1. What measures are in place to scrutinise the plans that local authorities have submitted under the Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013? OAQ51489

Officials are currently in the process of procuring an update of the active travel design guidance, which will build on the first three years of using the guidance and take account of new best practice and regulations. I can say to the Member that all but one local authority have submitted their first integrated network maps by the set date and they're now being appraised, and the remaining authority has been directed to submit their INM by the end of February. So, we are currently considering options for independent validation of the appraisal outcomes, and the Cabinet Secretary will update the Member and the Assembly when the decision has been taken. 

Thank you, First Minister. On Friday night, I held the latest of my monthly public meetings, and top of the list of the concerns of people in Tycroes, just as it was in Pontyberem and Llangennech and Kidwelly, was volumes of traffic. Now, the deadline has recently passed for councils to submit their long-term plans for a network of active travel routes they'd like to create over 15 years, and, properly done and funded, these have the potential to cut traffic as well as improve health and local neighbourhoods. But the feedback that the new cross-party group on active travel has heard from right across Wales is that councils aren't being ambitious enough. A bit of route here and there won't encourage people out of their cars. So, would you congratulate Cardiff council for acknowledging that they can improve on their draft and for being willing to submit a more ambitious plan within a year, and what will you do to make sure the plans approved by the Welsh Government set us on a different path?

Well, the one thing I can say very clearly is that this is not some kind of optional extra. We expect the Act to be observed not just in terms of the theory behind it, but in practice as well. I offer my congratulations to Cardiff council. I hope that others will learn from their good example, because we want to make sure that we have a proper network across Wales and not just isolated routes—at the moment, that is the case—but to joint them up and to be able to say in the future that people are able to get to work and that they're able to cycle for leisure as well on a network of cycles routes that can compare with some of the best in Europe. There's some way to go, because I've seen what's available, for example, in countries like Austria. But, yes, I can say to the Member that we are absolutely determined to make sure that the integrated network maps are robust, sound and promote healthy travel and active travel in the future. 

The Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013 was a very widely welcomed piece of legislation, and the Member there is quite right to raise concerns about how it is being fully implemented and taken forward. And I've heard those very same concerns that local authorities have been quite slow to prioritise that, clearly with the budget pressures and everything. I know that the previous Cabinet Secretaries and Ministers for local government have often said, 'Oh, local authorities have their own autonomy.' This is Welsh Government legislation, and it is Government legislation that is going to make lives better for our young and for all of our people across Wales. So, how can you provide some very strong leadership, First Minister, in making sure that the active travel Act isn't just a wish, but that it actually becomes full legislation, and fully applicable, and that we get more people actually active travelling on a daily basis from now on in?

Well, it's the law and it has to be observed, but, in terms of money, I can say that the local transport fund and its predecessor, the regional transport consortia grant, have both been a main source of funding for local walking and cycling routes, in particular new routes, including those to employment sites. The proportion spent on schemes varies from year to year, depending on bids, but has amounted to around £6 million annually in recent years, helping to develop more ambitious schemes and packages. That's on top of, of course, the grant that's been in place for Safe Routes in Communities and the road safety grant. 

It is true to say, isn’t it, First Minister, that the Welsh Government also has to show more ambition? Given the figures that he’s just quoted, if we compare those with the corresponding figure for Scotland, they have just doubled their investment in active travel—that is, walking and cycling—from £40 million—which was far higher than our figure in the first place—up to £80 million. That’s a Government that is giving its due place to this area of policy, which we’re not doing currently.

Is there a law in Scotland that insists on a network to promote cycling and walking? No, from what I understand. We are the only country that has done this. The next step will be to ensure that the integrated network maps—they are already, more or less—are submitted to us as a Government, and those maps will then have to be considered, of course. We want to ensure that those maps are robust as a foundation to build active travel in future.