1. Will the Minister make a statement on public transport provision in Cardiff? OAQ54424

Yes, of course. We continue to invest in a modern and integrated public transport system in Cardiff, which includes local bus services, active travel and the transformational south Wales metro. Integrated public transport is, of course, key to promoting a modal shift from the personal car to more sustainable modes of transport.

Minister, in the last week, we've seen extreme flooding in areas of Cardiff, no doubt made worse by the concreting of fields for Labour's disastrous local development plan, and the culling of trees and woodland also. Over the summer, roads were closed for building work for Labour's local destruction plan—because that's the correct term really—and the first of thousands of very expensive houses are already being built. But there's no sign of the metro—no sign of it—and there's no extra public transport provision at all, it seems. But there is an extraordinary level of congestion and resulting air pollution right now. Does your party regret giving over our countryside to corporate developers to make a packet, and do you accept that it was highly irresponsible to give the go-ahead to build these houses without any—any—public transport infrastructure in place? 

Can I thank the Member for his question, and just correct him on the assertion that no provision has been made for active travel and integrated travel within the Cardiff area? The metro programme is already being advanced. Rolling stock is on order. Plans are being pursued, with the latest Welsh transport appraisal guidance study concerning the north-west corridor. And, in terms of active travel, I'm pleased to say that we as a Government have awarded £5.5 million to Cardiff Council in the current financial year to help deliver active travel improvements across the city. This includes £2.9 million for eight strategic schemes, and an expansion of the incredibly successful Nextbike scheme.

In addition, we are taking action to combat what I call the 'carbon canyon', which is the concentrated air pollution area in this city. We are identifying means, with Cardiff Council, of reducing the use of the private vehicle within the city, and just this week I have been in discussions with my officials about how we can embark on an unprecedented campaign to replant trees as we face the ash dieback problems. It's my belief that more trees—I'm sure that we would agree entirely—do have to be planted across Wales, and in particular in our urban areas. Now, I'm a passionate believer in careful land management within urban environments that sees more green spaces created, and more trees planted, and that's a key component of 'Planning Policy Wales', which is being adjusted, and I think it's absolutely essential as well that local authorities pay due regard to the need for green spaces. It's not just good for the environment, it's also good for mental health and well-being. 

Minister, I hear what you say about public transport, and it's very important that we invest in good models of public transport, especially the experience that people get to make that change from the car on to buses. I was in the village of Creigiau recently, and whilst there are bus stops in the village, it was raised with me that they cannot get bus shelters or dropped kerbs for disability access. Now, I appreciate a lot of that work is undertaken by the local authority, but when you make grants available to local authorities, do you make checks on the overall experience that's available to users of public transport when issuing those grants? It's one thing having a nice new bus that might look nice and shiny on the road, but if there's no disability access at the bus shelter, or if people are expected to stay out in the elements when it's raining and pouring down, people will revert back to their car. So, do you not agree with me that it's important that we look at the overall experience that passengers get, and, where money can be invested, it needs to be invested in bus shelters and dropped kerbs to make disability access the norm rather than an exception?

I'd agree entirely with the Member. The experience that a member of the public has at a bus stop is just as important as the experience that they have on the actual bus. And I'm pleased that we've been able to support local government in Wales, in this financial year, with enhanced bus-related infrastructure that includes modern, fit-for-purpose bus stops. The Member will also be aware of the White Paper that was published recently concerning the future of public transport in Wales, specifically bus services and the creation of quality partnerships that will lead to enhanced service provision, and enhanced provision within bus stops and along routes, including, for example, free Wi-Fi not just on buses but potentially at bus stops.