Mohammad Asghar: This report by the Public Accounts Committee into the accounts of Natural Resources Wales reveals an organisation that is not fit for purpose. NRW is Wales's largest quango. It is responsible for anything from protecting habitats and wildlife, woodlands, monitoring water quality and flood risk to regulating power stations and waste processing sites. For an organisation so important to have...
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, in July last year, the Bevan Foundation expressed concern about the Valleys taskforce's ability to deliver for communities such as Caerphilly. They said that the taskforce's proposals were too small to make a difference, citing a lack of focus, a failure to address the big problems and having too small a vision. This view was echoed by Professor Kevin Morgan, who said, 'The model of...
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, improvements to the A465 Heads of the Valleys road are critical to the social and economic regeneration of communities such as Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney. You will be aware, Minister, that concerns have been expressed about delays and the increased cost of the dualling of the A465 between Gilwern and Brynmawr. Given that the next stage of improvements, between Dowlais Top and...
Mohammad Asghar: What assessment has the Counsel General made of the impact of Brexit on immigration to Wales?
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, may I ask for a statement from the Welsh Government on the eligibility criteria for social housing in Wales? My constituents, Mr and Mrs Harradine, and their four children, rent a house from Newport City Homes. For the last three and a half years, the house has been suffering from damp and mould growing all over the property. This is affecting their health and their children's, who...
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you very much for the answer, Minister. Family Fund is a charity that provides grants to families on low incomes who are raising disabled or seriously ill children in Wales. Earlier this month, Family Fund announced that they had insufficient funding to help families and were no longer able to accept applications until April 2019. One reason for the predicament is that their funding...
Mohammad Asghar: 4. Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's sustainable social services third sector grants scheme, please? OAQ53387
Mohammad Asghar: Supporters of devolution in the late 1990s claimed that the relative failure of the Welsh economy could only be addressed by tailor-made solutions created here in Wales. Sadly, under successive Welsh Labour administrations, that has not proven to be the case. The Welsh economy has underperformed over the past 20 years and has failed to catch up with the UK economy as a whole. As a result,...
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, I welcome the announcement that parking at all NHS hospitals in Wales has been free since the end of August last year. Since free hospital parking was first announced by the then health Minister, Edwina Hart, in March 2008, first of all, why did it take 10 years to implement this? The second thing is, it's a bit of a mess in certain areas, it needs proper management—the car...
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you, Minister. I've got no doubt that you're doing a wonderful job in your own post, but new data published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency show that a number of both EU and non-EU students attending British universities has risen nicely. In 2017 and 2018, over 458,000 students attended British universities—a rise of 16,000 over the previous years, and 20,000 since the year...
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you, Minister. But concerns have been raised about the lack of awareness of the financial support available for part-time students and greater debt aversion amongst mature students as contributing factors in any reduction in demand for part-time provision. Student Finance Wales focuses heavily on young people, resulting in a deficit of important information, advice and guidance for...
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you, Madam Presiding Officer. Concerns have been expressed that, at present, investment in skills and adult education is too heavily focused on young adults, to the detriment of people aged 25 and over. By 2022, a third of the Welsh workforce will be aged over 50, so adult learning is much more important than ever in Wales. Minister, what are you doing to extend part-time and flexible...
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, I just heard your previous answer to my colleague. You may be aware that I asked for a statement on this issue on 11 December, and was told by the leader of the house that you were in discussion with Newport City Council about the rationale for the withdrawal of the service and that you would report back. Since then, many charities, such as the Royal National Institute of Blind...
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, may I ask for a statement from the Minister for Health and Social Services on the latest waiting time statistics for accident and emergency patients in Welsh hospitals? Last month saw the lowest rate ever recorded for the month of December, with only 77.8 per cent of patients being seen within the four-hour waiting time target. Over 18,000 patients waited longer than four hours,...
Mohammad Asghar: First Minister, last week a statement was issued, signed by dozens of businesses and council leaders, calling on the Welsh Government to press ahead with the M4 relief road around Newport. Signatories included Sir Terry Matthews and bosses of businesses such as Aston Martin, Tata and Admiral—companies described by the director of the Confederation of British Industry in Wales as people who...
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm grateful for the opportunity to speak this afternoon on the Public Accounts Committee's report on the informatics system in NHS Wales. The benefits of investing in new technology and IT are clear. Informatics can create a safer, more accessible and more sustainable healthcare system, helping the NHS to deliver better outcomes for patients and making...
Mohammad Asghar: Going for a barbecue.
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, I heard your spiel—very nice—regarding Cwmcarn forest, which, actually, is in my region. Cwmcarn forest offers visitors a wide range of activities, including walking, fishing, mountain biking and, more than everything else, going with friends and family for barbecues there. It's a wonderful place to go. However, this popular and scenic Cwmcarn Forest Drive still remains closed,...
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you very much, Minister, for the reply. A recent report from Sport Wales found that the free swimming scheme for children and pensioners is no longer fit for purpose and that it needs a radical change. It went on to say that the scheme only cost half of the annual £3 million of funding provided by the Welsh Government, but that councils rely on this income due to cuts in their budgets....
Mohammad Asghar: Would you agree, Minister, that Welsh Government policy with regard to Welsh rates of income tax must include a commitment to providing comprehensive and accessible guidance to Welsh taxpayers, and can you confirm that guidance will be provided by websites such as those of Welsh Government and the Welsh Revenue Authority? And my other point is, Minister: if people living in south-east Wales...
