Mohammad Asghar: I agree with my colleagues that this ban is totally divisive, unacceptable and inhumane. It will only succeed in stirring up hate and fear of Muslims and exacerbate an already dangerous situation in the world. Stigmatising people because of their nationality cannot be defended, and I note that several federal judges have halted the deportation of visa holders, believing the ban to be...
Mohammad Asghar: First Minister, increasing access to the countryside for families for responsible recreation could bring substantial benefits to the health and well-being of the nation. The consultation on improving opportunities to access the outdoors closed on 2 October 2015. When will your Government be in a position to bring forward proposals that will encourage activities such as cycling and horse...
Mohammad Asghar: Welsh Government targets say that no patient should wait longer than 12 hours for treatment in an accident and emergency department in our hospitals. However, figures show that the number of patients waiting longer than 12 hours for treatment was 31 per cent higher in December 2016 compared to the same month a year earlier. This is in spite of a 5.5 per cent drop in admissions in our...
Mohammad Asghar: Will the Cabinet Secretary outline his priorities for improving transport in south-east Wales in 2017?
Mohammad Asghar: Could I ask for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary on the local government settlement for Newport, please? A public consultation on Newport City Council’s budget proposals following a poor 0.1 per cent increase in funding from Welsh Government has recently closed. Concerns have been expressed to me about the effect of the proposed cuts in spending, particularly on education and...
Mohammad Asghar: The House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee has said recently that there is an urgent need for new trains on Wales’s rail network. It went on to say that passengers were tired of old and cramped trains, with some rolling stock in use being over 40 years old. Some locomotives are still running after their sell-by date. With the Wales and borders franchise coming up for renewal, First...
Mohammad Asghar: All right, thank you.
Mohammad Asghar: National Obesity Awareness Week is about promoting the ways in which individuals, Government, and businesses can improve public health. The aim is to provide the information and resources that can bring about long-term positive changes. This is desperately needed in Wales also. There is a level of obesity in both children and adults that represents a major public health challenge. Nearly a...
Mohammad Asghar: The new sixth-form centre in Cwmbran will replace all English-medium school sixth forms in Torfaen by September 2019. What discussion has the Cabinet Secretary had with the Torfaen council about helping young people with transport costs to access the new centre in view of the Welsh Government decision to scrap discount bus travel schemes in Torfaen and also in Wales? Thank you.
Mohammad Asghar: Happy new year to the Minister and to everybody here. The Welsh Government is committed to creating conditions to give every child the best chance in life in Wales. Will the First Minister advise how cancelling the scheme offering 16 to 18-year-olds a third off the bus pass travel will help young people in Torfaen, and elsewhere in Wales, to access jobs or training, where they are going to...
Mohammad Asghar: Will the First Minister outline the Welsh Government's priorities for improving health services in 2017?
Mohammad Asghar: I agree with you that teachers should be highly qualified to teach other teachers. It’s a very good old saying: what you pay, you get. A car is a car, a Rolls-Royce is a car and a Mini is a car. You pay the best price, and you get the best result. Anyway, I agree: we must invest in our teachers. And ignoring these results, putting our heads into the sand, will only amplify the standards we...
Mohammad Asghar: Firstly, I must say it gives me no pleasure to be contributing in a debate where we once again discuss the Welsh Government’s spectacular failure to deliver a first-class education system in Wales. After a broken promise from the First Minister and his Labour Government, education in Wales once again finds itself in dire straits. After 10 years of broken promises, a decade of...
Mohammad Asghar: Cabinet Secretary, Caerphilly council has recently granted planning permission for a development of 175 homes on derelict land at Hawtin Park industrial estate, near Blackwood. Guidelines for the development include the provision that 25 per cent should be affordable housing. Will the Cabinet Secretary join me in welcoming this increase in the supply of affordable homes in Islwyn, and what...
Mohammad Asghar: Cabinet Secretary, I have no doubt that you’re doing a wonderful job on various things to reduce poverty. You have taken a lot of—[Interruption.] Wait a minute. You have taken a lot of—. [Interruption.] You have taken a lot of, your Government has taken a lot of, initiatives to reduce poverty among children—yes, we had Communities First, Flying Start, Families First, et cetera, et...
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, fly-tipping is becoming an increasing problem in parts of Newport. A community group called Pride in Pill has taken action by holding regular litter picks as part of its campaign to improve the local environment for residents. Will the Cabinet Secretary join me in congratulating Pride in Pill on its community spirit? What more can the Welsh Government do to assist local authorities...
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. Last week, the announcement of a review came after the publication of a highly critical ombudsman investigation into the care of a 93-year-old man who died three days after being admitted to Newport’s Royal Gwent Hospital. The report found that the man was not seen by a doctor for more than six hours on Sunday, the day before his death, and that was despite...
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you for that answer, First Minister. I recently visited the Jamia mosque in Newport, which is the largest in Wales at the moment, with the director of the Prince’s Trust Cymru, Mr Philip Jones, to raise awareness of the work the trust does to help young people in most deprived communities to fulfil their potential in their lives. Since your Government is phasing out the Communities...
Mohammad Asghar: 8. How will the policies contained in the Welsh Government's "Taking Wales Forward" programme contribute to alleviating persistent poverty in Wales? OAQ(5)o326(FM)
Mohammad Asghar: Will the Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government’s review into acutely sick patients’ care following the highly critical investigation by the Public Service Ombudsman into the care of a 93-year-old patient at the Royal Gwent Hospital? EAQ(5)0096(HWS)
