Lesley Griffiths: Well, I mentioned in my answer to Simon Thomas that I’m going out to the seafood expo in Brussels. I’ve given funding for that. I think it’s very important that I personally go out there, to make sure everybody knows about our great Welsh seafood industry. We’ve also had the seafood strategy, which I helped launch with the industry about three or four months ago.
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. This financial year, we are investing £26.5 million in Welsh Government Warm Homes to improve the energy efficiency of our housing stock and help tackle fuel poverty. I’m currently considering funding options for the next four years and will be making an announcement by the end of March.
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. Well, I hope, in my answer to Neil Hamilton, you accepted that I said I think the presumption that it’s going to be a very positive thing is a little early. But, you know, as I said, there are opportunities, and I think we do need that more flexible approach. You mention specifically scallops and mussels, and how we move forward, particularly in relation to seafood. I’m going...
Lesley Griffiths: I think it’s a little too early to assume Brexit will be as positive as the Member portrays for the fishing industry overall. But I absolutely accept—and I’ve said many times—that, while leaving the EU poses many risks and challenges, there are opportunities going forward. I think market access is absolutely critical, and, as I said, we will have a common fisheries policy going...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. The UK’s future exit from the European Union raises many questions and uncertainties for the future of Wales’s fishing industry. To help safeguard the prosperity of the industry and our coastal communities, my department will be developing a forward-looking fisheries policy, as set out in the ‘Securing Wales’ Future’ White Paper.
Lesley Griffiths: The Welsh Government continues to fund Fly-tipping Action Wales, an initiative co-ordinated by Natural Resources Wales and which aims to secure a long-term reduction in fly-tipping through a combination of measures. We are also currently consulting on the introduction of fixed penalty notices for small scale fly-tipping.
Lesley Griffiths: National planning policy provides a comprehensive framework for protecting the countryside from overdevelopment. At the same time, national planning policy encourages an approach towards rural areas that supports living and working communities that are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.
Lesley Griffiths: Environmental vandalism is an issue the Welsh Government takes very seriously and is committed to continue tackling. Our Well-being of Future Generations Act encourages us to focus on prevention, to involve people in well integrated measures and for collaboration across organisations as we work for long term, sustainable solutions.
Lesley Griffiths: Plans for woodland management are guided by the Welsh Government’s forestry strategy, ‘Woodlands for Wales’, and will in future be shaped by the national natural resources policy. The strategy establishes the long-term vision for the sustainable management of Wales’s woodlands and trees to provide benefits for future generations.
Lesley Griffiths: No, absolutely. I was just making a general point that there are very good bring sites now, and they have to be taken into consideration. But you’re quite right—businesses obviously can’t use those. So, despite the challenges that I think Powys face, they are making excellent progress on recycling, and, again, it’s seen a significant increase in its recycling rate from the 59.1 per...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank you, Russell George, for bringing this subject forward for debate today. I think as you said in your opening remarks, we really have set our course as a leader in recycling and waste management. We’ve got the highest in the UK, and the fourth highest in Europe. I believe that our ambitions and our targets really will take us to first place in...
Lesley Griffiths: Starbucks, yes. [Laughter.] They were telling me about a pilot that they’ve got in London, where they have bins where people can tip it if there’s something left in the cup, and then, in the next bin, they can recycle their cup. So, there is work going on out there. I said that we’d be very happy to have a pilot here in Wales, going forward. So, I think it’s very clear, from the...
Lesley Griffiths: Diolch, Lywydd. I thank Members for the very constructive debate, and it’s good to have everybody’s support. I have to say that, since I came into post, probably air quality is the one heavy part of my postbag from Assembly Members themselves. Just turning to the Welsh Conservative amendment first, I’m very happy to support that. Gareth Bennett mentioned AQMAs, and I should say it’s...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. This debate is about how we can deliver vital improvements to people's quality of life and to their well-being. I want to highlight the links between multiple local environment issues that combine to make places depressing and unhealthy. These issues can also have an impact on community cohesion, investment prospects and access to services. In the past,...
Lesley Griffiths: Will you taken an intervention?
Lesley Griffiths: Conwy County Borough Council has told me that the trial is going very well. If you can provide evidence against that, you tell me.
Lesley Griffiths: Diolch, Lywydd. I thank everyone for taking part in the debate today. Members will have heard me say on many occasions that the frequency of residual waste collections is a matter for individual local authorities, and this allows them to take into account local needs and reflect local priorities. We know that the Conservative Party is keen on localism and autonomy in local government, but in...
Lesley Griffiths: Formally.
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I’d like to thank Plaid Cymru for bringing this topic forward for debate today and Members for their respective contributions. I’m sure that Members will understand that I am limited in what I can say about particular projects or proposals, given my statutory role under town and country planning and the marine licence regimes. Last month in this...
Lesley Griffiths: Formally.
