Mohammad Asghar: Cabinet Secretary, the Open Spaces Society has called on local authorities and developers to make 2017 the year of the village green. They urge developers to include registered village greens within their sites, so that local people have a guaranteed green space for recreation. Will the Cabinet Secretary agree to raise this issue with her Cabinet colleagues to see what can be done to increase...
Mohammad Asghar: Cabinet Secretary, the Red Cross offers regular support to ambulance services in Wales during routine work and major incidents. What assistance does the Welsh Government provide to the Red Cross to enable them to continue providing the most valuable support to Welsh ambulance services?
Mohammad Asghar: As one of the longest serving members of this committee, for the last 10 years to be precise, and after 45 years as an accountant in public practice, I know a little bit about figure work. Neil McEvoy just wanted to know about financial irregularity. We’ve got to look into the Wales Audit Office’s reports. I agree with you that a forensic examination should be done by that department, and...
Mohammad Asghar: Cabinet Secretary, it is just one of those things that everybody is talking about—the enterprise zones. Just half an hour earlier, it was music to my ears when the Cabinet Secretary for the economy said—his own words— ‘all parts of Wales…share wealth creation.’ Wonderful job. Figures released in November 2015 also revealed the mixed results of enterprise zones in Wales, with over...
Mohammad Asghar: Cabinet Secretary, the issue of student tuition fees and funding arrangements for higher education has occupied considerable attention. However, further education occupies an equally if not more important role in terms of providing skills for local economies and their learners, and deserves equal attention. Does the Cabinet Secretary agree that a continued decrease in funding for lower-level...
Mohammad Asghar: The Welsh Conservatives recognise how vital further education institutions are for providing students with opportunities to garner the skills required to enter into industry through apprenticeship programmes and eventually achieve full-time employment. Deputy Presiding Officer, I’ll tell my colleagues here a little story, and a true fact. A gentleman came to this country at the age of 22 or...
Mohammad Asghar: What is the Welsh Government doing to promote Welsh-medium education in south-east Wales?
Mohammad Asghar: First Minister, Newport is one of the worst-performing towns or cities in the United Kingdom when it comes to empty shops. More than a quarter of shops in the city were empty in the first half of 2016, according to the Local Data Company. What scheme does the Welsh Government offer to provide incentives, such as tax breaks, to people to open new businesses in areas where there are large...
Mohammad Asghar: First Minister, existing sixth forms at Cwmbran High School, St Albans Roman Catholic High School and Croesyceiliog School will be phased out soon. Given that sixth-form staff in these schools will have to compete for jobs at the new centre, will the First Minister advise how many redundancies are expected as a result of this reorganisation and what discussions his Government has had with...
Mohammad Asghar: May I ask for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for health on upfront charges on foreign patients using the NHS in Wales? From April this year, NHS hospitals in England will have a legal duty to charge overseas patients upfront on non-urgent care if they’re not eligible for free treatment. Emergency treatment will continue to be provided and invoiced later. There is a danger that...
Mohammad Asghar: One of the opportunities identified by the Cardiff capital region is that it will enable people, particularly in disadvantaged areas, like the northern Valleys, to take advantage of existing education and training programmes and opportunities. What discussion has the Cabinet Secretary had with ministerial colleagues and local authorities in the Cardiff capital region about assisting young...
Mohammad Asghar: Cabinet Secretary, helping people into employment is a key measure of success in reducing poverty. I very much welcome, therefore, the Welsh Government u-turn on scrapping the youth bus discount scheme. Will the Cabinet Secretary confirm that any new scheme has the necessary support to ensure that it is a long-term success, so that our young people, particularly from our deprived communities...
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, women at high risk of ovarian cancer are advised to have their ovaries and fallopian tubes removed as there is, currently, no screening programme for the disease in Wales. Research published in the ‘Journal of Clinical Oncology’ shows that a blood test—a simple blood test—every four months could help to detect ovarian cancer earlier, when tumours should be easier to treat...
Mohammad Asghar: What plans does the Welsh Government have to review the guidelines relating to charging overseas patients for non-urgent NHS treatment?
Mohammad Asghar: First Minister, research by Lloyds Bank shows that the number of new businesses starting up in Wales has dropped by more than a quarter over the last five years. The number of business start-ups fell by more than 27 per cent in Caerphilly, more than 23 per cent in Monmouth, and less than 9 per cent in Newport, and 8 per cent in Blaenau Gwent. That doesn’t show a good picture of start-up...
Mohammad Asghar: Cabinet Secretary, may I ask for a statement from the Welsh Government on the announcement of 60 job losses in Careers Wales? Careers Wales provides independent careers information, advice and guidance to people of all ages in Wales. It helps people make realistic career decisions, whether by encouraging further learning, training, skills development or employment. It is a matter of great...
Mohammad Asghar: 7. What plans does the Welsh Government have to improve access to the countryside for recreation in Wales? OAQ(5)0103(ERA)
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you for the positive reply, Minister. A report by the Environment Agency in 2007 highlighted the importance of angling to the Welsh economy. It was estimated that the Welsh inland fisheries generated £75 million of expenditure by anglers, many of whom were visitors to Wales from abroad. Does the Cabinet Secretary agree that increasing responsible and sustainable access to Welsh inland...
Mohammad Asghar: 5. What plans does the Welsh Government have to improve support for communities to reduce child poverty in south-east Wales? OAQ(5)0108(CC)
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you for that reply, Minister. When announcing the scrapping of the Communities First programme, the Cabinet Secretary said that he wanted to create communities that can offer children the best start in life. However, the Bevan Foundation has warned that organisations that deliver Communities First and the communities themselves are in a real period of limbo by the scrapping of the...
