Mohammad Asghar: I thank the Minister for her statement today. The Minister said she plans to reshape employability support for job-ready individuals to gain decent and sustainable employment. Vital to this is ensuring that students leaving education have the right skills to help them in the world of work. The Minister says that she recognises the importance of working with employers to maximise the potential...
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you very much, First Minister. The Welsh Government figure reveals that more than 60,000 people attended drug and alcohol treatment services between January and March this year, and only 13 per cent successfully completed the treatment. It means that 87 per cent of people never completed the treatment. What plans does the Welsh Government have to review the effectiveness of drug and...
Mohammad Asghar: 3. How does the Welsh Government monitor the effectiveness of its strategies to improve public health in Wales? OAQ(5)0259(FM)
Mohammad Asghar: No time. Perhaps the Cabinet Secretary could address this matter in his reply. Presiding Officer, we have a duty to recognise the long history of courage, sacrifice and service of our servicemen and women, past and present, and I hope the National Assembly will acknowledge the debt of gratitude today, and support this motion. Thank you.
Mohammad Asghar: As Mark said, this year is the one hundredth anniversary of the battle of Mametz Wood. For many Welsh soldiers, this was the first major offensive of the first world war. The capture of Mametz Wood was of key importance in the battle of the Somme. After five days of fighting, nearly 400 Welsh soldiers were killed, injured or posted as missing. As a result, 38th (Welsh) Division was out of...
Mohammad Asghar: Cabinet Secretary, following the same question that my predecessor asked, Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr is one of the sites being considered by Aneurin Bevan board for a specialist centre of excellence for breast cancer services—
Mohammad Asghar: Yes, I know. I’m just mentioning it and agreeing with you. [Interruption.] In March this year, it was reported, Presiding Officer, that patients in Gwent are waiting longer for breast cancer referrals than anywhere else in Wales. Will the Cabinet Secretary advise when a decision is likely to be taken, and will he commit to exploring all options available to him to deliver excellent breast...
Mohammad Asghar: Cabinet Secretary, I have been asking about a link to Newport since 2007-08, when it actually started. Network Rail has undertaken a number of works to deliver more frequent services for passengers on the Ebbw Vale line. These include the construction of new platforms and the re-signalling of the line. Could the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on these improvements, and when can we expect...
Mohammad Asghar: Does the First Minister agree that there has to be a maximum level of financial support that a claimant can expect the state to provide, and that people on benefits should not be able to receive more than the average working family earns in work in Wales?
Mohammad Asghar: Go on, David.
Mohammad Asghar: Yes, I agree with it. That’s what I’m saying, we are lagging because of the policies in the past by the Labour Government. We are lagging behind; that’s what we are trying to work out to get it on board as soon as possible. But, students using technology in the classroom by itself is not enough. This only translates into learning key digital skills through good teaching. Given the pace...
Mohammad Asghar: That’s good news, but still we’re lagging behind many other countries. In Wales today, over 14 per cent never use the internet. That is a fact, David. Thirty-eight per cent are without basic digital skills. How are they going to employ people? Basic start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises lose out because of a shortage of domestic workers. I recognise that employers of...
Mohammad Asghar: Digital connectivity is critical in our modern-day lives. Digital skills are becoming increasingly essential for getting access to a range of products and services. Those people equipped with the knowledge and tools to engage with the digital technologies tend to earn higher wages, reflecting their greater productivity. However, in Wales, a lack of digital infrastructure and poor digital...
Mohammad Asghar: I thank the Minister for his statement this afternoon. The Welsh Conservatives welcome the setting up of this taskforce for the Valleys. The Minister said that the taskforce members have been drawn from a range of different sectors. However, I’m concerned that the membership of the taskforce is heavily weighted in favour of the public sector rather than the private sector. Given the...
Mohammad Asghar: May I ask for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for health on the Welsh Government policy towards setting up fix rooms for drug addicts in Wales? Concerns have been expressed to me, and I have personally witnessed discarded needles in school playing areas, parks and other places where people walk around a lot. Only last week, I went to a house that was burgled, and the burglar very...
Mohammad Asghar: I’m sure our whole Assembly will unite in condemning the mindless stupidity of those involved in attacking the emergency services with fireworks in Newport. The British Fireworks Association has warned that any further restrictions on the sale and use of fireworks would lead to a sharp rise in unregulated and untraceable sales. Fire chiefs have already warned that more restrictions would...
Mohammad Asghar: It is a sad fact that too many young people feel disengaged from politics today. This sense of disengagement needs to be addressed if we are to sustain a healthy and accountable democracy in Wales. Detailed polling by the firm Opinium suggests that turnout among 18 to 24-year-olds in the last referendum was 64 per cent, which was a bit of encouraging news. The figure is much higher than...
Mohammad Asghar: Cabinet Secretary, it is clear from the result of the EU referendum that the people living in Islwyn and other areas of South Wales East did not feel the impact and benefit of European structural funding. Over 50 per cent of people living in Caerphilly council voted to leave the EU, over 56 per cent in Merthyr Tydfil, 60 per cent in Torfaen, and 62 per cent in Blaenau Gwent. Does the Cabinet...
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you very much for that answer, Minister. The fact is that there are more than 13,000 slaves in this country, and I don’t know how many in Wales. Are you actually engaged with the police? There is a general perception that they haven’t got the resources to tackle slavery, which also contains all sorts of slavery—there are sex slaves, cheap labour and God knows how many different...
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you for the reply, Minister. The programme for government makes a number of pledges to improve support services for veterans. However, there is no mention of veteran cards, which, under other proposals, would provide free bus travel and free access to leisure centres and Cadw sites. They would give priority access to NHS treatment and home adaptations, if needed, as a result of...
