2. Will the Minister provide an update on the actions the Welsh Government is taking to improve air quality in South Wales West? OAQ52125

I recently announced a range of measures to improve our air quality, including the development of a clean air plan for Wales, which will define actions to reduce air pollution in Wales, and a consultation on a clean air zone framework for Wales, and a new air quality in Wales website.

Thank you, Minister. As you are no doubt aware, Port Talbot, in my region, is the most polluted town or city in the whole of the UK, with levels much higher than the next most polluted cities—nearly twice that of London. Unfortunately, one of the major sources of pollution is also the area's biggest employer. Minister, what can your Government do to ensure that the heavy industry we rely on for economic well-being does not put our health and well-being at risk?

I thank the Member for her question. Yes, Port Talbot did make the headlines last week, after the World Health Organization produced their findings. But, since publishing these findings, the WHO have actually reviewed the air pollution figures and accepted that a mistake has been made in the data it used, and it has apologised to Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council as well. And the WHO director of public health issued a statement apologising for the error, blaming an oversight, and immediate steps were taken by the WHO to rectify the figures on their website.

However, the Member does make very good points. We know that Port Talbot is an area—there's a combination of, or a mixture, of the industrial element and also nitrogen dioxide emissions from the M4. That's why, two weeks ago, we announced the measures we're bringing in to extend the 50 mph zone between junctions 41 and 42. But, you raised a really important point that it is a key employer not just to Port Talbot, but to the region as well. So, I announced in the statement two weeks ago that I will be updating the action plan for Port Talbot, for the steelworks, working with Tata, the council and National Resources Wales, to make sure that we take the steps necessary to tackle where those emissions are taking place, and make sure that we are in the best place to tackle them.

Minister, in response to that, I very much appreciate that you corrected the WHO's recommendation and the fact they got it wrong. But it still indicates that Port Talbot is still one of the worst in the UK. We still have problems with air pollution and air quality; we've had it for many years and it's going to be ongoing. And Caroline Jones is quite right to point out that heavy industry has an impact upon it. But, clearly, Welsh Government has actions it can take. It can work with industry to look at how we can reduce the levels of emissions, but also you have NRW being able to undertake some tasks to ensure that it therefore meets its requirements. How are you going to ensure NRW actually does its job properly, to ensure that it does measure the levels and it does take action against anyone who is actually breaching those levels?

Can I thank the Member for his question? Absolutely right that Natural Resources Wales regulates the Port Talbot steelworks, in accordance with the permit issued under the environmental permitting regime. You'll be aware that that permit imposes conditions on the operator. But actually, in terms of looking, when we update the action plan, at how we can make sure we best monitor and enforce these requirements, I think one of the things going forward, in terms of recognising the role that it has in job creation, the economic value of the steelworks as well, is looking at actually how our economic action plan and the economic contract can actually work with employers in terms of reducing emissions and tackling that in a way that doesn't undermine the economic value of the contribution but actually helps the health and well-being of people living near to the steelworks.

Well, you partly anticipated my question there, Cabinet Secretary, because one of the key projects of the Swansea bay city deal, of course, is the new steel science innovation centre, which is linked to Port Talbot and Tata. There's no need for me to repeat how much of an importance steel has, certainly in our local economy, but it's production, as you say, does remain connected, if you like, in the minds of people with the poor air quality there. So, have you had any early conversations with the Cabinet Secretary for the economy, or even actually with people within the city deal board, about what part they might be able to play in helping improve air quality, whilst of course maintaining and hopefully improving upon those thousands of jobs as we go into the journey into the next generation of steel production?

The Member makes a really important point there, in terms of actually how this—and I've raised this before, in talking about how we tackle air quality—is a priority across Government, which is why I am working with the economy Secretary—sorry I can't get my words out—to look at actually how we use those levers at our disposal, to not only support the economic future, the sustainability of our steel sector, which we know is so important, not just in terms of Port Talbot, but the other sites across Wales as well, and in terms of the supply chain, but to make sure that it's not to the detriment of the health and well-being of people who work there and live in the vicinity as well. I think, actually, that's why we need to look at, like I said before, the whole suite of issues there in terms of transport emissions and the supply chain to the steelworks too, to make sure that, working with NRW, with the council and other stakeholders, we monitor and see where exceedance is taking place and what is the best possible way to intervene at an early stage to make sure that that doesn't happen.