1. What action is the Welsh Government taking to encourage greener transport? OQ56949

Thank you for the question. Our strategy for encouraging greener transport is clearly set out in 'Llwybr Newydd: the Wales Transport Strategy 2021', which reiterates our determination to achieve more active travel, greater use of public transport and low-emission vehicles, and creating closer links between land-use planning and transport in line with the clean air plan for Wales.

Thanks, Deputy Minister. I have a feeling you enjoyed that question. Surveys by the Federation of Small Businesses in Wales show that many firms are looking to adopt electric vehicles in the next five to 10 years, which is great news. However, at present, the cost of electric vehicles and the lack of charging infrastructure are key barriers to businesses wishing to decarbonise transport. This cost runs the risk of leaving small businesses out of the EV system, whereas larger organisations may have greater resources to include this new technology in their working environments. What plan do you have, Deputy Minister, to incentivise the shift to electric vehicles by introducing tax incentives or scrappage schemes as has happened previously?

Thank you for the important question, and clearly we’re in a transition from the internal combustion engine to electric cars, and the UK Government have said that, by the end of the decade, you won’t be able to buy petrol or diesel cars. So, this is a scheme that we’ll need to work closely with the UK Government on, because as to your question on scrappage schemes and tax incentives, that is clearly something that the UK Government needs to be doing. It’s not something that we have the ability to do. But there are a range of things that we can do and, working with local authorities, we’re about to publish our electric vehicle charging action plan in the coming weeks, and that sets out a series of practical things that we are doing.

In terms of the point about the affordability of the vehicles and the availability currently of the infrastructure, clearly, we’re at the first wave of development. They’re expensive because they’re brand-new cars. There is yet not a second-hand car market developed, so, over time, that clearly will change. In terms of the charging infrastructure, Wales has got about 2 per cent of electric vehicles and we’ve got about 3.5 per cent of the public charging infrastructure. So, as that demand curve sharpens, as it is showing increasing signs of doing, we clearly need to increase the charging infrastructure. That’s something that’s going to be led by the private sector. The Government doesn’t provide petrol stations; I don’t expect it to be providing electric charging at scale. What we should be focusing on is looking at where the market is going to be failing, particularly for rural areas, just as we have with broadband, and taking an outside-in approach. So, we absolutely have a role to play, but it’s a role to play with many others.

Could I first of all welcome the investment in that charging infrastructure that we’re now going to see within the Bridgend area, which is £450,000 being invested in kerbside parking charging facilities? That is really welcome. But would the Minister agree with me that, actually, greener transport is also tied up with what we do with moving people into active transport as well? And would he welcome the fact that the cross-party group, which I have the privilege of chairing and which many Members here are on, with the active travel group, will be launching next Tuesday in Penyrheol school in Gorseinon, with the headteacher and with the pupils there, the toolkit for schools to move to active travel? Because that's the secret not only to children moving to cycling and walking to school, but also their parents not driving their children to school as well, and choosing to walk with them and to find alternative means. So, it's lifting cars off the road as well as moving to electric cars.

I think that's an absolutely central point—we don't want simply to transfer the existing fleet of cars from petrol and diesel over to electric; we want fewer cars on the road, for all sorts of reasons that cars cause harm. But we want to give people choice, and we can do that by providing electric car clubs—something I'm very keen on—with communities having easy access to a car club so they don't need to own multiple cars in the family. But also, we're looking at shifting—. This is what modal shift is about—moving from cars to others, public transport and, for local journeys, active travel.

And I must commend Huw Irranca-Davies for the work and leadership he's shown through the active travel group. For newer Members, who are still getting to grips with cross-party groups, I would say the cross-party group on active travel is among the most effective, and that is in large part because of the cross-party buy-in, the fact that it brings groups from around Wales together, and then for the close relationship Huw Irranca-Davies has with the Government, feeding that challenge through to Ministers to try and get change. And I'm very pleased that you are launching the toolkit for schools, because, clearly, disrupting the current pattern of journeys to school is an essential part of achieving modal shift, and I wish him luck with that launch.