, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic) Bill - evidence session 6
Thank you. Point well made. Janet.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic) Bill - evidence session 6
Lovely. Thank you. We have just over 15 minutes left, so there are just a few more areas of questioning that we'd like to cover. Craig, you touched earlier on about one particular cross-border issue, potentially, in relation to anaerobic digestion. Is there…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic) Bill - evidence session 6
Thank you, Delyth. Huw—there we are.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic) Bill - evidence session 6
Who wants to take the lead? Craig.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic) Bill - evidence session 6
Thank you very much. Delyth.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic) Bill - evidence session 6
That's fine. Thank you very much. We move on, then, to Joyce.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic) Bill - evidence session 6
I'm aware that capacity was one of the areas that we were hoping to cover later on. I'm not sure, Huw, if there was anything you wanted to add at this point, or have we covered it sufficiently?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic) Bill - evidence session 6
Who wants to address that one first? Craig.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic) Bill - evidence session 6
Yes, and that echoes, certainly, points that have been made previously specifically on that, and I think it is a very valid issue to raise. Thank you so much. Okay, we'll move on to Janet, then.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic) Bill - evidence session 6
Yes. One little word has very far-reaching consequences in legislation. You're right; that's an excellent point, actually. It's one that we probably will raise directly later on with the Minister. Craig, you wanted to say something.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic) Bill - evidence session 6
Yes, Judith to start.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic) Bill - evidence session 6
Thank you. There's a lot there, actually. I know some of those areas we will be coming back to in greater detail. So, just sticking with the proposed list, then, for a minute, no glaring omissions and no major red flags as you see it, albeit it's all part of…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic) Bill - evidence session 6
No problem at all—yes. And when we do ask questions, you're not both obliged to answer all of our questions; it's always whoever is most relevant or most keen to answer.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic) Bill - evidence session 6
Welcome back to this meeting of the Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee at the Senedd. We're continuing with the work on the Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Bill, and we are going to hear from…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 5
Excellent. Thank you. Well, I think that brings us to the end of our questioning. Can I thank you both for being with us this morning? You will be sent a copy of the draft transcript, just to check for accuracy, and, of course, as I mentioned, we will have…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 5
Excellent. Okay. Those are points that we can raise directly with the Minister when she joins us later on this morning. Huw isn't sure whether he wants to come in on something. Go on then, Huw. Go on.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 5
Yes. I was just wondering—. It is quite a big question, really, but the Government does have a clear policy intent in terms of why it's bringing this Bill forward, and, taken as a whole, do you believe that the Bill as proposed actually meets that and…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 5
Yes. Okay. So, I suppose, finally, the six-million-dollar question is that there's a clear policy intent here in terms of the Government. Do you believe that the Bill actually delivers on that policy intent?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 5
Okay. So, we know obviously this is a very rapidly developing area of technology, isn't it? There are always new innovations and new products coming online. I'm just wondering whether there's a risk that, in compensating for a ban, that alternative products…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 5
But there we are. Okay, we hear that message loud and clear. Over to Joyce, then.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 5
Yes, and that actually chimes with the evidence we had from the Federation of Small Businesses last week in terms of maybe this is one part of the jigsaw, isn't it, this Bill, and this proposed ban. And of course, if a ban is introduced this year, and then…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 5
Okay. And what about potential cross-border issues, then, relating to the ban? Is there anything there that you feel may be an issue or may need to be mitigated?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 5
No, but more generally I was just thinking that's just one example of how this Bill could have a direct impact on industry in Wales in terms of the plastic sector. I'm just thinking if there's anything else that stands out in the Bill that is maybe cause for…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 5
The mention of wet wipes there is useful, because we've had evidence from Kimberly-Clark that they're developing a plastic-free wet wipe, which will potentially be produced in north-east Wales. That brings me on, really, to the question about whether there's…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Bill - evidence session 5
Diolch yn fawr. Thank you. Janet.
