Banning single use plastics like straws and cutlery, and cleaning up Wales' air - just two the laws the Welsh Government will pursue this year. First Minister Mark Drakeford has laid out the five Bills that will be introduced in the second year of this government.
They are:
- A Bill on Single Use Plastics
- A Clean Air Bill
- An Agriculture Bill
- A Bill on Infrastructure Consenting
- A Bill on Coal Tip Safety
A Bill on single use plastics will ban or restrict the sale of commonly littered items, such as plastic straws and cutlery, some of the most commonly littered single-use plastics in Wales.
Mr Drakeford also told the Senedd this will support the Welsh Government's ongoing legal challenge to the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020. "In the current litigation, brought by the Counsel General, the court has indicated it would find it helpful to consider a practical example, in the form of a piece of Senedd legislation, against which it can test the issues under consideration. This Bill will provide that practical example, and in that context we will be seeking the agreement of Business Committee to expedite the scrutiny of the Senedd on this Bill."
A Clean Air Bill will introduce ambitious targets and regulations to reduce emissions and improve air quality. The First Minister said this was a "significant priority for this Government".
"We want to build on action already under way to reduce emissions and deliver vital improvements in air quality, supporting healthier communities and better environments," he said.
The inclusion of this Bill was welcomed by campaigners. Joseph Carter, Chair of Healthy Air Cymru and Head of Asthma + Lung UK Cymru, said: "It's put us on the next step towards our cleaner, greener future. When we look back, we will see this Clean Air Bill as a truly historic moment. Our children and grandchildren will not believe how dirty and polluting our air was, and why we put up with it for so long. No longer will air pollution be the silent killer, because we will have legislation and strict air quality limits which can be enforced, and that is something to celebrate."
An Agriculture Bill will reform support for Welsh agriculture, will have "an emphasis both on high quality and sustainable food production and rewarding farmers for the delivery of environmental and associated social outcomes".
A Bill on Infrastructure Consenting will "provide more certainty for communities and developers alike. The Bill will replace existing statutory regimes for the consenting of Welsh infrastructure projects, and it will rationalise the number of authorisations required to construct and operate a project into a single consent".
A Bill on Coal Tip Safety to improve the management of disused coal tips, protecting communities living in the shadow of these tips, as the risk of weather-related damage to them increases. Mr Drakeford said: "We will introduce a Bill on coal tip safety to establish a consistent approach to the management, monitoring and oversight of disused coal tips throughout Wales. This will protect those communities that bear the legacy of our industrial past, as well as support critical infrastructure and the environment by reducing the likelihood of landslides." This has been the topic of an argument with the UK Government over who should pay for the remediation of coal tips in Wales. You can read that here.
The First Minister told MSs in the Senedd: "This Government is committed to creating a fairer, greener and stronger Wales. The establishment of a climate change portfolio was designed to make it easier to mobilise the main areas of devolved Government with the greatest impact in this area. There is a moral imperative that we make progress on this agenda and we will bring forward a number of Bills to make a series of important changes over the next 12 months."
He also detailed Bills which will go forward in the following year (2023-24).
- A Senedd Reform Bill which will be introduced early in the third year, taking forward the recommendations of the Special Purpose Committee on Senedd Reform, to create a modern Senedd, with greater capacity to scrutinise the Welsh Government, legislation and represent people throughout Wales
- A Bus Bill so all levels of government in Wales to work together to design bus networks that properly serve communities and help people move away from using their cars for every journey
- The government will also introduce a Bill on Local Government Finance in late 2023 to reform the way people in Wales pay council tax
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