, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Diolch, Gareth. The Welsh Government recognises microplastics as an emerging threat to water quality and the wider environment. We know that microplastics enter waterways via run-off and waste water, though treatment removes over 99 per cent. Now, whilst…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
I can't, off the top of my head, and you wouldn't expect me to, off the top of my head, give a numerical answer to that. What I can say is we've taken forward recently the legislation that deals with the safety and welfare of communities affected by the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Thank you for that supplementary. First of all to say, in terms of East Pit itself, and many of us live within the shadow of these former disused and abandoned, sometimes, sites as well, and have to work through how you see a future for these sites for the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Diolch, Sioned. Welsh Government is committed to ensuring all legacy mining sites are safe and don't cause environmental harm, including former opencast sites. To support this, I have asked officials to establish a new working group to consider the challenges…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
The message I have for all farmers is that we've designed, in collaboration with the ministerial round-table, with the officials group working, a scheme that is available to all farmers and accessible to all farmers as well. And there is also support out…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Diolch, Paul. We're supporting a sustainable and productive agricultural industry in all of Wales, including west Wales, through the sustainable farming scheme. In west Wales, farm businesses have received basic payment scheme 2025 payments worth over £65.6…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
First of all, Carolyn, we absolutely noted that event that took place that you hosted last week, and it's really good to see not just Michael Sheen, but actually several people, campaigners over recent years, who've highlighted this, including work that's…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Thank you, Delyth. First of all, can I urge you to keep in contact with Caerphilly County Borough Council in terms of Tŷ Llwyd? We've certainly had several exchanges on this issue and the work that has been done there and whether or not it should be defined…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Thank you, Delyth. The Welsh Government does recognise the challenges posed by our industrial past. It's a burden unfortunately shared by local authorities not just here in Wales, but right across the UK. In Wales, we continue to support the redevelopment of…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
I'm only smiling purely because I think that we have kicked off the consultation on the Green Paper already here today in the Senedd Chamber—[Interruption.] Indeed. And what I hope is that, in the Green Paper—. We've deliberately done it as a Green Paper…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Thank you for that, and just a couple of quick responses without repeating what I've said already. One of the proposals within the Green Paper is that we bring forward bespoke proposals here that strengthen the voice of the consumer but also the citizen of…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Thanks, Janet. Look, the first thing to say is that we don't need to wait for the outcomes of the Green Paper, or new legislation, to get on with fixing the problems with the infrastructure, the levels of customer satisfaction, the leakage, and so on. The…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
I'm happy to lay out the timescales, but it may be a misunderstanding, which I'm happy to clarify, on your part. So, Sir Jon Cunliffe and the independent review reported last year. The UK Government brought forward its White Paper very recently—very…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Yes, well, just to contradict one thing you say, we don't always—. You have a fixation with farmers and agricultural pollution, because you keep bringing it up regularly. What we focus on is all sources of pollution in our rivers, and that could be…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
I'll give you just one example, because I am indeed a supporter of many of the elements within Peter's proposal. We've actually brought it forward in 'Food Matters', the overarching food strategy, and also within the community food strategy itself. But let me…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
The community food strategy, I think, is powerful and wide ranging, and very deep and impactful as well. But, just to say, on the food poverty issue, just to remind colleagues, with the support of the Senedd, the Welsh Government has allocated over £29…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Diolch, Cefin. We continue to implement the community food strategy by allocating grant funding to local food partnerships right across Wales. All local authorities now have a local food partnership in place. The core community food strategy ministerial…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Llywydd, I don't want to repeat—not out of discourtesy to the Member, but—the points that I made in the previous answer to Peter Fox on the engagement we have in the UK Government, but also the context in which this is set of statutory consultees, referral to…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Thank you, Peter. You'll understand I am not able to comment on any live applications or individual developments, but, indeed, we do engage with this with the UK Government as well, because there is a devolved piece and a reserved piece here within…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Thank you, John. I think I can give you some assurance. But, first of all, can I just thank you for your relentless commitment to the Gwent levels and also your leadership of the Gwent levels working group since 2020? You have been daily, weekly, yearly…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Thank you for the question, John. The Gwent levels are nationally important for biodiversity. The Welsh Government is committed to ensuring that our SSSIs are better protected and managed for the future. We will shortly be consulting on planning guidance for…
, Plenary
Motion to vary the order of consideration of Stage 3 amendments to the Environment (Principles, Governance and Biodiversity Targets (Wales) Bill
Formally.
, Plenary
The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) Order 2026
Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. We're very grateful to the committee for bringing this to our attention under scrutiny point 1, and we accepted the point that was raised. As the Chair has pointed out, we're working alongside the other Governments that form…
, Plenary
The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) Order 2026
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I move the motion. I'm very pleased to be able to bring forward the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) Order 2026, which makes minor amendments to the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) Order 2020…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
We will indeed continue to engage now with the UK Government on this. You know that I am a considered person and that I try to be empathetic to others and to understand why there was limited engagement early on. But I do recognise that they wanted to move at…
