Consultation display
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill
- This consultation has completed. It ran from Wednesday, 22 March 2023 to Friday, 28 April 2023
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Response to the consultation
Evidence submitted in response to this Consultation
- AQS 01 Healthy Air Cymru PDF 293 KB
- AQS 02 Asthma + Lung UK PDF 140 KB
- AQS 02a Asthma +Lung UK PDF 40 KB
- AQS 03 Public Health Wales PDF 92 KB
- AQS 04 Professor Enda Hayes PDF 63 KB
- AQS 04a Professor Enda Hayes PDF 44 KB
- AQS 05 Royal College of Physicians PDF 233 KB
- AQS 05a Royal College of Physicians PDF 39 KB
- AQS 06 Newport City Council PDF 126 KB
- AQS 07 Dr Victoria Jenkins PDF 184 KB
- AQS 07a Dr Victoria Jenkins PDF 35 KB
- AQS 08 Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) PDF 222 KB
- AQS 09 The Institute of Acoustics (IOA) PDF 233 KB
- AQS 10 Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health PDF 180 KB
- AQS 11 British Medical Association PDF 276 KB
- AQS 12 Welsh NHS Confederation (WNHSC) PDF 344 KB
- AQS 13 Wales Environment Link PDF 440 KB
- AQS 14 Living Streets PDF 187 KB
- AQS15 Individual PDF 90 KB
- AQS16 Abergavenny Bio-char PDF 421 KB View as HTML (20) 8 KB
- AQS17 Individual PDF 432 KB View as HTML (21) 13 KB
- AQS18 Individual PDF 90 KB
- AQS19 Acoustics Group of the Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering at University College London COPY PDF 432 KB View as HTML (23) 10 KB
- AQS 20 Individual PDF 86 KB
- AQS 21 Cardiff and Vale University Health Board PDF 86 KB
- AQS 22 Royal College of GPs Cymru Wales PDF 92 KB
- AQS 23 Electric Vehicle Association (EVA) Cymru PDF 163 KB View as HTML (27) 25 KB
- AQS 24 Individual PDF 84 KB
- AQS 25 Noise Abatement Society PDF 113 KB
- AQS 26 My World My Home Coleg y Cymoedd PDF 434 KB View as HTML (30) 9 KB
- AQS 27 Cross-Party Group on the Active Travel Act PDF 122 KB
- AQS 28 Stove Industry Association PDF 132 KB
- AQS 29 Individual PDF 85 KB
- AQS 30 Cycling UK PDF 102 KB
- AQS 31 Individual PDF 100 KB
- AQS 32 Road Haulage Association PDF 110 KB
- AQS 33 National Grid PDF 123 KB
- AQS 34 Individual PDF 436 KB View as HTML (38) 11 KB
- AQS 35 Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) PDF 161 KB
- AQS 36 Sustrans Cymru PDF 195 KB
- AQS 36a Sustrans Cymru PDF 52 KB
- AQS 37 Friends of the Earth Cymru PDF 186 KB
- AQS 38 Natural Resources Wales PDF 158 KB
Purpose of the consultation
Purpose of the consultation
The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill (PDF 218KB) (“the Bill”) has been referred to the Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee (“the Committee”) for Stage 1 scrutiny of the general principles of the Bill.
According to the Welsh Government, the overarching aim of the Bill is to bring forward measures that will contribute to improvements in the quality of the air environment in Wales and reduce the impacts of air pollution on human health, biodiversity, the natural environment and the economy. The Bill proposes to:
>>>>
>>> provide a framework for setting national air quality targets;
>>> amend existing legislation relating to the national air quality strategy; local air quality management; smoke control; clean air zones/low emission zones and vehicle idling;
>>> place a duty on Welsh Ministers to promote awareness of air pollution; and
>>> place a duty on Welsh Ministers to publish a national soundscape strategy.
<<<<
Further detail about the Bill can be found in its accompanying Explanatory Memorandum (PDF 2.0MB)
To help inform its scrutiny, the Committee is seeking views on the general principles of the Bill and the need for legislation to deliver the stated policy intention. In particular the Committee is seeking views on:
>>>>
>>> The general principles of the Bill and the need for legislation to deliver the stated policy intention;
>>> The Bill’s provisions, including whether they are workable and will deliver the stated policy intention:
>>> National air quality targets (sections 1 to 7)
>>> Promoting awareness about air pollution (section 8)
>>> National air quality strategy (sections 9 to 11)
>>> Air quality regulations (section 12)
>>> Local air quality management (sections 13 to 15)
>>> Smoke control (sections 16 to 18)
>>> Vehicle emissions (sections 19 to 21)
>>> National soundscapes strategy (sections 22 and 23)
>>> Strategic noise map and noise action plans (sections 24)
>>> General provisions (sections 25 to 28);
>>> Any potential barriers to the implementation of the Bill’s provisions and whether the Bill takes account of them;
>>> The appropriateness of the powers in the Bill for Welsh Ministers to make subordinate legislation (as set out in Chapter 5 of Part 1 of the Explanatory Memorandum);
>>> Whether there are any unintended consequences arising from the Bill; and
>>> The financial implications of the Bill (as set out in Part 2 of the Explanatory Memorandum).
Submitting your views
The Committee would like to invite you to submit written evidence to assist in its consideration of the Bill.
We would like you to submit your views by completing this online form.
A downloadable template is available for you to draft your response before submitting it, if you wish. However, please do not submit your response on that template via email. All responses should be submitted via the online form.
The closing date for submission to this consultation is 28 April 2023.
Please refer to the Bill page for further details and up-to-date information on the Bill.
The Senedd has two official languages, Welsh and English.
In line with the Senedd’s Official Languages Scheme, the Committee welcomes contributions in both or either of our official languages, and we ask organisations that are subject to Welsh Language standards or schemes to respond in line with their own obligations. Please inform the Committee when submitting responses if you intend to provide a translation at a later date.
Please see guidance for those providing evidence for committees.
Disclosure of
information
Please ensure that you have considered the Senedd’s policy on disclosure of information before submitting information to the Committee.
Contact details
Should you wish to speak to someone regarding this consultation, please use the below contact details:
Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Welsh Parliament
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff
CF99 1SN
Email: SeneddClimate@senedd.wales
Telephone: 0300 200 6565