3. Statement by the Minister for Climate Change: The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:52 pm on 21 March 2023.

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Photo of Delyth Jewell Delyth Jewell Plaid Cymru 2:52, 21 March 2023

Diolch, Gweinidog. There is a lot to welcome in this statement, and this is a really important day. I really would welcome this from the Government. I will go on to say a little bit more about how urgently necessary this is, but I would firstly press the Government a little more on why the name of the Bill has changed. I appreciate the point that the Minister has made, that the scope of the Bill is so much wider. The reason I'm asking this is because, when the commitments were made about a clean air Act specifically, there's an argument that that would have been very self-explanatory, it would have been clear for the public to understand when public buy-in is so important, and it would have sent that clear signal. So, in that context, that's why I'm asking why it's changed. Perhaps the Government would wish us to look at this Bill as Juliet does a rose, and ask, 'What's in a name? Surely a Bill by any other name would deal with smells and pollution as potently as would a clean air Bill.' But I would still pursue this question, because the expectation surrounding the legislation was specifically about clean air, which is something that everyone can understand. So, I'd like to know a little more, if possible, please, about the decision-making process about the change and whether any consultation has been undertaken about how that could affect public engagement and what might be done to mitigate that, if so. Because we all want to avoid any thorns in the rose bush, of course, and the sting that could come from the legislation not having the changes in behavioural patterns that we all have to see, because that change is so urgently needed, as we've heard.

Roughly 2,000 people in Wales die prematurely, before their time, every year because of dirty air. The toll that heavy industry has taken on our communities from coal to steel is clear to see in the high rates of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other diseases—they affect our lungs, they choke our breath. Exposure to air pollution is associated with higher rates of problems when babies are born—this is what I find most awful about this—like low birth weight, pre-term births, higher miscarriage rates, even the incidence of diabetes and problems with neurological development in children. Air pollution is associated with causing cancer, even exacerbating mental health problems. Again, this is why this is an important day. Yes, I've got questions and I've got some issues that I'd like to raise, but the fact that we are taking action on this cannot be overstated as to how important this really is. It's so often the poorest communities who suffer most. This isn't only an environmental and public health issue; it's a question of social justice. So, I'd like to ask you, Minister, how measures to reduce air pollution will be targeted at the areas that most need that support. Thinking, for example, of the Afan valley, which is affected by the toxic fumes coming in from Port Talbot, I know average speed cameras have been installed on the M4 through Port Talbot and air-quality readers have been put in place, but toxic clouds do sometimes still get released. Or thinking of Hafodyrynys, much closer to where I live, houses were demolished because of air pollution, but that same monitoring isn't happening everywhere. There could be other Hafodyrynyses in the Valleys that we don't know about, so any more details you could give us in addition to what's in the statement, I'd be grateful, please.

I would echo some of the concerns of the British Heart Foundation that the Bill doesn't include everything that was promised in the clean air plan, like commitments to reduce harmful fine particulate matter pollution or PM2.5. Could you address the rise in PM2.5 that's linked to domestic burning in relation to this, please, Minister, and would you commit to reducing it in line with World Health Organization guidelines?

I would echo what's been said in praise of Joseph Carter, and some of the questions that have been posed by Asthma and Lung UK. Some of this has definitely been covered in the statement. If there's anything further you can say, Minister, on this, and whether the Bill will bring national and local air pollution monitoring together, whether guidance will be made available on clean air low emission zones, when that will be published—. And again, I appreciate some of this has been covered, but most pressingly, in the time that I have left, Minister, could you please give us some clarity on how the effect of this Bill will be measured, how it will protect our health and environment, and what benefits will come from having a statutory duty to promote awareness about the effects of air pollution, which, again, is something that so important, and I really, really welcome the fact that that's included? Because it isn't all about a name; there is so much here that there is to welcome, and I would echo what's been said: I hope that we as a Senedd can work in a cross-party way to ensure that this Bill is as strong as is needed and that it does get the results that we so desperately need to see. So, diolch yn fawr iawn, Gweinidog, and to your team for your work on this.