Lesley Griffiths: I obviously can’t comment on that individual case. The Minister responsible for broadband has just heard your comments. If you’d like to write to her about that specific case, I’m sure that she can chase it up with the company.
Lesley Griffiths: Absolutely. I agree completely with Llyr Huws Gruffydd that to leave the European Union would certainly cut our funding significantly, within my portfolio particularly. I’ve asked officials to have a look at the impact, and it is absolutely significant. I absolutely agree with you.
Lesley Griffiths: This is a difficulty for certain parts of the rural areas, and I think it’s about improving the infrastructure for those areas. I will be working closely with my Cabinet colleagues and other Government colleagues to ensure that we get that high-speed broadband in rural areas as quickly as possible.
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you, Hannah Blythyn, for that question. I know there was flash flooding in north-east Wales last week and I really do express my sympathy to those businesses and houses that did experience that flash flooding after the heavy rain last week. I know Bagillt was particularly affected, and my officials have been in discussions with Flintshire County Council and also the emergency...
Lesley Griffiths: No decisions have been made yet on funding for Old Colwyn. To take this forward, we need all partners to work together, so I think that’s something that you need to take on board too. I know my officials are working with Conwy County Borough Council, and it’s really important that we do bring everybody together to find an appropriate solution. So, as I say, if the Member can also assist...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. Clwyd West benefited from more than £20 million of investment over the last Government, with flood risk reduction schemes successfully delivered at Colwyn Bay, Kinmel Bay and Rhuthin. We’re assessing possible schemes at Abergele, Llansannan and Mochdre and funding feasibility work is being carried out in other areas across Clwyd West.
Lesley Griffiths: Yes, I think it’s really important, if we are going to ensure that we have these community projects, that people understand the benefits of them—that it’s very real to them, and that they are able to take part in it. So, I’ll certainly look into it. I think I’ve already started to look into it. When you first raised it with me, I asked officials. As you say, there is a reserved part...
Lesley Griffiths: I think it’s very important that we know if it’s going to give us difficulties or benefits, so, if that research hasn’t been done previously, I’ll certainly look to having that carried out.
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. I was very pleased that we are supporting Ynni Ogwen in Bethesda. It was the first pilot of its kind in the UK, so I think there’s probably a lot we can learn from it, with it obviously being the first, and I know that they are trialling a model of encouraging local use of energy from distributed generation. You’ll appreciate I’m very new in the portfolio. I’ve met with...
Lesley Griffiths: Diolch. Climate change is perhaps the biggest threat to our future generations, and the Welsh Government is committed to reducing net Welsh emissions by at least 80 per cent by 2050. Local energy projects, and reducing distances between generation and consumption more generally, will have a critical part to play in achieving this.
Lesley Griffiths: Should changes be proposed on the use of snares in Wales, the introduction of Welsh primary legislation could be required. There are a number of legislative provisions which regulate the use of snares in Wales, including under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Lesley Griffiths: Section 7 of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 requires Ministers to prepare and publish a list of living organisms and habitats which are of principal importance for maintaining and enhancing biodiversity in Wales. I will be setting out my plans to do this shortly.
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. Yes, I know that the Member is sponsoring the CAMRA event, and I very much look forward to attending and speaking at it tomorrow evening. You’re quite right about ale. I attended a cider and beer festival, and I think it was my very first engagement in this portfolio. As someone who doesn’t normally drink ale, I was absolutely astonished to see how many different types there...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you, Julie Morgan, for those points. I think it’s not just about food waste; I mentioned in my answer to Simon Thomas about the huge amount of food waste that there is, although some is redistributed, and obviously some goes for animal feed, it’s also about encouraging businesses to resource much more efficiently than they do. I’m not quite sure about incentivising large...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you, Jeremy Miles, for that question. I think you raise a really important point around ensuring that we do create innovative, and maybe novel, approaches to encourage industry training for SME businesses. What we’re going to do is have a cluster approach, and we’re already trialling this with food businesses to support business growth. Upskilling and training is absolutely...
Lesley Griffiths: I thank Paul Davies for his questions and comments, and I, too, very much look forward to working with him in this very important area. You asked about the procurement of Welsh produce and products in the public sector, and, as I said, we’ve been working very closely with the National Procurement Service, which, you’ll be aware, was established back in 2013, I think it was, and that...
Lesley Griffiths: I thank Simon Thomas for his questions and comments. I’m glad to see your jokes haven’t improved since last week’s oral statement, but I do look forward to celebrating both the NFU and CAMRA events to be held here tomorrow. Just in relation to Carmarthen ham, I’m expecting several items of food to receive the PGI later this year. I can’t give you a definitive date but I’m very...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. The food and drink action plan delivers our food strategy in Wales. Published well in advance of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, it is delivering on all seven of the well-being goals. The plan’s 48 actions encompass five priorities, including a leadership board of industry and sector leads; strong provenance for Wales’s food and...
Lesley Griffiths: That’s exactly what we were discussing; we’ve got five big developers in Wales who perhaps would not be persuaded to build the sort of houses that we are talking about. So, what I did with the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children this morning, and officials, was talk about how we can perhaps identify a local authority, maybe, that we could do some sort of pilot with. There would...
Lesley Griffiths: Can you just hang on? I think also we need to streamline planning, and Jenny Rathbone and Lee Waters both referred to community energy benefits. And someone—I can’t remember who it was—referred to land. And again, Welsh Government has got land and we’re looking to what we can to do, maybe, to have a pilot to see what sort of houses we can do. I’ll give way.
