Hefin David: I did have a meeting with the chief executive of Caerphilly council, and you're absolutely right, the reason they went for the Caerphilly master plan was because of the strategic hubs. The problem is it left out Senghenydd. So that itself had that exact effect.
Hefin David: But I think the problem with their proposal at this point in time is that there is no other way for people to get into the city. The trains are at capacity, the buses run far too late for work. I had massive problems this morning. The people will still travel in exactly the same numbers, they'll just pay the charge. It's a tax, as the proposals are currently set, until you get public...
Hefin David: Will you take an intervention?
Hefin David: 5. Will the Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's support for innovative procurement in Wales? OAQ55059
Hefin David: Will the Minister make a statement on Welsh Government support for scheduled ancient monuments of national importance?
Hefin David: I can see that the Chair of the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee is in the Chamber, and so are members of the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee. We will be launching and publishing our report on procurement in the foundational economy later this week, so no spoilers, but I would like to ask a question about procurement related to that. It was clear from evidence...
Hefin David: In preparation for this debate, I read the 'Clean Air Plan for Wales' consultation document, and I also had a meeting with Public Health Wales to talk through some of the issues that are in the motion. And having done that, framing Public Health Wales as independent experts, I don't share the pessimism of Plaid Cymru, but I do welcome some of the words that are in the motion. So, I support...
Hefin David: The 'Clean Air Plan for Wales' consultation document has public health running through it. It doesn't just talk about carbon reduction, it doesn't just talk about impact on environmental standards; it also talks about quality of life, and it talks about preventing life-limiting illness and death. So, there's certainly a thread in that plan that chimes with the motion, and the motion itself...
Hefin David: That isn't—. As I said in my contribution, that wasn't the figure that Public Health Wales gave me. They said the 1,000 to 1,400 aggregated range was based on life expectancy. So, the 2,000 deaths isn't currently—it's not a set-in-stone figure; the public health advice is the one that I've proposed.
Hefin David: I'm sorry to interrupt, but one of the things—he makes the point about idling vehicles—one of the points that I've heard as well, from public health officials, is it isn't just idling vehicles; the actual act of turning off your vehicle while outside a school could be just as polluting when you turn it back on again. So, you might as well leave it idling as turning it off and on in many...
Hefin David: That was based on individual particulates, and the estimate of individual particulates. What the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants analysis does is combine those particulates into what is a more realistic estimate of the kind of particulates that will exist in the air at any one time, which is where the figures for 1,000 to 1,400 come from.
Hefin David: Yes, there's no dispute—there's no dispute about that.
Hefin David: Will the First Minister make a statement on agricultural pollution regulations in Wales?
Hefin David: I've written to the Minister for environment asking for a meeting with farming members of NFU Cymru to discuss these regulations, and I'm awaiting a response. I think the questions today demonstrate a need for scrutiny of these regulations. I've held meetings with Caerphilly NFU members and with the Farmers Union of Wales to discuss their concerns. On smaller farms, such as those in Bedwas...
Hefin David: I'd like to pay tribute to those communities most affected in my constituency, which is Machen, Bedwas, Llanbradach, Ystrad Mynach, Tredomen, Nelson and Penpedairheol; those with commercial businesses and residential businesses. Bedwas RFC's Bridge club was hugely affected and has benefited from crowdfunding. It is struggling to survive, it has to be said, at this point in time, and I'm doing...
Hefin David: Will you take an intervention on that point? Why has he airbrushed his time in Government from the history in his motion?
Hefin David: Your party, sorry.
Hefin David: 2. Will the First Minister make a statement on Welsh Government support for regeneration of the northern valleys? OAQ55186
Hefin David: And with that in mind, I'm pleased to say that Caerphilly County Borough Council have produced their Heads of the Valleys regeneration area masterplan, which will tackle challenges of growth and prosperity in the northern Valleys, in areas like Bargoed, Nelson, Senghenydd, and those places that are hard to reach. They make reference in their report to the Cardiff capital region city deal, the...
Hefin David: Would you take an intervention?
