7. Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Air Quality

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:49 pm on 20 June 2018.

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Photo of David Lloyd David Lloyd Plaid Cymru 4:49, 20 June 2018

(Translated)

Yes, exactly, and, of course, that builds upon the perception that many years ago we were happy to accept our miners working underground and having all of this dust in their lungs, and that air pollution that they had to breathe in. It was seen as okay because it was so important to have those jobs. Well, we need to move away from that kind of mindset. We are starting to do that, but there is far more work to be done. As has already been mentioned, the situation is worse in our most deprived areas. People are always asking: why do people have to suffer greater ill health in our most deprived areas? Well, it's because there are all sorts of impacts that are more common in those areas, and air pollution is one of those. It is far more prevalent in our most disadvantaged areas, therefore we must focus our clean air zones on those most deprived areas.

Broadly speaking, the point is—. I’m pleased now because as doctors and nurses we’ve known about the impacts of air pollution for decades, but there has been no action because people thought that the air was sort of clean, because it was no longer visibly unclean. I’m pleased to see now that there is a change of mindset—yes, as David Melding has said, under public pressure—but, sooner or later, we have to take action on this. Therefore, we as an Assembly must play our part, because the health of our people, and mainly the health of our children, relies on the fact that we breathe clean air. A breath of fresh air in every sense of the words.