Lesley Griffiths: Again, I haven’t looked into the issue of a court in great detail. I’m actually meeting Andrea Leadsom tomorrow, so it’s certainly something I can discuss. We’ve been very clear that the powers that have been devolved to this place since 1999 will be here. They may go into the repeal Act initially, but any powers will then come to us for us to have our own environmental policies going...
Lesley Griffiths: I am, of course, aware of the UK Government High Court ruling. Members will be aware that I’m out to consultation at the moment regarding air quality and noise management. That consultation is open until 6 December. I plan to use the evidence and the responses we get as part of that consultation—use the evidence going forward to when we have to then come forward with our response by the...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. We are working to develop and promote our seafood sector in Wales for both domestic and export markets. I recently launched the new seafood strategy during Welsh Seafood Week, aimed at growing the economic value of the sector. We will again promote the sector at the Seafood Expo Global event in 2017.
Lesley Griffiths: The strategy was brought together by working—certainly my officials working—with the industry. They developed that. I launched it, as you say. And that vision for the strategy, I think, is shared by Government and by the industry and that’s to have a thriving, vibrant, safe and sustainable seafood industry for Wales. I think it’s absolutely right that we promote the quality and the...
Lesley Griffiths: It’s very important, as I said, that, if we’re going to achieve that vision, we have—. A key action is to promote the quality and sustainability of our seafood product. It’s very important that anything that we do, going forward, is based on evidence and on science and, for instance, that’s what I did when I agreed to an extension of the scallop bed in Cardiganshire.
Lesley Griffiths: Landscape crime, including fly-tipping and illegal off-roading, is an issue the Welsh Government takes very seriously and is committed to tackling. The Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 provide a range of powers to allow local authorities to deal with those who undertake environmental crime.
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. Our rural development programme’s £10 million sustainable management scheme has been designed to achieve multiple benefits and that includes combating anti-social and illegal activities on our valuable upland landscape. I would again urge all parties interested in this to submit expressions of interest. You mentioned the landscape crime toolkit and that was delivered as part of...
Lesley Griffiths: We have invested greatly in fighting this, and it is a crime and illegal. We’ve funded Fly-tipping Action Wales initiatives since 2007 and work very closely with them. One thing that we are thinking of doing, going forward, is—some local authorities have said to me, ‘Sometimes, it can just be one black bin bag that’s been left there.’ So, we’re looking at consulting on whether we...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. Illegal off-roading is a criminal offence, so, therefore, it is a matter for the police, but we’re encouraging stakeholders and members of the public to work with the police and other partners, including Natural Resources Wales and local authorities, to help tackle this issue. I think we have seen an increase in this sort of activity, so it’s very important that, as I say, all...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. Natural Resources Wales is working with land managers and other stakeholders to improve working practices and deliver status improvements in Wales’s water bodies. This year, 97 of our 103 designated bathing waters have been classified as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’, making Welsh beaches amongst some of the best in Europe.
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. You are quite right that 37 per cent of all water bodies in Wales achieve ‘good’ or better status, and I aim to increase that, going forward. Natural Resources Wales are targeting their resources to work with land managers and other stakeholders to improve working practices, and that, I think, will bring forward status improvements. You’re right about historical industry and,...
Lesley Griffiths: Well, as I said in my answer to Joyce Watson, it’s very important that Natural Resources Wales work with land managers and other stakeholders, and that includes local authorities. I’ve given extra funding to tackle certain issues, but it’s really important that stakeholders and all partners work together around this issue.
Lesley Griffiths: Yes, I’d certainly be very happy to look at what’s been carried out in Brittany. You’ll be aware that we are currently consulting on the implementation of the nitrates directive in Wales. I think it closes in the next couple of weeks. So, again, I would encourage all interested parties to read the consultation and respond accordingly, but, of course, I’m very happy to look at best...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. My priority is to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon energy mix with policies that support our strategic objectives as a Government, as set out in ‘Taking Wales Forward’. I’ll be making a statement in December that will outline my energy priorities for the whole of Wales.
Lesley Griffiths: Yes, certainly. I’d be very happy to work with local residents. It’s been really good to see, over the summer, some very good community energy projects; I opened a hydro scheme recently not far from Merthyr Tydfil. So, it’s great to see these communities coming together, bringing forward these ideas for these schemes, and we’d be very happy to support with funding if appropriate.
Lesley Griffiths: Well, across Wales we are, as I say, encouraging communities to come together with ideas for local renewable energy schemes. We have a pot of funding. I think, at the moment, we’ve got eight. I think eight have been completed and we’ve got six going through, or it might be the other way around, but I’ve seen a couple myself over the summer. I mentioned the hydro scheme. I also visited a...
Lesley Griffiths: You will be aware that officials have been having very detailed discussions with the relevant UK departments on the energy consenting provisions in the Bill. A number of amendments went through the Commons; we're very hopeful that further amendments are going to be made to the Bill as it progresses through the House of Lords to address our remaining concerns, and we’ll be watching it very...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. We are currently evaluating our waste strategy to ensure resources are managed to produce sustainable benefits for Wales. We continue to work in partnership with the packaging industry and organisations such as WRAP to promote the optimisation of packaging and to reduce it where possible, regardless of the material.
Lesley Griffiths: I didn’t see the programme, but I have read about it today, and you'll be aware that Wales is really leading the way in relation to recycling. If we were a single member state in Europe, we would be fourth in Europe, but, certainly, we’re way ahead of the game in the UK. In relation to your specific questions around polystyrene, I'm not quite sure why you think that, because we have done...
Lesley Griffiths: I've now found the statistics that I have about polystyrene in particular. It was in 2015-16 that Keep Wales Tidy undertook this survey, and they found 5.2 per cent litter was polystyrene, but most of it, 3.2 per cent, consisted of other polystyrene—so, not just the packaging. But 2 per cent of it was the fast food items. I'm very happy to look packaging as a whole, right across the scope...
