- 05/07/2016
- Posted by: Jayne Bryant MS
- Category: News
Air pollution in Newport West very much concerns me.
Today I asked the First Minister to keep European limits on air pollution for Wales.
There are firm European restrictions in place that set legally binding limits on the concentration levels of major air pollutants that effect public health, including pollutants like particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide. The EU legislation that covers this area is called the Ambient Air Quality Directive and was introduced in 2008. After the referendum result, this legislation will eventually no longer apply to the UK.
Speaking to the First Minister I said “European environmental protections must not be sacrificed. There is no doubt that we cannot afford a future UK Government to weaken these limits. Air pollution and climate change are serious issues, not just for this generation, but for future generations.
“Following the referendum result, will the Welsh Government do all that it can to enshrine these environmental protections and ensure that these rules are enforced?”
The First Minister replied, “It’s right to say that EU directives have driven much of our air-quality legislation and we will look at these on a case-by-case basis once we have agreed the negotiating position for our withdrawal.”
