8. Plaid Cymru Debate: Air Pollution

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:02 pm on 5 February 2020.

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Photo of John Griffiths John Griffiths Labour 5:02, 5 February 2020

I very much welcome this debate today, and I echo what Dai Lloyd said. I think it has been a very good and powerful debate, and rightly so, because we're talking about public health, and it's clear that air quality is a major factor in whether we enjoy the sort of good public health that we want to see in Wales or not. And, yes, Healthy Air Cymru have done a lot of research, I think, and put some of the facts and statistics before all of us, which clearly show the adverse health impacts that we are currently living with. And it is the biggest environmental risk to public health—air quality, or the lack of it—and there's also research that it affects our most deprived communities disproportionately. So, there's an adverse health impact on the people who are most vulnerable anyway.

So, we've moved, really, into a largely post-industrial society in Wales, Llywydd, and I think that does clearly make road traffic the biggest challenge when it comes to dealing with these matters. And primarily, it's a matter, I think, of Welsh Government working with our local authorities to take effective action and make sure that appropriate strategies and policies are in place. We've talked about some of the legislation, some of the plans, and the Act that will hopefully be forthcoming. But there's lots that can be done, of course, here and now, very practical measures to deal with these issues.

We heard about the school run earlier, and I think that is significant and important, and there are practical measures that are being taken in schools across Wales that could be taken right across the length and breadth of our country. So, the roads around schools could be closed off at picking up and dropping off times. There could be policies for walking buses, for scooting, walking and cycling to school, engaging the pupils, as Hefin David mentioned, in putting moral pressure on parents and schools. I think it's very effective and appropriate.

Idling vehicles shouldn't be allowed at school gates and shouldn't be allowed in general in our urban areas. Taxis and buses are a major issue. There are many ways of converting taxis to more—[Interruption.] In just a minute. I was just going to say that converting taxis and buses, of course, that's happening, but that, again, could happen all across Wales, and that would make a significant contribution also. Hefin David.