking to ensure the viability of farming in Wales?
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, last year, the Local Government and Communities Committee of the Scottish Parliament reported on the Planning (Scotland) Bill. They called for the Bill to encourage more meaningful engagement on planning applications. This approach was welcomed by the Royal Town Planning Institute Scotland, which said that they wanted to create a more collaborative planning system, where communities...
