5. What legal advice has the Counsel General provided to the Minister for Climate Change ahead of the decision to scrap several major road projects in north Wales? OQ59177

Thank you for your question. The Welsh Government’s response to the roads review panel’s report represents a major step forward in our commitment to tackling climate change. This is not the end of road building in Wales. We will still invest in roads, but only where they are the appropriate response to the transport problem.

Thank you. Now, according to the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, each public body must carry out sustainable development, which is the process of improving the economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being of Wales by taking action in accordance with the sustainable development principles aimed at achieving the well-being goals. Those goals, of course, include a prosperous Wales, a healthier Wales, a Wales of cohesive communities. Now, the decision that 19 schemes should not proceed, such as the Flintshire corridor improvement, A55 junctions 15 and 16, and the third Menai crossing, will no doubt harm the prosperity, the health and connectivity of communities right across north Wales. Effectively, the scrapping of key north Wales schemes does, in my opinion, show a lack of understanding by the Welsh Government of our infrastructure, our economy and our communities to the point that questions must be raised as to whether there has actually been a breach of the well-being of future generations Act. Counsel General, will you assess whether the Welsh Government's decision not to support major schemes in north Wales is a breach of this duty? Diolch.

Well, can I say that the issues that you have raised are a matter for the Minister with the portfolio responsibility to answer, but to confirm that, on 14 February, the Deputy Minister for Climate Change made an oral statement to the Senedd on the roads review report, the national transport delivery plan and our new roads policy statement. The report, plan and our response were published the same day, setting out how we deliver against the Wales transport strategy. Questions have been put, answers have been given, but I must stress that I think it's important that these matters are directed to the appropriate Minister with the appropriate portfolio responsibility.