I'm very pleased to take part in this important debate today. Of course, in the part of Wales that I represent, we've been having a debate over the balance between roads, public transport and active travel for quite some time, in terms of the congestion on the M4 around Newport and many other roads besides. We now have the work of the Burns commission and the delivery unit in place to take forward necessary improvements.

Personally, I think that if we can make for a much better public transport system and offer through the work of the Burns commission, then we will relieve these congestion problems on the roads around Newport. It won't be easy, that's for sure—it never is, in terms of behavioural change and modal shift in transport—but the challenges of climate change and the environment, I think, make it crystal clear that there is no alternative but to make that shift. The work of the Burns commission will be important in enabling us to do that in this part of south-east Wales.

I'm very pleased that the Welsh Government has now removed the protected route for the M4 relief road, because I know that is crucial in terms of the protection that the Gwent levels need and for sustainable development on those Gwent levels. I'm very pleased to be chairing a working group that's looking at how we take forward community development, environmental protection and biodiversity on those very precious levels. Some really good work has been done by the Living Levels partnership, and that will have a legacy for the future. It has really built a good base of community activity on the levels, working with the local authorities, Natural Resources Wales and business. That will stand us in good stead as we take forward the work that will produce the sustainable legacy that will be so important for the future.

Of course, it's not just the Gwent levels that are crucial in terms of what we need to see in terms of challenging the damage that's been done to our climate and our environment. Lots of local issues have come to the fore in terms of air pollution, and that's so crucial to public health. We need, again, to see that modal shift if we are going to really improve the quality of our air for health and environmental benefit around Newport. That's why I am very, very pleased that the Welsh Government has committed the funding that it has to active travel, because that's a really important part of the overall equation, in terms of improving air quality and meeting these challenges of modal shift.

I know that many aspects of Welsh Government policy are driving in the right direction around this. One aspect of that is the default 20 mph speed limit for our inner urban roads, because, again, that will enable us to get traffic off the road, to improve road safety, to get more people cycling and walking, and, indeed, more children playing outside their homes and more elderly people walking. Because they can do that with greater safety, it then really creates greater community engagement and community spirit for the benefit of everyone.

I really want to see the delivery unit, now set up underneath the Burns commission, driving forward with their recommendations with some good early action; to see the active travel investment being realised locally; to see those 20 mph speed limits in place as quickly as possible. And if we can do all of that and, you know, indeed, much more besides, we will be making the sort of progress that we need to see in Wales if we are serious about meeting the challenges of climate change: tackling air pollution; creating a better environment; dealing with congestion on our roads and enabling people to get to where they need to be more quickly, safely and efficiently. Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd.