3. Statement by the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs: Clean Air Plan

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:48 pm on 10 December 2019.

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Photo of Lesley Griffiths Lesley Griffiths Labour 3:48, 10 December 2019

Thank you, Dai Rees, for those points. I'll just refer to Port Talbot and Tata Steel and, obviously, the Member never misses an opportunity to speak to me about air quality in Port Talbot. As you know, the short-term action plan was put in place to specifically prevent exceedances to legal limits and safeguard residents' health. We've never exceeded European legal limits for particulate matter in Port Talbot; I think it's very important to make that point. However, like many of these things, it's about perception, and I know that you've had concerns that your constituents have had a lot of dust. I think Dai Lloyd made a very important before that it's the stuff that we can't see that causes the most problems, not that we can see. However, the perception is that that is really damaging.

I think you're right about the 50 mph zone; you don't want to get perverse results. As the transport strategy comes forward—I think the Minister is bringing that forward next week—we can certainly ensure that this plan fits into that strategy. I think it's very important that that is the case, and also the public transport Bill, because you're right: we can't expect behavioural change if that form of travel is not there for that person. I mentioned in an earlier answer to Andrew R.T. Davies about the rural areas of Wales that, if you haven't got the public transport infrastructure in place, then people are not going to make that modal shift from the car.

There's also the economic impact, I think, to consider around public transport because, if people look at the cost and it's so much cheaper to go in the car, again, that will definitely affect people, and also, if you're sitting on a bus and you're sitting in a bus behind 200 cars, you're going to think it's not worth it. However, if there's a bus lane and you're able to go in the bus lane and be much quicker—. I think it's just simple things because, as I said, I think Wales has really led the way on behavioural change in relation to recycling and organ donation, so I think we can do it here as well.

Oh, sorry, you asked me about planning as well, and I mentioned that 'Planning Policy Wales' had been changed, but it is important that local authorities look at this clean air plan going forward to ensure that it fits in.