Lesley Griffiths: Yes, I’m very pleased that my colleague the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government was able to bring forward a Government amendment at Stage 2 of the Landfill Disposals Tax (Wales) Bill to ensure a relief from the tax is available to material removed from the water in the interests of flood prevention. I think that was a very important amendment. Certainly, you’ll be aware of...
Lesley Griffiths: I think Suzy Davies raises a very important point. I will have to write to you as to the frequency as to how often flood plans are reassessed.
Lesley Griffiths: I know that’s something that planning officials are working on with the local authorities, and obviously NRW are part of that campaign. It’s very important that all these issues are taken into account, and I’m constantly looking at the planning policies to make sure local authorities have the correct guidance at hand.
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. We have a large number of policies and programmes delivering green growth, such as Green Growth Wales. We’ve been working to decarbonise the public sector, and we provide flexible support to businesses, domestic energy efficiency programmes, and support for low-carbon developments, from community scale to centralised generation.
Lesley Griffiths: Commercial timber operations are absolutely a high priority for Natural Resources Wales, and just last week I met with the Confederation of Forest Industries and ensured there was an NRW representative there to hear their concerns. This year, NRW are restocking more than 1,200 hectares on the Welsh Government’s woodland estate, and that compares very favourably, I think, with any of the...
Lesley Griffiths: The ‘Wales Animal Health & Welfare Framework—Achieving High Standards Together’ explains the approach we are taking to achieve continued and lasting improvements in standards of animal health and welfare across Wales. The annual implementation plan sets out specific actions we are taking forward in any 12-month period.
Lesley Griffiths: Yes, absolutely. I would join you in that. And, although hunting with dogs is a non-devolved issue, my position is we would strongly oppose any moves to repeal the Hunting Act 2004 by any future UK Government. We do not wish to see the return of that barbaric, cruel and unpopular past time in Wales.
Lesley Griffiths: Certainly. I had a discussion with the animal health and welfare framework group. We look at their work programme. I can remember the last time—well, I thought I could—Newcastle United won the FA Cup, so I’m perhaps showing my age there. But you have reminded me that we need to make sure that all our legislation is up to date, and our policies, and it’s certainly something I’ll be...
Lesley Griffiths: Yes, I absolutely agree with Bethan Jenkins. As you know, this is something I’m looking at very carefully and I hope to be writing to Assembly Members, if not before recess, certainly as soon as we come back.
Lesley Griffiths: Formally.
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you, Presiding Officer. I’m very pleased to be responding to this debate. Welsh Government has clearly stated its ambition to deliver a low-carbon energy system for Wales. In doing this, we have committed to deliver the maximum benefits for Wales from this transition and protect the most vulnerable. So, I very much welcome the work that has been done on developing the Ynni Cymru...
Lesley Griffiths: Diolch, Llywydd. This debate is about the contribution our areas of outstanding natural beauty and national parks make to Wales. Together, they cover nearly a quarter of Wales, and the debate is about how they can, and must, deliver more. All landscapes have a special value to people. They create and sustain a sense of place for our communities, for the people who live and work in them, and...
Lesley Griffiths: Diolch, Llywydd. I’d like to thank all Members who’ve taken part in this debate and I will try and respond to many of the points raised. The substantial work undertaken, firstly by Professor Terry Marsden and his panel and then subsequently by Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas and the working group, now positions the designated landscapes in a role that I think can help address increasingly complex...
Lesley Griffiths: Yes.
Lesley Griffiths: No, I’m not complacent at all, and I hope, in my opening remarks, I made that very clear. I will come back to the Sandford principle because, obviously, several Members have raised that in their contributions. If I can start with Simon Thomas’s contribution: you specifically mentioned about RSPB Cymru, who were represented on the working group. Other people have said to me that it does...
Lesley Griffiths: Absolutely, and you mentioned specifically areas in I think it was the Gower, going forward. Our designated landscapes should not only have clarity of purpose, but I think they must have very efficient and effective governance arrangements, and people have referred to that. As I say, I will bring more views forward following the consultation that closes at the end of the month. The Future...
Lesley Griffiths: Diolch, Llywydd. I very much welcome Plaid Cymru’s motion, and we were very pleased we were able to agree with Plaid Cymru our White Paper, ‘Securing Wales’ Future’. It is clear our views on the future of agriculture and rural development post Brexit are close. Most importantly, we are absolutely clear agriculture and rural development is and must remain devolved. We’ve made it very...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I would like to begin by thanking the members of the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee for their report on our TB eradication programme. I formally responded to the report this morning, and was particularly pleased to see the committee’s recommendations were in line with our proposals, which were consulted on late last year....
Lesley Griffiths: Along with these new measures we also need to be prudent with our budgets, especially with the future loss of European funding. It is important we prevent slaughtered animals being overvalued, because it increases the cost to the taxpayer. I am concerned our average compensation payments are 60 per cent higher than in England, so I am reducing the compensation cap to £5,000 and reviewing our...
Lesley Griffiths: I thank Paul Davies for his broad welcome for the refreshed TB eradication programme. You started off by talking about targets, and you’ll be aware that I responded this morning to the recommendations made by the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee. I think it was recommendations 1 and 2 that were around targets, and I was very happy to accept those recommendations. I...
