The cabinet secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies MS has appointed ten independent expert advisors to sit on the Welsh government’s Clean Air Advisory Panel (CAAP).

The CAAP has been providing evidence-based advice and recommendations to the government on air quality matters in Wales since 2020, helping to underpin the decision making of Welsh ministers.

It aims to inform the government’s understanding of airborne pollution in Wales, supporting the development of policies to drive improvements in air quality in Wales. 

Membership of the CAAP consists of multi-disciplinary policy makers, academics and air quality and public health practitioners.

The government’s current national air quality strategy, the Clean Air Plan for Wales: Healthy Air, Healthy Wales, was published in 2020. It sets out wide-ranging actions to improve air quality in Wales. The Welsh Government is committed to developing more granular air quality evidence and supplementing existing information to support policy and legislative development in Wales. The advice of the CAAP supports the delivery of this work.

The appointed new members bring an extensive range of expertise, knowledge and experience with them.

These include Dudley Shallcross (Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry, University of Bristol), Dr James Heydon (Assistant Professor in Criminology, University of Nottingham), and Prof. Gavin Shaddick (pro-vice chancellor and head of College of Physical Sciences and Engineering, University of Cardiff).