Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:29 pm on 5 December 2017.
Hannah Blythyn
Labour
5:29,
5 December 2017
Diolch, Llywydd. Improving air quality is a key priority in the Welsh Government's national strategy, 'Prosperity for All', and it is likewise a key portfolio priority for me. Taking steps to improve our air quality contributes significantly to the Majority of the well-being goals in our future generations legislation and I'm firmly committed to taking forward action in this area. The need for urgent action is not just about compliance with the law, it's essential and the right thing to do for the health and well-being of our people and communities. There is not one single solution to the challenge, but there is a collective responsibility on all of us and a role for Government across the piece—local, UK and here in Wales. I hope to use today's debate to take forward the discussion on the cross-Government actions needed to improve the quality of our air in Wales.
The term "majority" is used in two ways in Parliament. Firstly a Government cannot operate effectively unless it can command a majority in the House of Commons - a majority means winning more than 50% of the votes in a division. Should a Government fail to hold the confidence of the House, it has to hold a General Election. Secondly the term can also be used in an election, where it refers to the margin which the candidate with the most votes has over the candidate coming second. To win a seat a candidate need only have a majority of 1.