Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. Just in relation to the Member’s questions around vaccination, there is actually no vaccine against H5N8 currently authorised for use in the UK. So, I think that’s a very important point to get across. I mentioned, in a previous answer, about local authorities, and certainly in Carmarthenshire, my officials particularly said how quick they had been to deal with the incident in...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you, Joyce Watson, for those comments and questions. I think you’re quite right: we need to make sure the public do understand that if they come across a dead bird or a group of five dead birds, they should report that, but they need to know where to report it. So, there is the GB helpline, but you’re quite right: they can report it to their local authorities as well. I think the...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. I certainly don’t want to be compared to Edwina Currie, so I do welcome your comments around proportionate measures. You’re quite right: there are a variety of strains of avian influenza and this is a high pathway one, this H5N8. I think you raise an interesting point around the general public, because, you know, it’s been hard enough getting that information out to poultry...
Lesley Griffiths: If I can start at the end of Simon Thomas’s questions: am I confident that every single person who has got even one bird knows about it? I would say ‘no’. That’s why it’s so important that, as you said, we as politicians get that information out. The CVO has done a significant round of interviews last week. She did the BBC breakfast television network. We thought it was really...
Lesley Griffiths: I thank Paul Davies for his questions and comments. I think it was very good that you, sort of, reiterated what I said about the risk to public health: it is very low, there have been no incidents at all of this strain of influenza in the public, and the Foods Standards Agency has said it’s very safe to eat both poultry and eggs. I think we were very quick to act—we took the decision...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. In response to highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza outbreaks across Europe, north Africa and the middle east, I declared, as a precautionary measure, the whole of Wales as an avian influenza prevention zone on 6 December 2016. The prevention zone requires all keepers of poultry, and other captive birds, to keep their birds indoors, or take all...
Lesley Griffiths: I cannot stress enough the need for those who keep poultry flocks and other domestic birds to remain alert for signs of the disease, to contact their private veterinarians if they have any concerns and to practice the highest levels of biosecurity.
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I’m really pleased that you tabled this topic, Bethan, for your short debate today. As you say, you did raise it with me in an oral question back in October and, just last week, I answered a written question that was submitted by Paul Davies, who is in the Chamber. I said to both of you that it wasn’t something that I’d ever considered, but, since...
Lesley Griffiths: Well, as I say, it's something that I have taken a particular interest in, you know, six months—well, seven months—into post. I've had several discussions. I've now met with the DEFRA Minister. We've been waiting to see—. We don't have any circuses actually licensed here in Wales; they’re licensed in England. So, I think it's very important that we do have that cross-Government...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. I will be publishing a written statement on this issue tomorrow. We will explore the possibility of introducing a scheme, such as registration or licensing, for mobile animal exhibits, including circuses, which display domestic and exotic animals in Wales. A public consultation will be undertaken here early next year.
Lesley Griffiths: It has been a long-standing issue, and it's something that I have taken a particular interest in since I came into post in May. I recently met with the DEFRA Minister, because I wanted to engage in discussions with them to see if we could have a joint sort of scheme and initiatives going forward. He was very keen to also speak to Scotland and Northern Ireland to see if we could have a UK-wide...
Lesley Griffiths: Yes, when I attended the site of the spill—I think that was on Saturday 8 October—I met with Valero and NRW, and I was very pleased to see the way that they were working together. But, you’re quite right; at that time, the cause of the spill had not been identified, but it is really important—it's a very long pipe—it's really important that that's monitored in a way that absolutely...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. I’ve been informed that the investigation by NRW isn’t going to be completed until the end of March, which is obviously quite a significant time away. So, I’m very happy to ask NRW to publish what they can before that time. I know that you are meeting NRW on Friday, so I’ll make sure that I do that ahead of time. I’m very concerned to hear of the public meeting last week...
Lesley Griffiths: Diolch. An assessment of the oil spill at Nantycaws is currently being carried out by Natural Resources Wales. This will investigate the causes of the breach, its impacts and any action for Natural Resources Wales under its powers as regulator. Until this investigation is concluded, I cannot comment further.
Lesley Griffiths: Well, I think it’s called science and moving on and learning. I absolutely would like to set a target to get rid of fossil fuel cars by a certain date, but to do that you have to make sure that we have, for instance, the metro, where we’ve got that sustainable transport in place for the public to use. But, absolutely, the way forward is to get rid of diesel cars and fossil fuel cars.
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. The mayors’ commitment to ban diesel vehicles from these four cities by 2025 is one response to the growing public awareness of the health effects of air pollution. We are currently reviewing our air quality policies, following our consultation on the subject, which closed on 6 December.
Lesley Griffiths: I’m not sure, David, if you were in the Chamber when Simon Thomas raised a similar issue around this, and I was saying that, you know, you’re absolutely right. We’ve got this group of mayors—and I met several of them when I was at Conference of the Parties 22—who are being really ambitious with their targets for ending the use of diesel cars by 2025. I was saying in my previous...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. I thought the Member was going to invite me to join him on a litter pick, which I would be very happy to do, and I have undertaken several over the past few months. [Laughter.] But I absolutely congratulate the group. It’s been so good to see communities coming together and taking such pride. I went along to a litter pick in an area of Cardiff a couple of months ago, and it was...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. We absolutely recognise the importance of access opportunities for communities in order to promote better health and well-being. I think the Wales coastal path has not just been a hit with tourists; it’s absolutely been a hit with local communities and people right across Wales. We provide funding to NRW to maintain and improve the path, and there is a detailed work programme...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. Our policy is to deliver programmes that bring together local people, groups, businesses and organisations to deliver services to improve where they live or work. This includes our eco-schools programme, which has 20 schools in inner Newport, empowering and inspiring young people to make positive environmental changes to their lives.
