2. Will the First Minister provide an update on integrated transport in South Wales West? OAQ53741

Thank you to Suzy Davies for the question. Active travel measures, rail investment and reform of bus regulation all form part of the Welsh Government’s effort to create integrated transport arrangements in South Wales West.

Thank you for that answer, and I'm glad you mentioned active travel there. Your Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport said last week that he was looking at getting people out of their cars for short journeys and travelling in a way which improved their health. And, of course, encouraging people to cycle or walk to a convenient train station for longer journeys for work is one way of keeping people active, as well as the benefits of avoiding congestion and pollution, of course. And that promotion of active travel is part of my support for campaigning for a Swansea parkway and Brackla station in Bridgend.

Now, Welsh Government is looking now at how integrated transport can support the city deal. The review of the Swansea bay city deal recommends that projects should be allowed to change and evolve, and I imagine that principle applies to Cardiff as well. So, will you be encouraging the economy Minister and his deputy to look at these two station ideas with a fresh set of eyes, to see how they can contribute to the promotion of active travel as part of an integrated transport system?

Well, let me agree with what Suzy Davies has said, Llywydd, that both the Swansea and the Cardiff city deals are designed in a way that will allow them to evolve over the period that they will be in operation, and that transport matters are at the heart of both deals. The idea that we locate stations and invest in railway stations in ways that contribute to the active travel ambitions of the Welsh Government is very much part of what the transport Minister and the Deputy Minister are intent on doing. And where those opportunities arise, where existing stations are in place and we can do more to encourage people to cycle or walk to those stations, we want to do that. And where new opportunities will arise, as with the south Wales metro, then that is integral to the way that we are planning locations of those stations to make sure that, in the round, they do as much as we can to encourage people to use public transport, and to use public transport in a way that cuts down on the emissions and other harmful effects of overuse of car transport.

As we've heard from Suzy Davies, the UK Government recently set out plans for a west Wales parkway railway station on the Felindre site near Swansea. And whilst I fully support this speeding up of east-west links, what you cannot do is forget the importance of north-south routes. So, what work are you doing with the UK Government to ensure that the Felindre proposal fits in with the need to develop rail services into our valley communities in south-west Wales?

I thank Dr Lloyd for that. On 21 March, Llywydd, a meeting took place. It was organised by the Wales Office, but representatives of the Welsh Government were there as well. It heard from Professor Stuart Cole in relation to the ideas that he has developed around a new parkway station at Felindre, but it also looked at the Arup assessment of other potential parkway solutions—at Llansamlet, for example, looking at the advantages that it may have. The meeting ended with an emerging consensus that the success of any new station, as well as improving the attractiveness of existing ones, is dependent on additional regional and local services. And those services are needed, both to Swansea High Street and along the Swansea district line, in order to reduce journey times beyond Swansea to Carmarthen and further west. In that way, I think we have some emerging consensus that focusing on—in a way, the point that Dr Lloyd was making—the services, as well as the location of stations, is the way that we need to move this agenda forward. 

First Minister, an integrated transport system is fantastic if you have an effective public bus transport system. In South Wales West, actually, most of the transportation is by bus, not by rail. And I've raised many times the issue of the Afan valley. I've got constituents in the Afan valley who have a bus every two hours—and that's in the daytime—and nothing in the early morning, nothing in the late evening. Now, will the Welsh Government look at proposals to actually encourage local authorities to support and prioritise the bus transport systems in those communities that rely upon buses only as a means of public transport?  

Well, Llywydd, David Rees makes an important point in opening, which is that far, far more people use bus services in public transport in Wales than use rail services, and rail services are sometimes thought as the glamour end of public transport. The day in, day out services that people rely on are often bus services. It's partly why the metro concept has always been multimodal. It always was intended to integrate a range of different public transport possibilities.

David Rees will know, Llywydd, that the consultation on the Welsh Government's White Paper, 'Improving public transport' closed on 27 March, and that White Paper, of course, proposes new powers for local transport authorities to regulate bus industries in local areas in the public interest. When local transport authorities have those powers to plan properly the way in which the very substantial public investment in bus services can be put to use so that local populations are properly served, then the interests of the Afan valley and others will be at the forefront of the way that  those new powers can be deployed.