, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Welsh Government roads review and funding for Wales' bus networks - scrutiny of the Deputy Minister for Climate Change
I think that's what's important about this initiative. We are taking existing Welsh Government strategy on planning, on net zero and transport, and trying to operationalise it sincerely, because it's too often the case that, where strategies are published…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Welsh Government roads review and funding for Wales' bus networks - scrutiny of the Deputy Minister for Climate Change
Thank you. I think it is a significant change, and there are significant cultural, practical and capacity barriers to doing this. This is not going to be easy. But I do think it is an exciting challenge, and I think Wales is one of the few countries fronting…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Well, I don't want to repeat the points I made about the relative priorities that we've jointly agreed—I think the record stands on that, and we as a Government stand behind it too. I'm simply pointing out there are consequences for other budgets. The…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Well, I understand those points, obviously. In terms of the relative priority of buses versus trains, clearly we need both. We need an integrated transport system. I think it’s wrong to characterise train users as somehow the privileged elite—that’s not the…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Well, as I’ve now explained several times, I’m not in a position to give any assurances beyond the extra three months that we have been able to negotiate. But I desperately hope we’ll be able to both come up with a transition plan, but really what we need is…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Thank you for that. I think that we do have the right long-term plans, both from the roads review to reallocate funding in the medium to long term, and the re-regulation of the bus industry. Our problem is a short-term one, and the Member rightly points out…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Well, I don't need any lectures on the importance of public transport and the vital role that buses play in rural areas. I really don’t see the point in flippant remarks about people not being able to cycle in rural areas. Who is suggesting that? So, let’s…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Well, let's just be clear; the major threat to the bus industry is Tory austerity. So, let's not get away from that fact, and I'm not going to let the party opposite shift the blame for the situation we are facing. It's their Government's economic policies…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Well, if only it were that simple, Presiding Officer. We certainly do have a plan for legislation, and we've consulted on that. We're working through the design of that now, and we hope to introduce it in the Senedd later this year, and we are working…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
We have a privatised bus system, as I've explained on many occasions, which is a legacy of Conservative privatisation in the 1980s, and we are living with the reality of that now, and it has failed—the business model has failed. There is market failure here…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Well, I think I've covered all those points in the answer to Delyth Jewell.
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Well, thank you for raising the question, because it is an issue that is concerning us greatly. Clearly, this is not a happy situation. We have a privatised bus network, which relies on commercial operators being able to make a profit. Clearly, the pandemic…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
An initial extension of three months gives the industry the stability it needs in the short term while we continue to work together with them and local government on planning bus networks that better suit the new travel patterns that we've seen since the end…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: The Roads Review and National Transport Delivery Plan
One of my great frustrations is how long everything takes in transport. One of the tensions we have is we have climate science that tells us that we need to act urgently, and we have systems that take forever. If only we could embrace some of the innovation…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: The Roads Review and National Transport Delivery Plan
Well, I know that Adam Price is committed to seeing this scheme through. The words in the transport plan are clear. They are the same words that we jointly agreed between our parties in the budget agreement. As I said earlier, we'll progress to the next step…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: The Roads Review and National Transport Delivery Plan
Thank you. Again, I appreciate you haven't had long to look at it, but I think you'll find in the national transport delivery plan there is mention of the scheme, that it will be subject to the test, like any other scheme is. And as you say, it is largely in…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: The Roads Review and National Transport Delivery Plan
In terms of the geographical spread, of the 17 schemes that are going ahead in the national transport delivery plan, five are in north Wales, five are in mid Wales, so I don't think the case that there's geographical bias here stands scrutiny. And I don't…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: The Roads Review and National Transport Delivery Plan
I'm not familiar with the detail of the example she quotes, but I would say in general the key finding—. One of the tests we've set for future road schemes is minimising the amount of embedded and embodied carbon that is involved. That implies that we'd use…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: The Roads Review and National Transport Delivery Plan
Well, I'm sure you've had a chance to look at—perhaps not in full yet—the reasons set out for the three schemes in the roads review. For example, on the Maes Gamedd road junction improvement on the A494, the review panel says that it 'should not proceed in…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: The Roads Review and National Transport Delivery Plan
Thank you. I understand Vikki Howells's position on this road, and she's been consistent in her campaigning for it. The roads review examined it, and they set out in detail in their report the reasons why they don't think it's compliant with the tests that it…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: The Roads Review and National Transport Delivery Plan
Well, as the Member knows, I've already agreed to meet with him and a delegation from Llanbedr to discuss the issue. I'm slightly gobsmacked by his claims of a lack of action, when we have been trying repeatedly to make progress with the local authority, who…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: The Roads Review and National Transport Delivery Plan
Well, I sincerely am sorry to burst your bubble, Janet. It is hard to keep up, I must say, because when we made the decision not to go ahead with the roundabout changes, you told me that you were in favour of the decision. You're now against the decision. So…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: The Roads Review and National Transport Delivery Plan
Of course, I agree with that, and I said earlier that we need to make the right thing to do the easiest thing to do. We need public transport to be on the doorstep for people to turn up and go. And one of the purposes of redirecting our roads pipeline is to…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: The Roads Review and National Transport Delivery Plan
Thank you for that, and it's a consistent position that Jane Dodds has taken on these issues, and I appreciate it. On the point of rural areas, which I know is something that the Conservatives have been raising too, I fully accept that, in rural areas, you…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: The Roads Review and National Transport Delivery Plan
Thank you.
