Hannah Blythyn: Diolch. I thank the Member for his contribution. You're spot on in terms of starting your contribution by highlighting the multiple benefits that woodland creation and green infrastructure bring both in our rural and urban communities. They not only bring environmental benefits, but they make our environment a much more pleasant place to be, particularly in an urban area, and it obviously has...
Hannah Blythyn: Diolch, thank you to Mike Hedges for that. You absolutely hit the nail on the head there by saying that where there is consensus and we're all in agreement—and you'd be hard-pressed to find somebody who would disagree that it's a positive thing to plant more trees and that it's something we need to do—but the key thing is how do we get to there. I think you make some really valid and...
Hannah Blythyn: I thank Joyce Watson for her contribution there, again reiterating not just the benefits that urban green spaces and woodland bring, but, actually, I think it's that sense of—particularly if you live in an area where it's probably a significant journey to go to actually visit somewhere, a large forest, those woodlands 10 minutes from your doorstep just make a significant difference. There's...
Hannah Blythyn: I thank the Member for her contribution. I quite like that—'Plant A Tree in '73', 'Plant Some More in '74'. Perhaps we need to get ourselves some contemporary slogans to go with the woodlands strategy. I could be tempting fate by inviting contributions on that one, though. You're right in terms of, actually, the importance of finding ways to value trees, and I'll definitely look into the...
Hannah Blythyn: We recognise the agricultural, wildlife and landscape value of hedgerows. Birds mostly nest between March and August, and hedges should be checked before cutting, to avoid harm to nests. Recipients of common agricultural policy payments must adhere to cross-compliance rules, under which hedgerows cannot be cut between March and August.
Hannah Blythyn: Can I thank the Member for the question? You raise a really important point in terms of the value of hedgerows in providing food sources and vital habitats for birds and animals, and to enhance and protect biodiversity. Under the Environment (Wales) Act 2016, there was a public duty on all public authorities to seek and maintain biodiversity, and doing so to increase ecosystem resilience,...
Hannah Blythyn: I thank the Member for his question. You raise very similar points in terms of the importance of hedgerows in terms of protecting and enhancing habitats and biodiversity. And whilst the primary functions of hedgerows are often seen as just for the purpose of stock management and to mark land boundaries, there is a wider, broader value to them too, and a purpose for us. You mentioned the green...
Hannah Blythyn: The Welsh Government's action plan on clean air for Port Talbot reaffirms our commitment to practically tackling poor air quality in the region. I have commissioned a peer review of progress against this plan, our approach, and the evidence that underpins it, to ensure it remains fit for purpose. I'll meet Tata Steel, Natural Resources Wales and Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council soon...
Hannah Blythyn: I thank the Member for his question and his regular commitment to this issue for his constituency. You said about how there's instances lately in terms of with the dry, warm weather of large amounts of dust impacting on local residents. I completely understand the anxiety and the frustration that that would cause for local residents. I understand that—. You're right that Natural Resources...
Hannah Blythyn: The Welsh Government has introduced a range of measures to help improve waste management and prevent littering. These include introducing powers to enable local authorities to issue fixed-penalty notices and providing £3.7 million of funding to Keep Wales Tidy.
Hannah Blythyn: I'm pleased the Welsh Government's views on pheasant shooting and associated activities on public land have been considered by Natural Resources Wales, and welcome their board's decision on 20 September to bring an end to these activities on the Welsh Government estate once current lease agreements expire.
Hannah Blythyn: I thank the Member for her question and her interest in this area. It is right that the decision will bring an end the leasing of land for pheasant shooting on Welsh Government land once current lease agreements expire. In terms specifically of the code of practice for the welfare of game birds reared for sporting purposes, that's actually a matter for the Cabinet Secretary. But I am able to...
Hannah Blythyn: While shooting on private land is a mater for the landowner to decide, the Welsh Government needs to take account of wider considerations of public views in considering what happens on our estate. The three shoots affected by the NRW decision to stop pheasant shooting cover a combined area of fewer than 300 hectares and represent less than 1 per cent of the total number of pheasant-shooting...
Hannah Blythyn: I thank the Member for her question and for her previous questions in raising this matter within this place and beyond. I can hear from the heckling in the background that this is an issue that is emotive and it generates strong opinion from both sides. However, you're right: there was significant public opinion, particularly in terms of recommendation 3 that 60 per cent of Welsh residents...
Hannah Blythyn: I thank the Member for her question and her comments. On the specific things in terms of the code of practice for the welfare of game birds, I refer you back to my previous answer to our colleague Vikki Howells. Any specific concerns about the specific concerns you raised—perhaps it's a matter for the Cabinet Secretary to respond to you in writing with further detail about that, and perhaps...
Hannah Blythyn: I thank the Member for his questions. In terms of looking at the economic impact, there were a numbers of figures that have been raised recently, in terms of the value of shooting to the Welsh economy being about £75 million. But that is throughout the whole of Wales, not specifically for the three leases on Welsh Government-owned land, which I said account for only 1 per cent of the...
Hannah Blythyn: I disagree with the Member's assertions. What I would refer back to is that this was not considered an intervention. From the outset, NRW made it clear that the wider policy and ethical considerations would be a matter for Welsh Government as the landowner.
Hannah Blythyn: No, I do not accept that. As we made clear last week in answer to a topical question, this was a policy matter. NRW made it clear from the outset they were expecting a steer from Welsh Government in terms of the ethical and wider policy considerations. I put that forward and I'm pleased that the Welsh Government's views on pheasant shooting and associated activities on public land were...
Hannah Blythyn: I think most people in Wales and public opinion would say, actually, they support the end of leasing on the Welsh Government estate. I'd suggest that the Member is out of touch with public opinion, and out of touch with the policy. To refer back to the claims in terms of the impact on the economy, the figures being quoted are for all shooting enterprises across Wales, not just on the Welsh...
Hannah Blythyn: I think the Member just answered my question for me. I absolutely, wholeheartedly reject that. I think you're just trying to jump on the bandwagon and whipping up a storm. What a private landowner does on their land is for them to decide, but when it comes to the Welsh Government estate, which is managed for all the people of Wales, for the people of Wales, then the Welsh Government will...
