The Local Air Quality Grants Scheme

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:24 pm on 23 April 2024.

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Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 2:24, 23 April 2024

I think there are two broad points to mention. The first is that the decision made by Steve Barclay is simply for England. He decided not to carry on funding local air quality management scheme support in England. That would have been £6 million in England that is now not going to happen because he's scrapped the scheme. Actually, what we're doing in Wales with the £1 million that Huw Irranca-Davies has decided to invest in this area does mean that we're going to carry on the support. The contrast, I think, is that if in Wales we had gone ahead with a scheme of a similar size to the £6 million in England, then it would have been an approximate two-thirds reduction in the scheme that we're undertaking. So, actually, the level of support here in Wales is significantly better even if England had gone ahead with the scheme that it has.

We recognise the environmental health and well-being benefits that improved air quality can deliver. We recognise we have really challenging spots in different communities in Wales. This is about how we'll support communities and local authorities to try and make a real difference and to then understand the broader action we need to take countrywide. So, I do believe that there is a more positive future for us, a future that looks at air quality, that looks at the future of our economy, that looks at the future of transport. Our journey to net zero is an important one for us in environmental health terms, and I believe—and you'll hear later today from the economy and energy Secretary—actually, a future that looks for more investment and more opportunities in a genuinely sustainable economy.