3. Statement by the Minister for Environment: Air Quality

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:16 pm on 24 April 2018.

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Photo of Julie Morgan Julie Morgan Labour 3:16, 24 April 2018

I welcome this statement and am really pleased that this is coming high up on our agenda. I'm particularly concerned about the effect of air pollution on children, because three of the nine schools in Cardiff that are situated near roads with harmful levels of air pollution are in my constituency of Cardiff North: Ysgol Mynydd Bychan, St Joseph's and Cathays are all around the North Road area. I've got huge concern about the effect on the health of the children in those schools, as well as the children in all the schools in Cardiff. So, I would like to see a lot more effort made to improve the air quality, particularly around the schools. She mentioned in answer to the last question some of the things that can be done in relation to encouraging parents not to use cars—the scootering and the cycling. I wondered if she'd looked at play streets, where streets are closed off for certain hours or days so that children are free of pollution and are able to play.

Would she congratulate Cardiff council on its production of Cardiff's transport and clean air Green Paper, 'Changing how we move around a growing city'? There are many suggestions in there about the way that we could go in Cardiff, recognising that it is an absolute imperative. I wondered if she had had any liaison with Cardiff council about this document. I think what's come up in a few of the questions today is how much local authorities can do by themselves on their own initiative and how much action is needed from Welsh Government. So, I don't know whether she could clarify that now or at a future time so that we know how we're able to work together. Because there are many things in this document that could really transform the quality of air in Cardiff, but as I say, I don't know how much they can do that themselves or how much they need the Welsh Government to help them.