2. 2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:16 pm on 9 May 2017.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Andrew RT Davies Andrew RT Davies Conservative 2:16, 9 May 2017

Leader of the house, I’m sure you’ll join with me in congratulating the many local councillors who’ve been elected across the length and breadth of Wales, but in particular the ones who have been elected in the Vale of Glamorgan, and in particular from the Conservatives, who now make us the biggest group on that particular council, and, hopefully, looking forward to an exciting five years in the Vale of Glamorgan. One of the issues that you—[Interruption.] One of the issues—. I hear the Member for Blaenau Gwent chuntering away there. I don’t think he had a particularly good night on Thursday. One of the big issues, as you’ll be aware as the constituency Member for the Vale of Glamorgan, was the Barry incinerator. This, time and time again, came up in the local elections on the doorstep in Barry, and there was widespread concern, in particular, around the need for an environmental impact assessment, which wasn’t undertaken at the time—and that was allowed through by the council—and also the ability for Cardiff and Vale University Local Health Board to do a full assessment of the health implications. Given that Barry, as a town, has a higher than average national incidence of asthma within the community there, would you commit to issuing a statement on behalf of the Welsh Government, because I think you’re undertaking the duties of the planning Minister at the moment, as to exactly what measures the Welsh Government is taking to address some of these concerns that are raised time and time again by constituents in the Vale of Glamorgan around the lack of an environmental impact assessment and, in particular, an assessment by Cardiff and Vale University Local Health Board into high incidences of asthma and the potential effect that an incinerator might have within the locality, and, above all, the role that Natural Resources Wales are now playing in assessing the licensing of the plant, where many people do call into question the ability and the robustness of that system to actually meet and address local concerns? I would further ask for a statement in relation to how the Welsh Government is going to engage with the new Vale council to deliver a Dinas Powys bypass. In fairness to the economy Minister, he has indicated in previous correspondence to myself last year that he was up for working with the council to make resources available to address the chronic traffic problems that exist in the Dinas Powys area that saw the removal of four Plaid Cymru councillors and their replacement by four Conservative councillors who will work night and day to make sure that these issues are addressed.