Mohammad Asghar: Cabinet Secretary, six years ago, I raised a business enterprise Bill in this Chamber, and I raised a very strong emphasis to promote our aviation industry. I heard very recently that our First Minister has arranged very close ties with one of the middle-eastern airlines, which is going to start next year. Don’t you think this is six years late, or seven years late, but is still a backbone...
Mohammad Asghar: What action is the Welsh Government taking to reduce congestion on roads in south-east Wales?
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you, Madam Presiding Officer. I formally move the amendment in the name of Paul Davies. Public procurement plays a crucial role in the Welsh economy. A Welsh Government written statement in February 2011 revealed that the Welsh public sector spends over £4.3 billion on external goods and services. This equates to around one third of its annual budget. Of this figure, the Welsh Local...
Mohammad Asghar: Cabinet Secretary, in your statement on 14 February on your new approach to building resilient communities, you announced a new £12 million a year grant to support those who live away from the labour market. Could the Cabinet Secretary provide more details on this scheme, when it will be launched, who it will be targeted to or at, what objectives have been set, and how will they be achieved?...
Mohammad Asghar: First Minister, in an announcement, they claim—here is the quote: ‘one of the most significant improvements to valleys commuters in a decade, since the opening of the Ebbw Vale line.’ Arriva Trains Wales revealed that they are to double the capacity of commuter trains in and out of Cardiff to deal with overcrowding. However, the Arriva contracts mean that it is trying to deal with...
Mohammad Asghar: What action is the Welsh Government taking to improve transport infrastructure in Wales?
Mohammad Asghar: I am grateful for the opportunity this afternoon to speak on the Children, Young People and Education Committee’s report of the inquiry into statutory advocacy provision. May I begin by saying that Welsh Conservatives fully support the findings and recommendations contained in this report? This Assembly has a proud record of supporting the rights of children. I believe our report marks...
Mohammad Asghar: Further to this question, we all recognise the eagerness of people, especially in Blaenau Gwent, for the decision on the Circuit of Wales project, particularly when you consider the claims made about the number of jobs it will create in the area. Will the Cabinet Secretary confirm that this pressure will not result in decision making being taken until the most vigorous assessment of the...
Mohammad Asghar: First Minister, I asked you the same question last week, on the same line regarding this sub-editing centre in Newport. When I asked this question, you confirmed that the grant, the money, in May 2015 was conditional on jobs being in place until May 2020—five years. So, it now appears that the staff at Newsquest in Newport were placed at risk of redundancies in November of last year. Can I...
Mohammad Asghar: Will you take an intervention?
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you very much, Angela. I think Northern Ireland we should learn some lessons from—and Ireland. The 200 mile under sea land, actually, was given by the United Nations to the Irish nation to explore the benefit of under sea water. There’s a lot of treasure there for us to also explore. Thank you.
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you, Presiding Officer. Minister, I recognise that the transfer of £21 million of funding for HEFCW to support the tuition fee grant was included in the final budget. However, it is important that standards in our universities are kept high, and they need to be properly resourced to do that. What is the Cabinet Secretary doing to ensure that HEFCW’s budget is sufficient to support...
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you very much for the reply, First Minister. The announcement by Newsquest that they propose to close their subediting hub in Newport and relocate to Weymouth has been raised in this Chamber before. However, it has been revealed that Newsquest received £95,000 from the Welsh Government in 2012-13 under the Skills Growth Wales programme, and a further £245,000 to expand its subediting...
Mohammad Asghar: In October last year, the Conservative Government announced a £14 million programme to provide an innovative approach to tackling homelessness. This includes a number of initiatives to help individuals in danger of becoming homeless, to help rough sleepers to access employment and education opportunities, and to address the underlying issues of long-term rough sleepers, such as poor mental...
Mohammad Asghar: 6. Will the First Minister make a statement on Welsh Government financial support for employment in south-east Wales? OAQ(5)0513(FM)
Mohammad Asghar: The Welsh Government has been in power in Wales for 18 years. For 11 of those 18 years they have governed hand in hand with a Labour Government in Westminster. During those 18 long and wasted years, they have systematically failed to improve the lives of our most vulnerable members of society. One in five children in Wales still lives in poverty. What a shame. This is higher than in England...
Mohammad Asghar: The spring budget provides a £150 million boost to the Welsh Government resource budget and £50 million to its capital budget, as mentioned earlier. The Welsh Government recently announced an additional £10 million a year for social care in Wales, to help meet the additional costs of the national minimum wage. Will the Cabinet Secretary agree to give strong consideration to using some of...
Mohammad Asghar: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the delivery of local government services?
Mohammad Asghar: Cabinet Secretary, further to my colleague here, residents living alongside the Ffos-y-fran opencast mine have long campaigned against air and noise pollution. There is anecdotal evidence of very high rates of childhood asthma and cancer clusters within the community. I would like to ask a couple of questions, Minister, if you’d kindly reply. If there is no independent investigation, what...
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...
