, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 7
Yes, and I hope I'm not overlapping on something that Jenny might come to now, and I don't want to put words into the Minister's mouth, but I suspect the Minister might well say that there's a valid point about incorporating these other aspects into it, but…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 6
That’s great. Any other thoughts you have on that as the detail proceeds—. Because it’s certainly come forward in evidence to us already that some of the benefits of better public planning policy on soundscapes could also be used to promote wider nature…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 6
Okay.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 6
Yes, Nadia supports that. Haf or Jenny?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 6
Do you see any potential positives here from the nature and biodiversity perspective of promoting positive ambient soundscapes?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 6
That’s brilliant, thank you. On soundscapes, really it’s just a broad question at this moment in time about your views on the provisions relating to soundscapes. We’ve heard some interesting evidence, so do you have any thoughts on this from an NRW…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 6
Is it on your register of interests?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 6
Right.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 6
Just very briefly—we're really up against time, I know—I just wondered, from an NRW perspective, do you see any changes to working arrangements that will impact on you as a result of the Bill, in terms of the local air quality management issues?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 6
Okay. If you have, amongst your members, any further detailed thoughts on how that might be addressed through this Bill, I think the committee would welcome receiving them.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 6
But you're specifically advocating in your suggestions for clean air zones for nature and rural ecological air quality management zones as well. Based on contributions earlier in this session, I understand the rationale for that, but is this the appropriate…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 6
Brilliant. Anybody else? Jenny, did you want to add anything to that?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 6
Thank you. I'm going to bundle some things together on local air quality management. What I'd like is to get your ideas as to how, currently, the regime around local air quality management is working and whether this Bill will provide progress there and…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 6
I wonder whether we could ask you to submit to us, after this session, any ideas you have on how that would practically happen and who would be the agents of disseminating that information amongst the farmers and the farming community and landowners. That…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 6
Good, okay. There’s no dissent from that, so I think we can probably—unless somebody wants to add anything. No, we can move on, then.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 6
That’s great, thank you. Could I just open up to all of our witnesses today the question about whether the duty to promote awareness about air pollution should be extended beyond the Welsh Government to the wider public sector? I can see you nodding, Haf. Do…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 6
Yes, really interesting. So, there's the reactive aspect of it, where there are significant issues with air pollution on any given period and any given day, but there's also the positive thing of promoting awareness of air pollution. Do you think we're close…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 6
Diolch, Cadeirydd. The Friends of the Earth submission there suggests that there should be more focus on being more prescriptive about the duty to promote awareness about air pollution. Can you expand on that a little bit? What would you like to see?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 6
And based on your arguments—sorry, Jenny—about things such as biodiversity and nature, it may not only be the WHO we need to be looking at, as well; it's other leading international setting of good standards [Inaudible.] the science is. Okay, thanks.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 6
Sorry, just to push back a little bit—I get what you're saying, but you could have that reference by something like 'have regard to' a law, and that's well understood legal terminology, although some would say that's slightly weaker, 'to have regard to'. But…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 6
On the WHO targets, you're looking, I suspect, for something that would set out that it has to be compliant with WHO targets as the science emerges as they change. There's a clear difference between that and 'having regard to'. The reason I flag that is that…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 6
Yes. Sorry, Jenny.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 6
Okay, thanks.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 6
Thanks, Jenny. I just wanted to clarify: are you looking for ammonia and nitrogen dioxide to be on the face of the Bill, but not with the target for them on the face of the Bill, to specific reference to them that targets must be set?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 6
No. If we get to it later, that's great. I'm interested to explore that issue of how you enhance nature and improve biodiversity, but hopefully we'll get it to later.
