, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 5
Thanks, Delyth. Yes, go ahead, Joyce.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 5
Okay, thank you very much. Delyth, over to you to take us on, please.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 5
Thank you very much for that. I wonder, before we go on to Delyth to take us into another area, could I just ask: beyond the traditional approach of dealing with noise pollution, and on the positive aspect of looking at soundscapes, and quality of…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 5
Please go ahead, Peter.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 5
That's great. That's really good to hear. And it's worth flagging that, in pretty much all of our evidence sessions with witnesses over the last couple of weeks, there has been broad welcome of the fact that soundscapes are appearing within it. But you've…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 5
Right, okay. Peter and Stephen.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 5
And that engagement now continues, Rosie, as well.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 5
Okay. We'll get into some of the detail of that and what should be on the face of the Bill and what should be following in guidance and regulations as well, as we go through this session. Could I ask whether you were involved, any of you, in the development…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 5
That's great, thank you. And I can see Stephen is nodding as well.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 5
Thank you, Rosie. Peter and Stephen, do you want to add anything to that in terms of levels of ambition?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 5
Go ahead.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 5
Welcome back to this session of the Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee. I've taken over for the rest of our sessions today now as an interim Chair, as Llyr has had to leave us. So, I'll try and ensure good continuity, but do bear with…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 5
Good morning. Welcome back to this session.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 4
Thanks, everyone. Chair, back to you.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 4
Thanks, Josh. Chris.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 4
That's great. You don't all need to answer on this, but any other views? Josh. And then Chris.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 4
Go on, Christine.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 4
Okay. There's something about, 'We got three different answers.' No, no, two different answers then. Finally, just asking you on monitoring, current arrangements for monitoring and reporting air quality data, have you got any views on any gaps? What changes…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 4
Okay. Christine.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 4
Okay, listen, that's fine. Chair, time is going on here, but can I just ask a quick 'yes' or 'no' on this question? Do you feel that there should be consultation prior to setting targets set as a requirement on this Bill? It's just a 'yes' or 'no'. Chris…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 4
But you could simply put a reference on the face of the Bill to WHO guidance and then put the ability to revoke as well, because you'd be changing it with reference to WHO guidance.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 4
Okay. Christine, I don't know if you've got anything to add to that, but I'm going to play devil's advocate in asking you if you've got any further response, which is to say that the Minister would say, with some fair justification, that you don't bolt the…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 4
Okay, thank you. Okay, I'm going to rattle through a couple of others so that we can get on to other areas, but could I ask you for your views—let's start with Christine and Josh—on the power that Ministers are suggesting that they can revoke or lower…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 4
Okay, thank you. Chair, are we doing okay on time? A couple of other questions? How are we doing?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 4
So, if Ministers were to argue back to you, 'Well, look, we can refer to the WHO guidelines in our own guidance'—words on record and so on—what would your response be to that?
