, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
It does have a resource implication, but I think it's a signal as well of the fact that we're constantly evolving. And in the application of the Act, we also have—. I've forgotten the name of it, but in responding to the recommendations from the future…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
So, it's rooted—.The principles of sustainable development are embedded now within everything that we do within Government. That is the signal difference between us and other Governments, curiously, across the UK, and most other Governments—that's why so many…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Yes, entirely. So, it goes right across every portfolio area. But, last year, we published a plan with over 50 actions to deepen the understanding and practice of sustainable development principles in the Act into how the Welsh Government works. So, this was…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Well, the good thing is, I would say, on the upside, we're in a better place than most other nations of the UK. Because this is embedded now, 10 years on, within our well-being of future generations legislation, sustainable development rides right across…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
If this committee has any suggestions, going forward, as to what I should be discussing with retailers, I'd be really interested.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
It shows the stickiness of this issue, and, if we look even at one aspect of that, the part I mentioned about retailers and the propensity to provide for consumers packages of food, often heavily wrapped, that allow them to over-buy, with incentives to…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
I'm so glad you mentioned this, because this is really a changing of the culture that we've had around food waste. And, as everybody will know, there are a lot of criticisms of the current system that we have, where people are almost incentivised to over-buy…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
It's may be worth mentioning, Carolyn, as well that in the debate we had yesterday on the floor of the Senedd, I made reference there to the sustainability clusters. Those are the sorts of innovations that can drive change as well within these sectors…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Absolutely. Claire.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
There are a number of ways in which we can deal with that. One is the emphasis that we've had, both in terms of some of the campaigns that we've run, but also the regulatory measures we've taken about moving away from single-use products into either recycled…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Yes, absolutely. Some of the headline ones are what we did most recently with the workplace recycling, which I know had yourself included—and thank you for doing that—raising some issues on the floor of the Senedd with the practical implementation of it and…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Sorry, six. Six—thank you very much. We have quite a number now who've passed the 65 per cent, and we've got others that we are helping to uplift there. Part of that is targeted capital funding, part of it is the waste management grant, part of it is the work…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Thank you for the question, and thank you for writing to me in advance as well. My officials kindly set out in far more detail than I can, in the response, some of the things we're doing. That was a challenging ambition. We know the strain we've been through…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Very much. And just to give reassurance on that, not only have I met on an ongoing basis, and very recently as well, with NRW, who fall under my purview as Minister—. They have their role to do as a regulatory body, but I have spoken to them about this, and…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
I don't think, in terms of the recent ask we've made of them to do a review, we're asking them to look at the issue of resource because—. By all means, they can look at that, and if they come back to me and say there's an issue of resource—. But, I'm not…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Yes, indeed. Idling is part of the proposals that we are taking forward. This is definitely one of those areas where we're going to have to work with the data, but also to explain to people why this is a necessity to deal with it, as we see those cars, taxis…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
We're really focused on this. This committee has been very good, over a number of years, at focusing not just on the hard data and evidence and technical analysis of what drives the improvements that we want to see in air quality, but also the behavioural…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Yes. I'm conscious now that this is real poacher turned gamekeeper, having been on this committee—[Laughter.] So, excuse me for putting my other hat on for a moment. Sorry, Delyth, one thing I forgot to mention as well, in terms of PM2.5, it's worth committee…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Yes, I think we're on target. The work that we're carrying out, as committed by my predecessor in the role, to develop the PM2.5 target, Delyth, I think is on target. As you know, we set two duties, actually, for Welsh Ministers to set targets for pollutants…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
We can come back to you on that.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
I think there is scope for that. We've created six new posts for woodland liaison officers. Now, I don't know to what extent they're engaged in our urban areas as well—I might turn to colleagues on that—but that has immense potential. If you look at the…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Yes, but I do think it's important that we get it right and we've been consulting on this; we've been engaged with stakeholders extensively. I don't know whether my colleagues want to add to some of the work that's already been done on this to get to this…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
My anticipation—. If I recall correctly from all the various briefings that I've seen, we're intending to consult going into the autumn and then to bring forward something in the early part of next year, then, with a full timber industrial strategy. But I've…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Yes.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
That, again, is an ongoing task. Since I've come into post, about eight or nine weeks ago, one of the things I've been presented with is options for taking the next stage of the national forest forward. That ambition that's been developed over the last year…
