, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Thank you for that. James, we'll move on to you, please.
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
We could carry on with this, but Rhys, take us on, because we could spend a lot of time just on that.
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
But you are diverting resources to help ease this through Whitehall.
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
You're into Donald Rumsfeld territory here now.
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
So, there is not a problem on capacity. The resources are there, the right skills are there—
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
There we are. Thank you. Rhys, before I bring you in, I wonder if I can ask you just two quick supplementaries before we move on to another area. One is that, during the last 12 months or so, one of the reasons that has been advanced to us at various times…
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Thank you, James.
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Thank you, Alun. Thank you, Counsel General. James, you wanted to come in on this.
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Well, crikey, there's the old adage about nobody would want to actually look in detail at how legislation is actually made—the sausage machine of it—and we have the sausage machine now operating at both ends of the M4, and not always talking to each other…
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
That's a very good explanation of how the Welsh Government needs to be fleet of foot and needs to be reactive to what is happening up the other end of the M4 in Whitehall, but where does it leave us, then, in terms of Welsh Government commitment? For example…
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
Thank you very much indeed. So, between all of you, and you, Counsel General, we should be able to cover quite a breadth of issues, and in some detail here today. Just for Members to note, we've had correspondence from the Counsel General and Minister for the…
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Scrutiny session with the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution
So, with all that said, we can go straight into the substantive item in front of us first of all this afternoon, which is our scrutiny session with the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution. You're very welcome here this afternoon. Thank you for…
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Introductions, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest
Prynhawn da. Croeso i chi i gyd. Welcome to this meeting in person of the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee. We'll introduce our guests in a moment, but first of all, just some housekeeping matters. As per normal, this is being broadcast on…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Minister and Deputy Minister for Climate Change - session 2
Okay.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Minister and Deputy Minister for Climate Change - session 2
Well, no it isn't. With respect, it isn't. Is the clean air legislation drafted to the extent where it could be brought forward if the First Minister said 'go'?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Minister and Deputy Minister for Climate Change - session 2
No, but my question wasn't that; my question was: on the clean air legislation—
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Minister and Deputy Minister for Climate Change - session 2
Can I just ask if the First Minister did say that that work should go ahead? Is it ready to go ahead?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Minister and Deputy Minister for Climate Change - session 2
Okay, and then that brings us back to the return. I'm wondering whether you think that coming back from this—. Sorry, whether following COP15, you will be in a position to legislate on domestic biodiversity targets, and if so, what would that look like in…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Minister and Deputy Minister for Climate Change - session 2
Okay, that's good. I mean, just to clarify, Chair, I know there will be negotiating positions that you will want to use to your advantage with working with like-minded partners out there when you get there to try and advance your cause, but I think what we'd…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Minister and Deputy Minister for Climate Change - session 2
At what point will you be able to share with the committee and with the Senedd as a whole what your negotiation position is, so that we can see those specifics, so that when you go out there, we can take a view as to whether that's robust enough?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Minister and Deputy Minister for Climate Change - session 2
I'm pleased to hear you talk about specifics there, and that's what I'm trying to get at a little bit here, because you seem to be suggesting that, beyond the broader ambitions of 30x30, beyond the broader ambitions of halting decline and reversing…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Minister and Deputy Minister for Climate Change - session 2
Thank you, Chair. We're going to move out of the woodland now and the trees, into broader areas—biodiversity and the Conference of the Parties. We don't have a lot of detail on what your ambitions are for influencing the outcome of COP. I know you've stated…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Minister and Deputy Minister for Climate Change - session 2
Very briefly—my apologies, Delyth. Will this be applicable not just in the big city regions and towns in urban environments, but also in terms of what this highway development might do in terms of some of our Valleys communities and rural areas?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Minister and Deputy Minister for Climate Change - session 1
Okay.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Minister and Deputy Minister for Climate Change - session 1
Okay. So, that's not coming forward as part of this Bill?
