Hannah Blythyn: The Welsh Government is committed to delivering 'A Fly-tipping Free Wales—Our strategy for tackling fly-tipping'. We continue to fund Fly-tipping Action Wales, an initiative co-ordinated by Natural Resources Wales, while working with partners to secure the long-term reduction of fly-tipping in Wales.
Hannah Blythyn: The Member raises a very important point. I know fly-tipping affects many Members' constituencies. I think you're absolutely right. It seems to me to take a lot of effort to just go and dump something when you can actually just take it to the correct site. I think part of the issue of tackling it is to make it socially unacceptable as well, so there is work going on within Welsh Government...
Hannah Blythyn: The Welsh Government’s woodland estate, which NRW manages, is an important public asset, managed for the public good. In July this year, Welsh Government and NRW published a statement on its purpose and role, setting out our priorities for the estate and describing how NRW is delivering them.
Hannah Blythyn: Diolch, Llywydd. I’m grateful for the opportunity to provide an update on the flooding experienced across Wales over the past weekend as a result of storm Callum. I would like to start by sending my sympathies to all those who have been flooded over this weekend and in particular to the family of Corey Sharpling, who lost his life as a result of a landslide. I’d like to place on record...
Hannah Blythyn: Can I thank the Member for her contribution? You made it quite clear yourself that Carmarthen is still open for business despite storm Callum. You're absolutely right, as you opened your remarks today, to talk about those amazing examples of bravery and people just going above and beyond to help their fellow citizens in a time of crisis. One thing that struck me when I visited this morning...
Hannah Blythyn: I thank the Member for her comprehensive contribution, and I'll do my best to address the questions that you've raised. I think you're also right again to pay tribute to and recognise the efforts put in by volunteers, by the local community, as well as the emergency services, to whom not only the local communities but I think all of us owe a debt of gratitude. And it is good to hear the...
Hannah Blythyn: I thank the Member for her contribution and her questions. In terms of looking at—. You referred to how flood defences have been in place and have worked and to assess whether things have worked as well as we would have liked them to do. As I said previously, it's our duty, when anything like this happens, that we should review and assess what has happened when we get all the information...
Hannah Blythyn: I thank the Member for her questions and contribution, especially on behalf of your constituents who've also been impacted by the flood at the weekend. My every sympathy for anybody who has been impacted by it, because we see how distressing it is to see your home or your business and your community impacted in that way, and then the aftermath of the clear-up as well. You make a very good...
Hannah Blythyn: Can I thank the Member for his contribution and his words of sympathy and support for all those impacted? You raise, in terms of questioning, whether this is a priority for this Government, I can categorically make clear and say this is a priority, not just for myself, but for this Government. And you raised the remit letter. When I came into post and announced the statement, I outlined a...
Hannah Blythyn: But—.
Hannah Blythyn: Diolch, Llywydd. It certainly is a priority for this Government to ensure that we have the funding and the priority needed available to make sure that we address flood prevention and mitigation in Wales, and that we can reassure and provide peace of mind to all communities that have been impacted by flooding.
Hannah Blythyn: I was banking on the Member bringing up this within this statement. Look, the Member will be well aware of the situation now in terms of Roath brook, where NRW are working with the residents group there, and the work has been paused following the residents doing some modelling work of their own. That remains the case. I, in fact, visited the site just a few weeks ago to see the work that's...
Hannah Blythyn: I'm speaking now. Tell that to the people who—. Flood prevention is so important, and it's an investment in these communities. Roath brook is a separate matter. Today, we are talking about those communities that have been affected by storm Callum and how this Government will stand up and invest in those communities to prevent further floods and to give peace of mind.
Hannah Blythyn: Diolch. The recycling of waste is a Welsh success story and one for which every citizen of Wales should feel a sense of pride. Since devolution a comprehensive package of Welsh Government policies, funding and partnership working has resulted in our municipal recycling rate increasing from 5 per cent to 64 per cent in 2016-17. Last Wednesday the recycling figures for 2017-18 were published...
Hannah Blythyn: Welsh Government, local authorities, citizens and communities have worked in partnership to deliver a high recycling society. Nearly every household has kerbside collection for recycling, including separate collections of food waste. Since devolution we have spent almost £1 billion on waste and recycling in Wales. Last year, several local authorities struggled to maintain recycling rates...
Hannah Blythyn: Diolch. I think the Member is right to point out the consensus there is on this issue, not just within this place, but, I think, within the wider community and country as well, as we've seen awareness of recycling and the need to tackle the problem of plastic grow ever and ever in terms of the public consciousness. You talked about what my colleague Jenny Rathbone raised earlier in business...
Hannah Blythyn: Can I just apologise in advance for my persistent cough? It's one of those coughs that is an absolute hazard in this profession—it starts really persistently when I start speaking, which is not helpful, so I apologise if my answer is interrupted or is a little bit more truncated than I'd hope it to be. A deposit-return scheme, we've heard that there's a clear appetite for it in this...
Hannah Blythyn: I thank Mike Hedges for his contribution and the insight into different vinegar bottles in the local supermarket. You raise a very important point with that anecdote as well, and the importance of the three Rs in the waste hierarchy. Recycling is at one end, and we've got reduce and reuse before that, which is why the emphasis on a circular economy is so important, and the number of reuse...
Hannah Blythyn: Diolch. The Member raises the issue of enforcement and potential negative consequences with potentially increased fly-tipping. I'm not aware of any evidence of that. But one thing I would say is that I would go back to emphasise the importance of what I said in the statement about working with the public when it comes to behaviour change campaigns. When we talk about enforcement, we are...
Hannah Blythyn: I thank the Member for her contribution. I was really pleased to come and visit Rhiwbina on what was a very sunny day, actually, when I came to visit. I've spent quite a bit of time over the past few months visiting those communities the length and breadth of Wales who are taking action to reduce single-use plastic. Because you're absolutely right that, yes, there's a role for Government to...
