Altaf Hussain: Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I congratulate you on your re-election, and I wish you all the best. First Minister, I wish you also all the best in your re-election as the First Minister. First Minister, in March, the Welsh Government consulted on the proposals for a Swansea bay and west Wales metro. One of the proposed benefits of the Swansea bay metro is to maximise the potential...
Altaf Hussain: How has the Welsh Government’s economic strategy to deliver better paid jobs changed in light of the pandemic?
Altaf Hussain: What steps is the Welsh Government taking to address the NHS treatment backlog?
Altaf Hussain: 8. What assessment has the First Minister made of alcohol-related deaths during the pandemic? OQ56588
Altaf Hussain: The First Minister will be aware that figures on alcohol-specific deaths only include those where each death is as a direct consequence of alcohol misuse—that is, wholly attributable causes, for example alcoholic liver disease. Screening and referral systems in general hospitals and seamless access to detoxification and residential rehabilitation services are the proven means of reducing...
Altaf Hussain: Last week, BBC Wales exposed a culture of bullying among NHS staff. The Welsh Government's statement said that, 'Any form of discrimination, bullying and harassment within the NHS is entirely unacceptable and we take these matters very seriously.' Will the business Minister schedule a debate for the Senedd to explore how these matters are taken seriously and what measures now need to be put...
Altaf Hussain: The public consultation on the Welsh Government's race equality action plan closes on 15 July, as the Senedd is about to go into recess. This is clearly an important piece of work, so would the Minister arrange an oral statement from the Minister for Social Justice for the first week back in the autumn term?
Altaf Hussain: I welcome the statement. Minister, can you inform us about the protocol for people who had their first AstraZeneca vaccination and developed complications like thrombosis and who are not listed to receive the second AstraZeneca vaccination? Should they have a booster using Pfizer? If so, when? Thank you.
Altaf Hussain: Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. Congratulations on your re-election, Minister, and also on the appointment.
Altaf Hussain: 2. Will the Minister set out the Welsh Government’s approach to planning policy in Wales? OQ56589
Altaf Hussain: Thank you. Minister, for too many decades, our planning system was based on the notion of building as many homes as possible for people to merely occupy, but without considering what people would need to fully live. 'Planning Policy Wales 10' aims to ensure that planning decisions improve the lives of current and future generations, while the concept of placemaking adds social, economic,...
Altaf Hussain: Thank you, Presiding Officer. Minister, I have two suggestions. According to the Wales Governance Centre, the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution is delivering a speech on 5 July to outline plans for a national conversation on our constitutional future. Could the business Minister schedule a statement here, before his speech, so that he may share his plans with us first? Number...
Altaf Hussain: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, thank you, Minister. Racism is not easy to spot, grasp or denounce. If it was, the task of anti-racism would be simple to identify it. People feel that it's not racist if a racist attack has not occurred, or the word 'N' or 'P' has not been uttered. We think that good people can't be racist, we think that true racism only exists in the hearts of evil...
Altaf Hussain: Deputy Minister, what assessment has the Minister made of the economic impact of not proceeding with plans that were already proposed for construction, supply chain and local economic benefits? Which developments reliant on new roads, junctions or bridges will now be stopped as a result of this announcement, in particular, the impact on the proposed new cancer centre in Cardiff, which can...
Altaf Hussain: Minister, Neath Port Talbot Council is looking to enlist £5 million from its reserves into the local area as we build out of the pandemic. We all know that councils across Wales have shown local leadership and innovation during the pandemic, and, as we now emerge from it, would the Minister arrange a statement for the Senedd to examine how the capacity of local government working more...
Altaf Hussain: I would like to thank the Deputy Minister for her statement this afternoon and say how much we welcome the steps she has taken in support of the LGBTQ+ community. We need to do more to ensure that Wales is not just a safe place to live, but one where we celebrate diversity in all its forms, so I welcome the financial support that the Welsh Government has today announced, especially for...
Altaf Hussain: 2. How does the Welsh Government intend to promote equality within the Welsh public sector workforce? OQ56675
Altaf Hussain: Thank you very much. Minister, as one of a very small number of Members in this Senedd from the black, Asian and minority ethnic community, I'm all too aware of the challenges that many people face in this workplace, because of their ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation. Recently, the British Medical Association published a charter for medical schools to prevent and address racial...
Altaf Hussain: Minister, proving that we are who we say we are is not so unusual, whether it is our age to buy a drink or a firework from a shop, or proof to open a bank account, or a driver's licence to hire a car, it is part of modern life and something we are all used to. If it is good enough for those activities, then why not for something as important as voting? Minister, I know that those on the...
Altaf Hussain: Minister, many people are waiting not just for treatment but for an appointment with a clinician to assess the extent of their condition. During the roll-out of the COVID vaccination programme, many retired clinicians were brought in to add further, much-needed capacity to help get people vaccinated. Has the Government explored whether retired clinicians in certain specialities could be...
