Natasha Asghar: Thanks, Minister. I'd like to ask you about plans to reduce financial help for some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in Wales towards the cost of their NHS glasses. I understand the proposal is to lower the current £39.10 contribution for children and adults on some benefits to £22. You claim the amount was agreed with the group that represents optometrists in Wales, however...
Natasha Asghar: Minister, today I'd like to ask for two statements, please. First, can I ask for a statement from the Minister for Health and Social Services about the frequency of inspection and maintenance of electrical equipment in hospitals across Wales? Last Wednesday, as I'm sure you're aware, a fire caused the Royal Gwent Hospital to be evacuated and a number of out-patient appointments to be...
Natasha Asghar: Minister, in a written statement dated 19 January on women's safety in public places in Wales, the Minister for Social Justice referred to the Welsh Government's violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence national strategy. The Minister said that the strategy will be delivered through a collaborative '"blueprint approach" alongside a group of key partner organisations...
Natasha Asghar: 8. What action is the Minister taking to improve the provision of eye care in Wales? OQ59029
Natasha Asghar: I welcome this report. As the Chair began with saying, I note that, of its 26 recommendations, only one was rejected by the Welsh Government. I'd also like to address my remarks this afternoon to some of the recommendations that it contains. Recommendation 7 refers to encouraging passengers to return to public bus services. I very much agree with this, as I'm sure many of my colleagues in the...
Natasha Asghar: Minister, RWE Renewables has given notice that they intend to apply to the Welsh Government for planning permission in respect of a development of national significance. They wish to construct and operate a wind farm, a battery energy storage system and associated infrastructure on common land at—pardon my pronunciation—Pen March, Gelligaer. I've also been contacted by my constituents who...
Natasha Asghar: Minister, could I ask for a statement, please, from the health Minister about the detrimental effect the Welsh Government's failure to recruit a sufficient number of GPs is having on my constituents in Monmouthshire? I know my colleague Delyth Jewell raised this earlier in one of her questions about the GPs that are retiring and leaving their practice, and I completely accept the First...
Natasha Asghar: Minister, it's a fact that fewer than half of children walk or cycle to school. Research shows that the encouragement of active travel to school is hampered by issues related to the amount of traffic outside school gates. I've always supported 20 mph speed limits outside schools to help keep our children safe, but some councils in Wales have gone further, introducing 'school streets', where...
Natasha Asghar: Thank you, Minister. I've recently been contacted by a constituent who is the head of science and technology at a school in Wales and who is opposed to proposals to integrate physics, chemistry and biology into one award. My constituent strongly believes that these proposals remove choices from pupils and will seriously dilute the quality of science teaching in Wales by reducing the breadth...
Natasha Asghar: Deputy Minister, without a doubt, Cardiff Airport has been a financial drain on the taxpayer. It was bought by the Welsh Government for £52 million in 2013, and valued at only £15 million in 2021. It has continuously seen a pre-tax loss for every period since its takeover, and has required millions of pounds of taxpayers' money in the form of grants and debt repayments to remain...
Natasha Asghar: Thank you, Deputy Minister. Once again, I always feel that, whenever I speak about Cardiff Airport, it's always someone else's fault, although I can't say that I'm not surprised by you, Deputy Minister, who clearly doesn't pay much attention to the issues that you don't like. If you don't like roads, you stop building them; if you don't like planes, you stop caring about an airport that you...
Natasha Asghar: Thank you so much, Presiding Officer. Deputy Minister, yesterday we learnt that Wizz Air is ending all flights in and out of Welsh Government-owned Cardiff Airport, delivering yet another blow to its viability. Your Government described this move as, and I quote, 'surprising.' However, in August last year, your Cabinet colleague Julie James issued a written statement saying that your...
Natasha Asghar: 1. What action will the Minister take to improve the educational outcomes of school pupils in 2023? OQ58911
Natasha Asghar: I thank the Minister and I very much welcome his statement today. The use of medical radioisotopes is an important part of modern medical practice. Their use in non-invasive diagnostic imaging techniques at an early stage helps to identify and stratify commonly occurring critical conditions such as heart disease and ultimately cancer. Disruptions in the radioisotope supply chain, which have...
Natasha Asghar: Minister, thank you so much for your statement this afternoon. Now, technology, without a doubt, is advancing at a rapid speed, with companies coming out with major developments to improve health outcomes. So, I'd be interested to know, Minister, what, if any, tech devices the Welsh Government is looking into to alleviate pressure on our health service this winter and going forward? The...
Natasha Asghar: Firstly, I'd like to thank my very well-respected colleague Peter Fox for his statement today, as well as put on record my thanks to him and his team for all of their effort in drafting the Bill before us today. Now, as the regional Member for South Wales East, I represent just a little over 650,000 people and, having met hundreds of them over the past few weeks, I can assure you, having...
Natasha Asghar: Thank you so much, Presiding Officer. This Sunday marks the beginning of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, also known as Chanukah. Hanukkah is an eight-day festival of light and is a hugely joyous occasion for the Jewish community all across the world. Hanukkah involves lighting candles on a special nine-branch candle holder known as the menorah. A candle is lit each day and a lit menorah is...
Natasha Asghar: Thank you, Minister. Osteoporosis, I am sure you understand and know better than I do, affects more than 180,000 people in Wales, and fracture liaison services can help to transform the quality of life for many older people in Wales and deliver cost savings to the NHS. At present, only two thirds of people in Wales aged over 50 have access to the fracture liaison services, compared to 100 per...
Natasha Asghar: 1. What action is the Minister taking to improve fracture liaison services in Wales? OQ58875
Natasha Asghar: Minister, can I ask for a statement please from the Deputy Minister for Climate Change on further delays in completing the south Wales metro project? One of the main aims of the south Wales metro project is to encourage people off the roads and, naturally, to use public transport. In February 2021, the chief executive of Transport for Wales said the completion of the south Wales metro project...
