6. What additional action will the Welsh Government take to tackle air pollution in Cardiff? OAQ52306

We have issued a direction on Cardiff council requiring them to undertake a feasibility study to identify the option or options that will deliver compliance with the legal limits for nitrogen dioxide, in the areas for which the authority is responsible, in the shortest possible time.

Clearly, this is a very serious matter because we have the potential for further legal action in the High Court hanging over us if we are not seen to be addressing this major health problem as quickly as possible. The KeolisAmey contract for delivering rail and metro is extremely welcome. The increased Wi-Fi on the trains will encourage more commuters to do the right thing and actually be working while they're travelling rather than sitting in their car, and the additional carriages and the additional frequency of trains are also very important to get that modal shift that we need. But I just wondered what work the Welsh Government's doing in conjunction with Transport for Wales to identify new tram routes to serve particularly east as well as south Cardiff, which cannot benefit from the upgrading of existing suburban rail lines? And, additionally, what discussions has the Government had with Cardiff council on the possibility and the need for a congestion charge or a levy?

Well, the matter of a congestion charge will be a matter for Cardiff council. With the metro, the fundamental principle of the metro that I wanted to ensure was there was that it would be extendable. That means, of course, the metro had to look like other modes of transport, such as light rail, as light rail's far easier to extend than heavy rail. The first example of that would be the line down to the bay here in 2023, but there are other phases. The east of Cardiff is badly served by the rail network—Cardiff parkway will improve the situation, but that's not enough in and of itself. In the future phases of the metro, there are plans to look at light rail/tram, for the eastern part of Cardiff. I've seen the maps to make sure that the gap that does exist there is filled in in the future. So, the metro map as it is is not meant to be the full extent of its reach, but there will be the opportunity to extend the metro via light rail into parts of Cardiff that have been poorly served in the past.

First Minister, many cities around the world are striving to become carbon neutral, some by as early as 2025, and this would obviously have a significant impact on air quality. The mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has brought forward their target for carbon neutrality by a decade. We in the Welsh Conservatives have recognised the need for greater ambition here and have called for Cardiff to be the first carbon neutral capital city in the UK. I wonder if you share this type of ambition.

I think it's hugely ambitious. I think it's something that is potentially achievable; it's something I know that the Cabinet Secretary will want to achieve as well. We can't wait for the technology to deliver the reductions we seek by themselves, but we do need to offer people,  of course, a comfortable, reasonably priced, frequent service that lures them away from their cars, and that's what the metro is intended to do, to make sure that people don't feel that the only way into work for them is to travel by car.

One of the reasons that Cardiff has suffered from poor air quality in the past—and still does according to recent court cases—is major polluting plants on the outskirts of Cardiff. Aberthaw, for example, has been taken to court on more than one occasion. It's really important, I think, as we develop our energy infrastructure, that we take the right tools, including environmental impact assessments, on any new developments. It's been of great concern for many in Wales that the Barry incinerator that was proposed and is still going ahead at the current time has not had a full environmental impact assessment done on it. It's very difficult to judge the quality of air that will affect people in Barry and Cardiff if we don't do such an environmental impact assessment. I know the environment Minister is considering whether to order such a full environmental impact assessment. Will you, as First Minister, ensure that that is done for both the residents of Barry and for the wider south Wales area?

It is something that's under consideration, as the Member says, by the Minister; it's for her to consider further. He is right to say that one of the things we need to do is to look at ways of reducing the carbon footprint of energy generation, which is why we need the tidal lagoon. Apparently, there was going to be an announcement yesterday; that's been delayed. And allegedly an announcement towards the end of the week, if indeed the Government is still is in place at that point. Still nothing.

He agrees with this, I know, but all we have asked for is that Wales should be treated in the same way as Hinkley. We're not asking for more than that, but give us the same fair play, the same chwarae teg, as Hinkley has had. Now, it's up to the Conservative Party here in Wales, and indeed in Westminster, to show that they can deliver for Wales what they've already delivered to parts of England. That's their test—can they show they're up to it?