Mohammad Asghar: Thank you for that answer, Minister. Steve Morgan, the founder of Redrow, said recently that the best way to combat the housing crisis is to speed up planning permission to enable more houses to be built. He went on to say that the rules and directives have choked the system, meaning fewer houses are being built, which, in turn, makes it difficult for first-time buyers to get on the housing...
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, like many other communities in Wales, has suffered bank closures in recent years, such as the Barclays bank branch in Aberfan and Lloyds bank in Rhymney. This has made the availability of cash machines even more important to enable people to access their cash. However, a report in the magazine Which? found that free-to-use cash machines were disappearing...
Mohammad Asghar: Carers play a vital role in our society. Whether it be financially or socially, the contribution made by carers simply cannot be overstated. Not only are more people caring, but they are caring for longer, and the number of people needing care and those needing care for longer periods of time has increased significantly in Wales. It is imperative, therefore, that we recognise the extent to...
Mohammad Asghar: I'm grateful to Leanne, Darren, Jenny and the Minister also, at least understanding this is an Islamaphobia problem. Minister, a diverse range of 44 campaigners—academics, writers and other public figures—have signed an open letter criticising this, and I quote, ‘uncritical and hasty adoption' of this proposed definition of Islamaphobia. They went on to say that the definition was,...
Mohammad Asghar: —could hinder counter-terrorism efforts. Does the Deputy Minister recognise that adoption of this vague and extensive definition without adequate scrutiny or proper consideration of its negative consequences will undermine social cohesion and fuel the very bigotry against Muslims that it's designed to prevent? Thank you.
Mohammad Asghar: Adult learning, upskilling and reskilling is the key to a forward-thinking and diverse economy in the modern world. We all recognise the importance of providing people with skills required by employers to gain good and sustainable jobs. It is imperative that adults are encouraged to participate in learning at any stage in their career. This can be through in-work learning or by personal...
Mohammad Asghar: 'The message I hear time and time again from small builders is that there’s plenty of work out there, but too often they simply don’t have enough skilled tradespeople to take on those jobs'. As a result, they are 'Missing out on a golden opportunity for growth in the construction sector and the wider economy.' More than half of those economically inactive in Wales hold no qualifications...
Mohammad Asghar: First Minister, last year, Wales saw the largest increase in the value of exports—£17.2 billion, with a rise of 4.2 per cent compared with 2017. Exports to EU countries rose by 5.6 per cent—just over £0.5 billion—compared to an increase of just over 2 per cent to non-EU countries. What is the Welsh Government doing to ensure that companies in Islwyn, and in the rest of Wales, have the...
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, please could I have a statement from the Minister for Education on teacher recruitment in Wales? Last week, it was reported that Welsh Government had missed its own target for recruiting new secondary school trainee teachers by 40 per cent. The primary school trainee target was missed for the third year running. Also, the figures indicate that Wales is becoming a less attractive...
Mohammad Asghar: First Minister, it's a very sad day. I'm not saying this; this is CBI—your Minister just met, you earlier said it. It's their quote in the BBC. It's a sad day for those who want to see the removal of significant barriers to economic growth in Wales; a sad day for those businesses who face increased costs when their lorries are delayed by congestion; a sad day for commuters, for tourists,...
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, you cannot improve educational outcome without providing the necessary number of teaching staff required by the schools. Recent figures show a shortfall of 40 per cent in reaching your own target for new secondary school trainee teachers. You have also missed your target for primary school trainee teachers for the third year running. Minister, what action are you taking to address...
Mohammad Asghar: Further to Mr Alun Davies's question, Minister, figures show that ambulance crews across Wales spent more than 65,000 hours waiting to offload patients at hospitals last year—and you mentioned already the 25,000 hours since 2015, also on top of it. What action is the Minister taking to address the problem of extended handover delays to improve ambulance services in Blaenau Gwent and...
Mohammad Asghar: 2. How does the Welsh Government monitor the effectiveness of its measures to tackle poverty? OAQ53987
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you very much for that reply, Minister, but I think you're the one who looks after the social services and the NHS in Wales. Research for the End Child Poverty Network shows that the number of children living in poverty in Wales rose by 1 per cent last year. Given that your Government pledged to end child poverty by 2020, can you explain why Wales is the only nation in the United...
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, please could I have a statement from the Welsh Government on the findings of the recent report by Cardiff University and Nottingham Business School on poverty in Wales? The report says that some of Wales's most deprived areas are set to get poorer in the coming years, and raises serious questions about our city regions, which are known to be significantly less competitive than...
Mohammad Asghar: What assessment has the Counsel General made of the effect of Brexit on immigration in Wales?
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, I just heard your reply to Alun Davies's question, and it is very encouraging. One of the biggest concerns raised by the people living in the Valleys' communities of my region is the provision or frequency of bus services in their areas. Flexible and accessible community transport services can play an important role in helping people to reach key services, especially when their...
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, I think your colleague Lord Hall, who is the chairman of the BBC—I would be grateful if you let him know what the people of Wales, especially the over-75s—. I know it's a totally different legal entity, the BBC, but the people in my region over the age of 75—they're living singly, some with medical conditions, no relations living with them, and they're living in the areas that...
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, the announcement of 280 job losses at Quinn Radiators has come as a severe blow to this highly skilled, hard-working, and loyal workforce in Newport. It is also concerning to hear that the company received £3 million in loan support from the Welsh Government as recently as 2016. Can we have your assurance, Minister, that you will give every assistance in finding a buyer for this...
Mohammad Asghar: First Minister, great news to have this big investment in the Blaenau Gwent area. The Tech Valleys strategic plan states its aim of creating 1,500 new jobs over the next 10 years. How will the Welsh Government monitor progress towards meeting the aim, and will the First Minister commit to making an annual report on this project to the Assembly, and to ensure that promised benefits are...
