Questions Without Notice from the Party Leaders

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:14 pm on 11 February 2020.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Mark Reckless Mark Reckless Conservative 2:14, 11 February 2020

I hear what the First Minister says in response, but on climate change, the future generations commissioner has observed that

'The steps the government are taking at the moment do not appear to match the declaration of a climate emergency.'

Some taxpayers may welcome that in view of the amount of money you've put into Cardiff Airport; if Cardiff Airport expands to take flights that Bristol bans, perhaps Welsh Government may, at some point, see a return on its money. And if those flights don't go from Bristol, surely it's a case of people who would otherwise have gone to Bristol, including from the west of England and beyond, who may instead travel to Cardiff, with the carbon dioxide emissions that implies, to use flights that we could accommodate at Cardiff.

You also pledged grants of £18.8 million to Aston Martin to build gas-guzzling SUVs near the airport at St Athan. You even celebrated the announcement of 4,000 petrol DBXs a year by pretending to be James Bond in a video. How does that square with your climate change priorities?

Meanwhile, you've announced £140 million of capital climate change funding, yet you've no plans to switch the suggested £1 billion annual revenue funding you would need to meet your climate change targets. Indeed, the draft budget provides for bus subsidy to be cut next year in real terms. First Minister, as effective action is so expensive, will you continue to prioritise words over action on climate change?