Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Social Justice – in the Senedd at 1:37 pm on 1 March 2023.
Thank you for that question. I would like to refer to the comments that were made by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change when he gave his statement last week. He did say, and we recognise, that as people drive more, fewer people use public transport, resulting in fewer services being viable, leaving people with even fewer alternatives. And this, in terms of tackling poverty and inequality, disproportionately disadvantages women and people on low incomes. We know, from the data, that they're the most dependent on public transport. And we know that people are often forced into being dependent on running a car to access work, and it can be punitive in terms of that cost. So, we need to make sure that we are making that change that will stop doing the same thing over and over, because it's not working, and we need to invest in real, sustainable alternatives—and, of course, that is rail, bus, walking and cycling projects—if we are to reach net-zero targets. This is about tackling climate change after all. It's the huge commitment that, across the Chamber, but led by the Welsh Government, we want to achieve.