, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Climate Change: Nature, biodiversity and local places for nature
Thank you very much, Mike. I do agree entirely with you. One of the things that we are aiming to do in advance of COP is look to see what we can do to assist people to plant trees, emphasising the right tree in the right place. So, for people lucky enough to…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Climate Change: Nature, biodiversity and local places for nature
Yes, thank you, Delyth. You were trying to tempt me, I know, only very recently, to agree to the 30x30 target, so I knew you'd be very pleased that we are committing to it today. I'm very sorry I couldn't do it when you were asking me to do it slightly…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Climate Change: Nature, biodiversity and local places for nature
I'll just start from where Janet finished and say that, of course, we're willing to work together with the UK Government if only they were willing to work with us. Janet mentioned a few of the investments she says that they have made but, of course, they're…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Climate Change: Nature, biodiversity and local places for nature
Diolch, Llywydd. The natural environment in Wales underpins our well-being. Access to nature and taking action with others to care for nature benefits our mental health. The connection we have in Wales to our land and waters runs deep in our culture. It makes…
, Plenary
Legislative Consent Motion on the Environment Bill
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Just to start by thanking Members for their considered, wide-ranging comments and observations on the LCM today. As I said in my opening remarks, this Bill does allow us to progress our ambitious programme for government…
, Plenary
Legislative Consent Motion on the Environment Bill
Amendments to the Environment Bill by the UK Government required a supplementary legislative consent memorandum, laid on 3 September. I am grateful to the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee for their consideration of the supplementary memorandum…
, Plenary
Legislative Consent Motion on the Environment Bill
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I move the motion. I thank the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee and the Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee for considering the legislative consent memoranda. I am sorry the full six weeks usually…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Environment Bill: scrutiny of the Minister for Climate Change
Yes, yes. So, I think, probably, Joyce, Chair, it would be better if we gave you a bit of a guide as to which bits of what legislation some pieces of this are. Eifiona has provided me with a very comprehensive brief on where water issues sit, and I think…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Environment Bill: scrutiny of the Minister for Climate Change
So, Joyce, do you mean in terms of safer bathing waters and matters like that?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Environment Bill: scrutiny of the Minister for Climate Change
Joyce, I think it would have been helpful if they had accepted that this is an environmental protection piece, and that environmental protection is devolved, and therefore it's ours to do. They don't accept that. Their argument is that this is a matter of…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Environment Bill: scrutiny of the Minister for Climate Change
Okay. So, this has been quite contentious all the way through. We've argued, the truth is, with DEFRA about whether this is or isn't in the competence of the Welsh Ministers, and DEFRA have rejected our argument and maintain that our consent is not required…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Environment Bill: scrutiny of the Minister for Climate Change
Forgive me, Joyce, you broke up on my—. I don't know if it's my fault or yours, but I didn't hear the beginning of your question.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Environment Bill: scrutiny of the Minister for Climate Change
Eifiona's smiling at me, so I think I'm on the right lines there.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Environment Bill: scrutiny of the Minister for Climate Change
But that's the pricing review and a number of other things rather than this Act that I think you're—
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Environment Bill: scrutiny of the Minister for Climate Change
So, this Bill isn't affecting that, Jenny. One of the big issues we'll have to tackle—and I'm sure the committee will help the Government to do this—is we have to look at the price review that is going on for the next—. So, what we have to do is make sure…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Environment Bill: scrutiny of the Minister for Climate Change
I think that's more of a political answer, to be fair to Eifiona.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Environment Bill: scrutiny of the Minister for Climate Change
Short.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Environment Bill: scrutiny of the Minister for Climate Change
Well, let's get Eifiona to go through some of the complicated provisions for that.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Environment Bill: scrutiny of the Minister for Climate Change
So, Jenny, this is an immensely complicated part of the Bill, and Eifiona, I know, would take up an hour and a half of your time in going through all of the various details of it. So, just in general, these provisions are intended to update the Water Act…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Environment Bill: scrutiny of the Minister for Climate Change
No, none whatsoever, Huw. It's just a vehicle for getting some of these controls in place faster than we otherwise would be able to. So, it's not, it doesn't—. It neither speeds up nor delays the clean air Bill.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Environment Bill: scrutiny of the Minister for Climate Change
So, this is quite a complicated answer, Huw, and committee, sorry, but just bear with me because the different clauses do different things. So, clause 71 and Schedule 11 relate to the national air quality strategy, which is a UK strategy, and we did not…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Environment Bill: scrutiny of the Minister for Climate Change
If the committee wants to explore whether it can put some pressure on the UK Government in that regard, then I'd be more than happy to co-operate, and we're very happy to work with you, Llyr, on working out the best way to do this for Wales. We all want to do…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Environment Bill: scrutiny of the Minister for Climate Change
Llyr, I'm really happy to co-operate with that because we have a number of things to work through in making sure we get this in the optimal position. Also, I'm trying not to be political about this at all, but it would be very useful if the UK Government were…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Environment Bill: scrutiny of the Minister for Climate Change
So, Janet, on that—and Chair, on that—consumer power is a great thing here as well; it's not all about Government action. Tell your supermarket that you're not going to buy their products if they're wrapped in plastic. That really does work. So—
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Environment Bill: scrutiny of the Minister for Climate Change
We're just committed to exploring the use of the new charging powers at the moment. So, I'm not in a position to tell you one way or the other, Janet. We're exploring the possibilities. The point about a charge, as we all know from the single-use carrier…
