24 May 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 1
So, a duty to consider whether a target needs to be set for something is probably a more practical way of looking at what we're doing, and that's why we ended up with a single-use plastics Bill—for exactly the same reason.
24 May 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 1
Yes. I'm not averse to having a look at the balance between powers and duties, but I think you have to sort of see it in the full landscape. So, what we're doing in this Bill is we're putting a duty on us to look at targets for PM2.5. PM2.5—I'm no technical…
24 May 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 1
So, it's not—. As I say, it's not intended to be an all-encompassing Bill; it's intended to give us duties and powers to do particular things in the clean air air quality space—the soundscape space as well, of course, which is new—and it sits inside a whole…
24 May 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 1
Yes. But, it's very important, I think, to understand that the Bill is not intended to be a be-all and end-all for everything to do with clean air. This is part of a suite of measures that we have in place, and it fills in a particular slot in that suite of…
24 May 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 1
One more go.
24 May 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 1
The translation has gone weird for a minute.
24 May 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence from the Minister for Climate Change: part 1
Diolch, Cadeirydd. I'll ask my officials to introduce themselves. I'm Julie James. I'm the Minister for Climate Change with responsibility for taking this Bill through the Senedd.
17 May 2023 , Plenary
Debate on the Local Government and Housing Committee Report—Homelessness
Senedd Members will be well aware of the Welsh Government's ambition to help end homelessness across Wales by making it rare, brief and unrepeated. It is absolutely vital that we have a shared understanding, not only of the Government's long-term ambition and…
17 May 2023 , Plenary
Debate on the Local Government and Housing Committee Report—Homelessness
Diolch, Llywydd. Firstly, I would also like to thank the committee for the opportunity to respond to this debate today. The report raises awareness of the critical issue of homelessness across Wales, and the recommendations put forward by the committee have…
17 May 2023 , Plenary
Debate on a Member's Legislative Proposal—High-rise building safety
I've made a commitment to work with developers to ensure fire safety defects are remediated at their cost. To this end, I wrote to over 50 of the UK's largest residential developers to ask them to confirm their position in Wales. All these developers have…
17 May 2023 , Plenary
Debate on a Member's Legislative Proposal—High-rise building safety
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd, and thank you for the opportunity to discuss once more the important issue of building safety in Wales, and so soon after the previous debate held on 22 March. My position has not changed: developers should indeed take responsibility…
16 May 2023 , Plenary
& 9. The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2023 and The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 (Amendment of Schedule 12 and Consequential Amendment) Regulations 2023
Diolch, Llywydd. Well, it's been an interesting set of remarks, not very many of which were directed towards these particular sets of regulations. I will try and do my best to clarify. I think, Janet Finch-Saunders, if you actually listened to what I was…
16 May 2023 , Plenary
& 9. The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2023 and The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 (Amendment of Schedule 12 and Consequential Amendment) Regulations 2023
Diolch, Llywydd. The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2023 make necessary changes to the Rent Act 1977 in order to ensure housing law is coherent, following the coming into force of the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016…
15 May 2023 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill: Evidence Session with the Minister for Climate Change
Pleasure.
15 May 2023 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill: Evidence Session with the Minister for Climate Change
And so, again, we'd have the same problem. If you put too precise a definition on the face of the Bill, only to find that it's changed in the next four years, because this is definitely a moveable feast here, then we would have a real problem. Whereas, if…
15 May 2023 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill: Evidence Session with the Minister for Climate Change
So, I don't think there is, because I think this is an emerging body of law, isn't it?
15 May 2023 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill: Evidence Session with the Minister for Climate Change
As I said, this isn't a stand-alone Bill; it has to be read in conjunction with other things. 'Soundscape' is formally defined in 'Planning Policy Wales', and there's been a recent consultation draft of technical advice note 11, which I'm sure the committee…
15 May 2023 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill: Evidence Session with the Minister for Climate Change
But I don't think there's a widespread understanding. Genuinely, I don't think there's a widespread understanding of that. I think people think if you pick up wood that's fallen in your own garden and burn it, that's fine, and it isn't. So, I think there's a…
15 May 2023 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill: Evidence Session with the Minister for Climate Change
We already have a power to direct a local authority to create a smoke control area, if necessary, so we already have an existing power under the Clean Air Act 1993, as I understand it. If we mandated them, then all kinds of other issues then follow. If you…
15 May 2023 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill: Evidence Session with the Minister for Climate Change
No.
15 May 2023 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill: Evidence Session with the Minister for Climate Change
We don't have right this second any intention of introducing one, but we know of two places in Wales where there could well be an intention to make one in the next three to five years. That's the truth. We're currently monitoring those road sections very…
15 May 2023 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill: Evidence Session with the Minister for Climate Change
I do totally see the point you're making. I think where we're coming from is slightly—well, a lot—narrower than that.
15 May 2023 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill: Evidence Session with the Minister for Climate Change
We'd get into a can of worms if we started to—. I mean, road charging schemes for other purposes—and a whole series of other purposes, actually—are something that we may well consider in the future, but this is a kind of 'right now' issue, really, and if a…
15 May 2023 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill: Evidence Session with the Minister for Climate Change
So, we have deliberately limited it to air quality road charging schemes, and the financial provisions are limited to that as well. There's a scope argument there. There's the whole—
15 May 2023 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill: Evidence Session with the Minister for Climate Change
—not consulting sufficiently isn't one of them. We've got the power to designate various public bodies, and so on, in it who might work alongside us on this, and we've got other consultation requirements. What we didn't want to do is have another list of…
