Lee Waters: Well, thank you for being brief and to the point—much appreciated. So, on the first point about new roads for land identified in local development plans for housing, once you get a chance to look at the roads review, it makes comments on this very subject, and we've had a discussion within Government about the best way to implement this, and this is partly what the review that has already...
Lee Waters: Thank you for your broad welcome to the approach, and I certainly agree with you that we need to make it easy for people to make the transition. I think that is absolutely central to the approach that we all need to take. I'm struck with the parallel with our record on recycling. When you think 20 years ago, few people in Wales recycled. Now we have the third best rate in the world. And why...
Lee Waters: Well, I do know how to read a budget, and I'm afraid she's got the complete wrong end of the stick while reading ours. There was no cut from £220 million to £180 million on active travel. I don't know where she gets these figures from; that's a complete fantasy, and, as for handing £155 million back to the Treasury, I think that's an act of fantasy too. I appreciate we might have...
Lee Waters: The report says that we need to do more to look after the roads we already have, and pay more attention to supporting the movement of freight. I’ve today published a written statement on a review of our approach to road maintenance, and we will also be publishing a freight plan later in the year. We need roads, but we need to remember that roads are not just for cars. The panel said we need...
Lee Waters: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Today we are publishing the final report of the independent roads review panel. This is a landmark report of international significance, and I'd like to thank Dr Lynn Sloman and her fellow panelists. Their report is detailed, authoritative and compelling, and the Welsh Government accepts its core principles and the new approach it sets out. When we published the Wales...
Lee Waters: Thank you. I was grateful to meet with Ken Skates yesterday to discuss his concern about air quality around the local roads in his constituency and the implications of what might come out of the roads review. We'll be publishing that next Tuesday, the fourteenth, along with the national transport delivery plan and a new roads policy in the future. Ken Skates will remember that when he and I...
Lee Waters: Thank you. Engagement has been undertaken with local authorities to discuss the roads review and its implications. The tone of those discussions has been positive and pragmatic, with an emphasis on collaboration with local government on the development of schemes that support modal shift and the decarbonisation of transport.
Lee Waters: Well, it's more than just warm words. We have spent £150 million since the start of the pandemic in saving the bus industry in Wales. So, let's be very clear about that: without the help and intervention of the Welsh Government, the bus industry would have gone bankrupt; there wouldn't be any bus services. So, I think it's only fair to reflect that we have put our money where our mouth is....
Lee Waters: Thank you very much for that important set of questions. In fact, the data published by the Burns commission for north Wales showed that, even in rural areas, the majority of journeys were relatively short and, in principle, many of them could be replaced by public transport and active travel if the services were there. I have been conducting a series of round-tables with local authorities...
Lee Waters: Well, there's no doubt that, if we had lower prices, we'd have higher use. There are schemes right across the world, including free bus use in Normandy and elsewhere, and free bus schemes in Wales, in Cardiff and Swansea and Newport, for short periods, which have shown an uptake in usage. So, we know that, when fares drop, people are more likely to use it. There's no shortage of opportunities...
Lee Waters: Thank you. A number of points there. I'm familiar with the work of Partneriaeth Ogwen and have visited some of their schemes—they're an outstanding organisation. I was particularly struck by the scheme we've been funding them for to retrofit bicycles, to add a battery to them, which, particularly in rural areas, particularly hilly areas, is a really practical thing that we can do to help...
Lee Waters: Diolch. One of the aims of 'Llwybr Newydd', the Wales transport strategy, is to reduce the cost of sustainable travel for everyone in Wales, including young people. We are working towards an accessible transport system across the nation and have a number of initiatives aimed at younger travellers.
Lee Waters: Well, Alun Davies challenged me to pass the Blaenau Gwent test earlier, and I can tell him that there's also an Alun Davies test, which is being applied to the congestion charge, because Julie James and I have been having active conversations with Cardiff about the design of the congestion charge, and the points that he makes are absolutely fair and need to be built into the design of the...
Lee Waters: Diolch yn fawr iawn, Dirprwy Lywydd, and thank you to all colleagues for a stimulating debate. I think there is common cause, again, in this Chamber, for improving the reality of public transport and for achieving our shared aspiration of modal shift to tackle not just the climate crisis but also social justice. It's a little frustrating, and I'm aware of the irony, for me to hear this...
Lee Waters: Well, I respect Jane Dodds's position, and, as I acknowledged, there are certainly policy tensions. But we take an overall view as a Government that Wales needs an airport. There are a significant number of people still flying from there who otherwise would be travelling to other airports in the UK. And from a business and economy point of view, having a regional airport remains a strong part...
Lee Waters: Well, the £42.6 million rescue and recovery plan that was put in place during the pandemic remains in place, and is designed to help Cardiff Airport to become self-sustainable and profitable in the future. We are now working with the airport to understand the impact of the withdrawal of Wizz Air on the progress of that pathway. Clearly, it is a significant customer for the airport, but it's...
Lee Waters: Yes. We're disappointed that Wizz Air have decided to withdraw from Cardiff Airport. Our COVID recovery plan for the airport remains in place, but clearly, the current economic climate is incredibly tough for the aviation sector and this is not helped by the UK Government's lack of a recovery strategy for regional airports.
Lee Waters: Of course, the town of Menai Bridge has never been closed, and what's been very interesting is that the data, rather than the concerns and claims, have shown still a significant level of activity through the Patrwm project using long-range wide area network, which we've been pleased to support. So, I think it's important to put facts alongside concerns. I note that the Member of Parliament...
Lee Waters: Well, thank you. I note that we have supported, through Business Wales, some 288 businesses on the island, and I acknowledge the impact that the closure has had at a time that is already difficult for businesses and this has been another pressure on many of them. In terms of the future of the crossing, as he knows, we have a programme of works planned, which we are still confident, weather...
Lee Waters: The emergency programme of works to reopen the Menai suspension bridge began on 5 January. The programme is scheduled to be completed within four weeks, subject to weather conditions. The 7.5 tonne weight limit will remain in place when the bridge reopens.
