7. How is the Minister working with the Minister for Climate Change to increase active travel to schools and colleges? OQ58925

We want to enable more children to walk, scoot and cycle to school. We are supporting this through incorporating active travel into the appraisal of new schools and colleges funded through the sustainable communities for learning programme and by funding walking and cycling improvements through our active travel fund and the Safe Routes in Communities grant each year.

That's really good to hear. We've got a lot more work to do, I know, but Cefn Cribwr Primary School were in today and I asked them, 'How many of you scoot, walk or cycle to school?' and nine out of 10 hands went up. It's really great to see, and if we could only replicate that across every primary school. But, because of the climate crisis, because of the health and well-being challenges affecting our young people, because of air pollution and congestion problems at peak time, we really need to use that sustainable transport hierarchy—so, active travel first, but then public transport, buses. I want to ask you, Minister, in addition to the push for active travel, as part of the review into school and college transport that is currently ongoing, are you looking at the issue of the 3-mile limit—whether it should be 3 miles, 2 miles or whatever, or do we leave it to the discretion of local authorities? But also, are you looking at other models, such as those that they use in Finland and elsewhere, where you actually give young people, from a very young age, actually, vouchers or passes that they use for regular scheduled bus transport? We have to have the regular scheduled buses as well. That develops autonomy and independence in them as well as actually giving them that lifelong habit of using public transport as well as scooting, cycling or walking. Are you looking at those options?

That's a really important question, and thank you for it. I think the distance threshold, as the Member was referring to in his question, is important. It's a key issue, but that's one of a number of considerations in the area of home-to-school transport. That now accounts for a quarter of all local authority direct spending on education, and it's going up. So, it's a significant call on public funds, and we must make sure those funds are spent in the best possible way to make sure we get our kids to school. But it's part of a broader programme of work, and the Deputy Minister is listening as attentively as I am to the Member's question. That's partly about improving operator provision and better aligning transport with other wider policy aims. I think we're all agreed that what needs to happen isn't just a tweak to the Measure, but something probably much more ambitious than that. The Government's published a White Paper, as the Member will know, which sets out an ambitious vision for transforming bus services generally in Wales. I think it's pretty clear—and I know the Deputy Minister for Climate Change also feels very strongly—that looking at home-to-school transport entirely separately from the broader bus network doesn't make sense at all. So, the kind of thing that the Member has referred to in his question, certainly personally, I would be very interested in looking at.

Minister, it's a fact that fewer than half of children walk or cycle to school. Research shows that the encouragement of active travel to school is hampered by issues related to the amount of traffic outside school gates. I've always supported 20 mph speed limits outside schools to help keep our children safe, but some councils in Wales have gone further, introducing 'school streets', where roads directly outside school gates are close to non-resident traffic during drop-off and pick-up times. This seems to me to be a sensible way of encouraging pupils to walk or cycle to school. So, what discussion have you had, Minister, with ministerial colleagues and others about encouraging local authorities all across Wales to adopt this approach to help keep our pupils safe and healthy going forward?

We encourage each local authority to do that, and we provide some funding support in order for that to happen as well. I agree with what the Member says—it's really important that we create the environment around a school that facilitates active travel as well as setting the regulatory expectation. Setting the framework is one thing, but finding ways in which to make a difference on the ground is really what will make that practical difference, so I really commend those authorities that are making those decisions.

I thank the Minister.