, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 2
It's both. Right. Thank you. I thought it was just—. Okay. Is that set out in the related legislation?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 2
This is an 'Is it just me?' question: what is idling? Is it when a school bus driver parks outside, discharges the whole of their cohort and it takes five minutes? Or is it when a parent is sitting outside on a cold winter's day for 15 minutes, engine…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 2
Great.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 2
But, as you've made clear, this is for air quality purposes on trunk roads only. I guess what I'm saying is, to be explicit: do you foresee a situation where the Welsh Government sits with local authority leaders and says, 'Well, actually, you're trying to do…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 2
Thank you. A short supplementary to Jenny's point there. We are unique now, in England and Wales, at having no congestion charging, no ultra low emission zone, et cetera, et cetera, despite some of the standout congestion that we have in some of our major…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 2
That's great. Thank you.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 2
And when will we see any results of that work, do you know?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 2
This links, of course, to the earlier discussion we had on where the duties lie and what we're actually monitoring as well, and what we want to set targets for, because, obviously, if you were to introduce other things, beyond what's described currently in…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 2
Thanks very much, Chair. One of the criticisms we've heard of the current approach is that it focuses on hotspot areas of air quality. What does this Bill do to make it more comprehensive in the way it tackles air quality across all parts of Wales, including…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 1
Yes.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 1
Does it enhance the ability of a citizen to bring a challenge?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 1
Is there anything that weakens this, in the post-EU landscape, within this Bill? Is there anything within this Bill that weakens the ability of a citizen to bring that challenge?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 1
So, as the Bill is currently framed, what is your legal opinion of how a citizen would use this Bill and the targets, as they're currently framed, subject to anything that comes forward from this committee, to actually challenge the Welsh Government on any…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 1
Which does bring us back to what's on the face of the Bill and what are, to pick up Roger Herbert's point earlier on, statutory targets as opposed to discretionary targets.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 1
It's a tiny follow-up on that that goes beyond the local incidents of air pollution and into the ability of a citizen to challenge the Government. This could go back to the earlier conversation as well about the multiple streams of work you've got going on on…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 1
And even people who harvest their own.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 1
Including with sellers as well as—
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 1
There is.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 1
Please put that in writing as well.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 1
Right.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 1
Could I then just, Chair, in that, dispose of the other thing that was on my mind, which was the parallel piece of work that you've been doing on domestic burning? A lot of people have been saying, 'Why doesn't it feature in this Bill?' You may have some…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 1
And you’ve done that sort of mapping already.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 1
—on the basis of that data coming in, how you would then rectify it in terms of either statutory targets, regulations—existing ones—for each one, for each item.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 1
And you must have an idea already, then—
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 1
A really short supplementary on that. Is there any way practically that you can also scope out in your current mind’s view how you are then going to introduce these other targets in other areas, the ones that you’ve said, ‘Well, we’re not quite ready'? Some…
