Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs – in the Senedd at 1:43 pm on 17 July 2019.
Thank you for that answer, Minister. I think quite a few residents, if not many residents and businesses, would be surprised that the protesters have not engaged with you at all, given that their explicit request is obviously that Government achieves more in this particular area, and so, instead of protesting and blocking roads, perhaps engagement is a far better way of protesting in this instance.
But it is a fair accusation to lay at the Government's door. When the current First Minister was campaigning, he said he'd bring a clean air Act forward, and, in response to questions from the leader of the opposition back in May, he indicated that you and he had had a discussion on this and that Welsh Government were working up proposals in this particular area. Regrettably, yesterday, in the legislative statement, we did see no announcement at all in this particular area. Two thousand lives a year are taken prematurely in Wales—five a day, Minister. Action is required in this area, so when protesters say they're not seeing action, do you not see that, in this particular area, there is a lack of action and a lack of urgency from the Welsh Government?