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

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:42 pm on 10 December 2019.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Lesley Griffiths Lesley Griffiths Labour 3:42, 10 December 2019

Thank you, David Melding, and, obviously, my officials particularly have worked very closely with Healthy Air Cymru, and I was very pleased they welcomed the plan this morning and I'll certainly continue to work with them. I just mentioned, in my answer to Jayne Bryant, I think it's really important that we work with our stakeholders going forward.

The First Minister's manifesto commitment was to improve air quality through the development of a clean air Act for Wales. It would absolutely provide a formal mechanism, and I am committed to bringing forward a White Paper before the end of this term. But, as I say, we do have access to a wide range of levers to take forward action now to improve air quality, and local authorities currently have powers, for instance, to introduce low emission zones and clean air zones, either charging or non-charging. They do, again, have the powers to introduce fines for engine idling that you referred to as being an issue. But I do think we need to consider how we can enhance these powers through a clean air Act, and that is absolutely the intention of this Government.

Talking about schools, when I mentioned to Andrew R.T. Davies that I'd recently been in Madrid for COP25, which is still ongoing, one of the things I saw in Madrid was living walls. So, incredible, really high walls just covered in greenery and with irrigation in them, and you just wonder why we don't have more of those in this country, and that's certainly something I'd be very keen to take forward.

And you talked about the schools monitoring their air quality. I think I mentioned to Jayne Bryant that they need to take a risk-based approach in siting their monitors. They know the local population and the local area the best and they need to make sure they look at the guidance that we've given around schools and active travel routes.