The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill was laid before the Senedd on 20 March 2023. This is five years after the First Minister announced he would bring forward a piece of legislation on the matter.
Commenting ahead of the Stage 3 Debate of the Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes), Welsh Conservative Shadow Climate Change Minister, Janet Finch-Saunders MS said:
“Labour have been pushing through a toothless bill which does nothing to hold them to account on improving clean air in Wales. Let’s not forget this has been promised for years by the First Minister and now that it’s here it’s nothing but a damp squib, full of meaningless targets.
“It also reveals Labour’s true hand with the introduction of road charging for Wales.
“We have pushed hard on this bill to scrap road charging and to introduce the Office for Air Quality protection so that Labour can’t avoid scrutiny when it comes to delivering on clean air.”