Mohammad Asghar: First Minister, Merthyr Tydfil council used £560,000 of its reserves last year to help plug the deficit in its budget, mainly caused by the enormous pressure on its social services due to helping children in care. The Wales Audit Office raised concerns about this and warned that the authority should not keep raiding its reserves. First Minister, do you regret telling local authorities when...
Mohammad Asghar: First Minister, Welsh Government figures show that children with special educational leads are being significantly over-represented in permanent and temporary exclusion from Welsh schools. Pupils with SEN made up to 60 per cent of all permanent exclusions from maintained schools in Wales, despite being only 23 per cent of the school population. These figures suggest that exclusions are not...
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, please could I ask for a statement from the Welsh Government on what more can be done to assist our armed forces veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder back into employment? Last week, I was greatly saddened to read about the case of my constituent, Mr Anthony Lock from Newport. Mr Lock is a former soldier with the Royal Welsh who was injured in two blasts in...
Mohammad Asghar: 1. What action is the Welsh Government taking to ensure businesses in Wales can recruit the skilled workers they need? OAQ54239
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you for the reply, First Minister. The Open University business barometer, which monitors the skills landscape of the UK, shows that 92 per cent of organisations surveyed in Wales struggle to find workers with the right skills. Over 50 per cent said their organisation had struggled as a result of the skills shortage, and 64 per cent struggle to hire for a management or leadership...
Mohammad Asghar: Deputy Minister, with regard to the gender pay gap, it is a fact that women remain under-represented in apprenticeship positions in better-paid industries in Wales. In 2016-17, within construction and engineering programmes, there were only 360 female apprentices compared to 8,330. What discussion has the Deputy Minister had with her colleagues to address the gender pay gap by encouraging...
Mohammad Asghar: [Inaudible.]—to make a couple of statements. One is actually on the waiting time for ambulances in Royal Gwent Hospital, which is going beyond seven to 12 hours, which is totally unacceptable. Could the Minister for health make a statement? And the second one, Minister, could you ask for a statement from the education Minister? The people who are having apprenticeships after their three...
Mohammad Asghar: 5. What measures will the Welsh Government introduce to support Welsh farmers in the next twelve months? OAQ54244
Mohammad Asghar: What initiatives are the Welsh Government considering to tackle the problem of rough sleeping in Wales?
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you very much for that reply, Minister, but your Government's latest farm income forecasts in Wales show that the average farm income is expected to decrease by 15 per cent compared to the previous year. Income from dairy farms is down 23 per cent, less favoured area cattle and sheep farms are down 9 per cent, and lowland cattle and sheep farms are down a massive 29 per cent. Given the...
Mohammad Asghar: I welcome the news that the Royal Mail is investing around £1.8 billion over the next five years into the postal service as a part of its five-year strategic plan. As a part of Royal Mail's plan to restore its fortunes, the group intends to expand its parcel service and introduce a second parcel delivery. However, Ofcom has warned that Royal Mail's financial position could threaten the...
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Two years ago, I spoke in this Assembly in support of a Welsh Conservative motion seeking permission to introduce an autism Bill. Our proposed autism Bill would have made provision for meeting the needs of children and adults with autism spectrum condition. Its aim was to protect and promote the rights of some 34,000 people living with autism in Wales. The...
Mohammad Asghar: I wish to begin by expressing my surprise that the Welsh Government has seen fit to recall this Assembly on an issue that is not devolved and relates to procedures in another place. I can only speculate on the reaction here if Westminster was recalled, for example, to discuss some future crisis in the NHS in Wales. The fact is the current parliamentary session in Westminster has been the...
Mohammad Asghar: What it is, Bethan, I think I have taken your point, but the fact is, don't forget, there's a negotiation between 27 countries against one. We are one. Three years have already elapsed. You have wasted—[Interruption.] Look, Theresa May achieved up to 97 per cent of agreement. We all know about it. But it's a backstop not from Northern Ireland, but from the Labour Party. They're not agreeing...
Mohammad Asghar: No, but the thing is, I just gave an example because a lot of Members mentioned Churchill here. I'm talking—. I'm comparing him a little bit with Boris Johnson. Boris Johnson is a family man. I know he is a different person. He is trying to protect the interests of Great Britain, and, don't forget, we are losing the history. The whole world is watching. Democracy is at stake, because the...
Mohammad Asghar: First Minister, do you accept that the Operation Yellowhammer document is not a prediction of what is likely to happen, but it describes a worst-case scenario for the purposes of Government planning? And do you also recognise that the UK Government in London has stepped up preparation to mitigate any impact of a 'no deal' Brexit for the whole of the United Kingdom, including Wales?
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, may I ask for a statement from the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip about the Welsh Government action plan to advance equality for transgender people published three years ago, in 2016? The Assembly will be aware that the equality impact assessments are a process designed to ensure that a policy, project and scheme does not discriminate against any disadvantaged or vulnerable person...
Mohammad Asghar: What action is the Welsh Government taking to attract major sporting events to Wales?
Mohammad Asghar: Will the Minister make a statement on the effect of the UK Government's recent spending review on the Welsh budget?
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, in April, new research revealed that school spending per pupil in Wales will have fallen by 9 per cent over 10 years. This works out as a cut of £500 per pupil in real terms. In view of the fact that the Welsh Government will receive £1.25 billion of extra funding over the next three years, what discussion have you had with your colleagues to ensure that the schools in Wales get...
