Hannah Blythyn: Can I thank the Member for his question and for his earlier correspondence again on this important issue? In terms of tackling this, and making sure we reduce and prevent the impact of any pollution of any kind or any instance within our river basins across Wales, wherever that may be, it's important that we work in partnership with stakeholders, with Welsh Water and Hafren Dyfrdwy and with...
Hannah Blythyn: I thank the Member for his question and his interest in this area. He raises a very important issue. Any incident of pollution in our rivers is one incident too many, for a variety of reasons, which is why this Government has taken action in terms of how we tackle agricultural pollution. We know that the vast majority of people adhere to best practice, and it's the minority that create these...
Hannah Blythyn: The river basin management plans, published in 2015, show that water quality across Wales has improved significantly over recent years, with 37 per cent of the water bodies in Wales now meeting good status under the water framework directive. Work is under way to increase this to 42 per cent in the next three years.
Hannah Blythyn: I thank the Member for his ongoing commitment in this area. You're right: myself and the Cabinet Secretary for economy both met, not just with representatives from Tata, but with Neath Port Talbot Council and Natural Resources Wales. Part of this meeting was to look at the issue we found over the summer, in terms of, particularly, the nuisance dust as well, but also, how they might better...
Hannah Blythyn: I thank the Member for her question. I know it's something that you've previously raised in this place, alongside the Member for Aberavon as well. You know there's a particular complex and complicated challenge in relation to air quality around Port Talbot, because of the historic nature of the steelworks, which is such a large employer for the area too, and also the M4. In terms of—. You...
Hannah Blythyn: Diolch. Can I thank the Member for her question? It's important that—. It's absolutely correct that this isn't just about meeting legal compliance, because it's the right thing to do to tackle poor air quality and the implications it has for people's health and well-being throughout Wales. In terms of local authorities, I would expect all local authorities to assess the potential for what...
Hannah Blythyn: Improvements to local air quality are supported through a number of funding mechanisms, including a dedicated air quality fund, worth over £20 million. This can support the costs of clean air zones where identified by local authorities as the best option to deliver legal compliance with air pollutant limit values.
Hannah Blythyn: Like I said, I can't reiterate enough to the Member that I'm fully aware of the concerns of residents on this issue and of the Member himself, but it's very, very important to me and to this Government to make sure that we take all the legal steps necessary and make the right decision, not just legally, but for the residents of Barry as well.
Hannah Blythyn: Like I said, I hope to be able to be in a position to make a decision as soon as possible. I recognise the concerns around this, but, as the Member himself said, due diligence is of the utmost importance when it comes to such a complex case and issue as this. We must make sure that we follow all—take the relevant legal advice and do everything we can possible to make the best decision.
Hannah Blythyn: I thank the Member for his question. I know that he's been vociferous in taking this forward alongside the constituency Member for the Vale of Glamorgan. Whilst we anticipated a decision by the end of November, further legal clarification of aspects of the case has been necessary. I want to make a decision to issue this as soon as possible, because I'm aware of the ongoing situation and the...
Hannah Blythyn: The nature recovery action plan sets out our strategy and actions for wildlife, strengthening our approach for species and habitats across Government. This has, for example, seen us invest £4 million, securing an additional £11 million of EU funding, for three successful LIFE projects for important Welsh habitats.
Hannah Blythyn: Subject to planning and permitting controls, incineration is widely used to deal with difficult materials such as clinical or hazardous wastes. In the waste sector, the Welsh Government supports the limited use of high-efficiency energy from waste plants for the treatment of non-recyclable materials, in line with the waste hierarchy.
Hannah Blythyn: Diolch, Llywydd. The two items laid before the Assembly today are part of the regulatory suite that make sustainable drainage systems, or SUDS, a mandatory requirement on new developments from early next year. Both of these instruments have been introduced under powers contained under Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. A number of external organisations have contributed...
Hannah Blythyn: Yes, absolutely. Despite my poor pronunciation today, I do try very hard to learn Welsh and I understand absolutely how important it is particularly to our rural communities across Wales. Part of it is the well-being of future generations Act that needs to be considered as part of that. That's why I say that a one-size-fits-all approach will not work, because we know each area of Wales has...
Hannah Blythyn: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Can I start by thanking all Members for their contributions today and, in particular, Angela Burns, for bringing forward this short debate? And whilst we may not agree on all elements of the content of Angela's speech, I'm sure everybody will agree with me in saying what a passionate and eloquent speech it was, promoting the wonders of our rural...
Hannah Blythyn: I thank the Member for his question. I remember many childhood trips to the Welsh Mountain Zoo myself, and I know that you are a proud champion of the red squirrel, which can actually be found in your own constituency in Clocaenog. When I actually went to visit there on a brisk north Wales day earlier this year, the seven red squirrels that have been released in the forest were feeling quite...
Hannah Blythyn: I am committed to maintaining the protections and safeguards in the current EU standards of species protection and building on this through the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and the Environment (Wales) Act 2016. We aim to embed nature recovery across all of our policies and programmes.
Hannah Blythyn: The Member—[Inaudible.] We received a complaint made under the African-Eurasian waterbird agreement, alleging non-compliance with certain provisions of the international agreement in respect of the measures taken in Wales concerning the conservation of Greenland white-fronted geese. Our initial response to the AEWA complaint stated our view that, as there was no evidence of shooting,...
Hannah Blythyn: I thank the Member for his question and his considerable interest and work in this area himself. I recognise that the existing year-round voluntary moratorium on the shooting of Greenland white-fronted geese in Wales is working effectively and being adhered to by wildfowling clubs in Wales. The African-Eurasian waterbird agreement also recognises this success and the work of the Welsh...
Hannah Blythyn: Greenland white-fronted geese are categorised as endangered under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature global red list criteria. The African-Eurasian waterbird agreement has recently raised the issue of a statutory ban in Wales and England, and I will consider and respond later this term.
