<p>Air Pollution </p>

Part of 2. 2. Questions to the Counsel General – in the Senedd at 2:38 pm on 10 May 2017.

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Photo of Mick Antoniw Mick Antoniw Labour 2:38, 10 May 2017

Well, as the Member will be aware, the process of codification, if I might deal with the last point, is not, of course, about reforming the law, it’s about codifying the existing law, and the issue that any reforms or changes need to be made are a totally separate matter and, of course, would require a totally different level of consideration, consultation and scrutiny.

In terms of the policy matter that the Member raises, well, of course, that is a matter for another Minister and it’s not appropriate for me to cross into that particular territory. What I can say, by way, I suppose, of repeating some of the points that have been already made by Ministers in this area, is that the Welsh Government is firmly committed to improving air quality across Wales, and is tackling air pollution in a number of ways, and, of course, these were outlined yesterday in the debate and are there in the transcript. And of course, Welsh Government is currently working on improvements to ‘Planning Policy Wales’ in relation to air quality and there is a consultation under way. The Member might be referring, of course, to the nitrogen dioxide issues, which is clearly an area of concern, and as of last week, the Welsh Government is consulting jointly with other UK administrations seeking views on a revised plan to reduce levels of nitrogen dioxide around roads within the shortest time possible. I think any other areas, really, are policy matters, which should be referred to the appropriate Minister.