Swansea East MS Welcomes Proposed New Laws To Help Transform Wales Into A Stronger, Greener And Fairer Country

Swansea East MS welcomes proposed new laws to help transform Wales into a stronger, greener and fairer country

Mike Hedges MS, Welsh Labour’s Members of the Senedd for Swansea East, has welcomed the announcement of proposed new laws from the Welsh Labour Government that have a clear focus on tackling climate change and protecting our environment.

In the Senedd chamber this week, Welsh Labour Leader and First Minister, Mark Drakeford, outlined the Welsh Government’s ambitious second year legislative programme that will help to shape the Wales of the future.

In the second year of this Senedd term, the Welsh Labour Government will bring forward five new bills. The proposed new Bills will help address climate change and support the environment.

They are:

• A Bill on Single Use Plastics which will ban or restrict the sale of commonly littered items, such as plastic straws and cutlery.
• A Clean Air Bill to introduce ambitious targets and regulations to reduce emissions and improve air quality.
• An Agriculture Bill to reform support for Welsh agriculture, focusing on sustainable food production and rewarding farmers who take action to protect the environment.
• A Bill on Infrastructure Consenting to simplify the process for agreeing major infrastructure projects, providing more certainty for communities and developers.
• 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.

Member of the Senedd for Swansea East, Mike Hedges, said:

“These new laws will benefit people right across <CON/REGION> in their daily lives – from delivering improvements in air quality, to banning the most commonly littered single use plastics and protect communities that bear the legacy of our industrial past.

“As a Welsh Labour MS, my focus will be on delivering this exciting legislative programme that is founded on our distinctively Welsh values for my constituents.”

The First Minister also looked further ahead to the start of the third year of this Senedd and signalled a number of other important Bills that will be brought forward.

These will include:

• A Senedd Reform Bill 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 will be brought forward to enable 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.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

The First Minister’s oral statement can be found here: https://record.assembly.wales/Plenary/12900#C440294