, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 3
And the explanatory memorandum suggests somewhere between £40 and £80. I'd go for higher, myself, as it seems to be such a useless use of resources.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 3
Well, because we're talking about fixed penalties.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 3
Okay, all right. So, really, we're talking about—. I mean, presumably your traffic parking enforcers would easily be able to take on these additional duties, yes.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 3
It still doesn't stop people doing it at the moment.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 3
Thank you, Tom. Does any other witness want to add?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 3
Tom.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 3
I just want to move on to stationary idling offences. This seems to be a bit more of a no-brainer. I wanted to know first of all whether and how enforcement of idling offences is currently undertaken.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 3
Okay. So, the collaborative arrangements already exist, to be sharing that data, given that the pollutants come from outside your area just as much as inside.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 3
I did want to just come in on what it is that we don't know enough about that we need to innovate on. I'm interested in these nitrogen oxide tubes that can be moved around, but, as we know from research that's been done and submitted by Healthy Air Cymru, 38…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 3
So, is that an argument for having more ambitious targets, then?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 3
Okay. Obviously, the Healthy Air Cymru alliance are saying that, if we look at the 2019 data in relation to the WHO 2021 guidelines, 100 per cent of Welsh care homes, all hospitals, all GPs and schools are in areas where the levels are currently too high…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 3
I just wanted to say that the Minister's explanation is that it's not yet known whether it's possible to achieve the WHO guidelines everywhere across Wales, and how and by when this could be achieved. So, there clearly is—. Mr Manning, you alluded to the fact…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 3
Okay. Ian.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 3
Yes. So, the Welsh Labour programme for government explicitly stated that the targets that would be set would be consistent with WHO guidance, and this has now been amended so that this not on the face of the Bill. And I wanted to find out what you think the…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 3
Okay. But it's also local authorities who are collecting information.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 3
Okay. I'm sorry. Apologies.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 3
Okay. So, is that data gathering going on at the pace required, given that the WHO advice, guidance, is now to halve the PM2.5?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 3
Okay. As you're obviously involved in this, to what extent is a lack of data a barrier to actually setting the targets?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 3
Of course, local authority boundaries are an irrelevance at one level. The evidence we had from Healthy Air Cymru, in the previous session, reminds us that UK agriculture is responsible for 38 per cent of particulate pollution in Leicester, 32 per cent in…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 3
Okay. Obviously, we're in the context of a public health emergency in relation to air pollution. The Minister argues that, setting targets for other pollutants, other than PM2.5, wouldn't be possible in the short term because of a lack of data. Could you…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 3
Tom.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 3
Thank you for that expert reflection. So, other than for PM2.5, the power for the Welsh Ministers to set targets is discretionary. I'd welcome your views on this. Is this ambitious enough, not ambitious enough? And if not ambitious enough, should the Bill…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 3
Okay. I see Steven nodding.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 3
Okay, don't worry, that's fine. Anybody else? The gentleman at the top left; I'm afraid I can't read your nameplate.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 3
Yes. What are your views on the Welsh Government's decision to set air quality targets in regulations, subsequently, rather than on the face of the Bill?
