Mohammad Asghar: Minister, may I ask for a statement from the Minister for Economy and Transport on the delay in commencing car production at Rassau industrial estate in Ebbw Vale by TVR? The Welsh Government gave the sports car company a loan of £2 million in March 2016, and has invested £0.5 million in the car maker. Production at Rassau was due to start earlier this year, but answers to my written...
Mohammad Asghar: Education is the key to success in one's life, and teachers make a lasting impact on the lives of their students. Education is the passport to the future, enabling our young people to reach and to achieve their full potential. However, the Welsh Government is failing our young people to achieve that. In the last 10 years, GCSE results have not improved. Wales trails behind other parts of the...
Mohammad Asghar: Will the Minister make a statement on how Welsh Government policies are creating jobs in south-east Wales?
Mohammad Asghar: First Minister, I'm sure you will agree that it is totally unacceptable for all concerned that the chief executive of a local authority can be suspended on full pay for more than six years. I understand the case of Caerphilly council's former chief executive is the longest running disciplinary case of its kind in local government history. It is estimated to have cost the council already more...
Mohammad Asghar: May I ask for a statement from the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs on further measures to protect animals in homes, farms and in the wild? The UK Government has announced it is to consult on a step to ban the keeping of primates as pets, bringing in the compulsory microchipping of cats and on improving the welfare of live animals during transport. Please could we have a...
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, according to the United States Energy Information Administration, nearly two thirds of reduction in energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in the past decade in the US can be attributed to fracking. The United Nations inter-governmental panel on climate change notes that fracking has increased and diversified the gas supply, allowing for a more extensive switching of power and heat...
Mohammad Asghar: Given that the local government reorganisation in Wales has been firmly kicked into the long grass, Minister, can you advise what action you're taking to encourage and accelerate collaboration between existing local authorities in service provision and back-office function to generate financial savings, please?
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, I heard all my colleagues who put the question—virtually, my speech is there. News that 252 jobs have been lost by Triumph Furniture in Merthyr Tydfil is a devastating blow to the workers and their families. My thoughts go out to them at this difficult time. Triumph Furniture provided highly skilled jobs and exported their produce around the world, not only Europe. It is a real...
Mohammad Asghar: 1. What action is the Welsh Government taking to improve working conditions for staff employed by local authorities in Wales? OAQ54508
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you, First Minister. The number of local government staff across Wales who took stress-related leave last year is 18 per cent higher than the previous two years. Caerphilly council saw 807 staff take stress-related leave last year, while in Merthyr Tydfil, the number was up more than triple, from 105 to 318. First Minister, do you share my concern at these figures, and what action will...
Mohammad Asghar: First Minister, concerns have been raised that your Government has decided to cut spending on the free swimming initiative by £1.5 million from next April. As a result, some people aged over 60 may not be able to access their usual session and may need to pay a subsidised amount for swimming sessions. Given the health and recreation benefits of free swimming for over-60s, how will you ensure...
Mohammad Asghar: May I ask for a statement from the Minister for Housing and Local Government on the links between poor housing and poor physical and mental health? A recent joint report by Public Health Wales, Community Housing Cymru and the Building Research Establishment states that poor-quality housing costs the NHS in Wales more than £95 million a year in treatment costs. Please, could we have a...
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, of the 45,000 people suffering from dementia, 17,000 people live in a rural area. People with dementia living in rural areas face additional challenges, such as poor transport links making it harder to access help, carers feeling more isolated and unsupported, and, finally, support services being less likely to be available. That's a sad scenario for those people. Minister, what...
Mohammad Asghar: Deputy Minister, I heard you saying about Cwmcarn. I welcome the investment by Visit Wales in a new attraction at Cwmcarn forest drive, including an adventure play hub and new luxury lodges, which you opened in July. You will also be aware that Cwmcarn forest drive has been closed for the last five years, due to the need to remove diseased trees. Natural Resources Wales hope to reopen Cwmcarn...
Mohammad Asghar: 3. What measures will the Welsh Government introduce to improve skills training in Wales over the next twelve months? OAQ54565
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you very much, First Minister, for the answer. The UK Conservative Government has announced it is to invest £120 million to establish eight new institutes of technology in England. This is in addition to the 12 institutes already in operation there. These institutes are a partnership between further education colleges, universities and employers, offering higher education technical...
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, may I ask for a statement from the Minister for health on the new eye care measures? The Royal National Institute of Blind People, RNIB Cymru, has expressed its concern at the results of the first three months of data collected since the introduction of new eye care measures. In that time, not a single health board has hit the Welsh Government target. Secondly, all health boards...
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, a survey by the mental health charity Mind Cymru of over 3,000 young people aged between 11 and 19 found that one in seven young people described their mental health as either poor or very poor. Almost half of the young people surveyed said that they would not know where to go to access support within their schools, and more than half did not even feel confident approaching a...
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you, Madam Presiding Officer. Minister, last year, an independent panel claimed that the issue of teachers' workloads would only be addressed by looking at the wider structure of schooling. They pointed out that the way our schools work—their routines, patterns and systems—have more or less been unchanged since schooling for every child began in Victorian times. Minister, have you...
Mohammad Asghar: The National Foundation for Educational Research says that there is an unmet demand from secondary teachers or secondary school teachers wanting to reduce or alter their hours. They estimate that one in six teachers would like to reduce their hours and urge secondary school leaders to do more to accommodate teachers who want to work part-time or flexibly. Minister, can I ask what...
