Julie James: Diolch, Huw. I'm very aware of the plight of some of your constituents in Caerau, and you're right that it's not isolated there, but it's a good example of a scheme that perhaps didn't have the benefit of an optimised approach to retrofit. So, it's a scheme where properties have been fitted with external wall insulation that is not at all the right thing to have done for those properties, and...
Julie James: Diolch, Buffy. I'm absolutely determined that the transition, in the next industrial revolution to come, will not be the same as happened in the previous industrial revolution. She is right to say that Rhondda was coal rich, but what happened with that coal was that the benefit of the coal, and the wealth that came with it, did not go to the people of Rhondda; it went to a very small minority...
Julie James: Well, I will start, Janet, by saying that I do constantly admire the sheer brass neck that you have of constantly telling the Welsh Government that they're not spending enough money in the light of your Government's promise of 'not a penny less' than we were getting from the European Union and leaving the European Union whilst completely flying in the face of every single commitment that your...
Julie James: Yes. 'Net Zero Wales' contains 123 policies to reduce emissions. Our modelling shows, by delivering this plan, we are on track to outperform carbon budget 2. We will continue to collaborate with and support others to achieve further carbon reduction and put us on a path to a cleaner and more equal Wales.
Julie James: Local Places for Nature collaborates with hundreds of housing, transport, health and education organisations, creating new nature spaces. For example Merthyr Tydfil local nature partnership is transforming a former tennis court in Troedyrhiw Park into a nature space. Our national forest works with partners creating areas of new woodland.
Julie James: The proposed clean air Act will introduce an air quality target-setting framework, taking account of World Health Organization air quality guidelines. We will ensure targets are ambitious, effective and achievable. They will be supported by robust evidence, reflecting Welsh circumstances and supporting our well-being goals.
Julie James: 'Net Zero Wales' contains 123 policies and proposals to put us on a path towards net zero. The plan describes how we will engage and work with communities across Wales and take collaborative action to lower emissions to build a cleaner, more equal Wales.
Julie James: Diolch, Llywydd. I just want to express my gratitude to the Members who’ve contributed. I fully understand their frustration. We are ourselves frustrated with the lack of engagement at UK level. Just to reiterate the point that I fully intend to bring a single-use plastics Bill to the Senedd. We are, of course, however, embroiled in specific problems relating to the United Kingdom Internal...
Julie James: Diolch, Llywydd. I move the motion. Today's debate on the supplementary legislative consent motion to the UK Environment Bill is brought without notice, and I thank Members for their time today. Members will recall the legislative consent motion on the UK Environment Bill passed on 28 September. My intention today is not to reopen debate on the provisions extending to Wales, but to notify...
Julie James: Yes, diolch, Jenny. Just on the part L, we will be bringing forward part L regulation amendments in the new year. The whole point of them will be, of course, to bring private sector housing up to the standards that new social build housing enjoys, and I look forward to negotiating that set of regulations through the Senedd. I'm sure that everybody who has contributed to today's debate feels...
Julie James: Diolch, Mabon. I don't share your cynicism, I'm afraid, and I'm very sorry to hear you express it in that way. I understand the disappointment of the people in Gwynedd about the Llanbedr bypass. We had a decent meeting with Gwynedd Council yesterday and we will absolutely be sure to be working very closely with them alongside my colleagues, the Minister for Economy and the Minister for local...
Julie James: Diolch, Jack. I think the very simple answer to that is 'yes'. I think we absolutely need to make sure that the public sector across Wales, including its pension funds, de-invest from deforestation and oil and gas exploration as fast as possible. I'm not yet aware of the full detail of the deforestation announcements that have been made from COP26, but I fervently hope that they do include...
Julie James: Thank you very much for that question, Heledd. I'm not entirely certain how it aligns with the net-zero plan, but I think the answer to your question is that the roads review has within its sights all projects that are funded by local transport grants and Welsh public funding. However, the roads review will look to see whether a road is so far advanced that it cannot usefully be brought into...
Julie James: Diolch, Peter. I hope I feel better soon, too. Thank you for that. You've absolutely put your finger on the pulse of that, of course. We absolutely have to use public sector funding as leverage to lever in private sector funding across Wales. You referenced the Swansea project; that's a very good example. So far, I think it's fair to say, the Swansea project doesn't need any public funding....
Julie James: Diolch, Mike. I can very succinctly go through those. I'm very happy to say that we are very actively working on reducing Welsh Government travel and doing virtual meetings where at all possible. Sometimes it is absolutely necessary to see something on the ground, but most of the meetings that we do are virtual. In terms of peat restoration, we have a plan for that. There's a biodiversity...
Julie James: Thank you, Jane. I appreciate the sentiments, and I absolutely want to work alongside everybody in the Senedd, but also actually want to have our feet held to the fire; we absolutely do need to go as fast as we can, and it's very important that the Government is urged to go faster where that's appropriate. I very much look forward to working with you with that set of criteria in mind. In...
Julie James: Thank you, Huw. That's an excellent question, and it's always true that the young people ask us the most difficult questions. I'm afraid there's not a really simple answer, but I can give you a sort of combination answer, and it's this: it's to challenge ourselves every single time we make a decision across all of the Welsh estate, all of the Welsh Government's actions: 'Is this thing that...
Julie James: Diolch, Delyth. Yes, so, just in terms of how many are new and how many are not, the plan is a snapshot in time that fulfills a statutory requirement. We expect existing policies and proposals to be updated to increase their impact, and we expect new ideas to emerge as our understanding of the evidence improves. So, it's not a be-all and end-all thing against which we'll test everything; it's...
Julie James: Diolch, Janet. Thank you, Janet. I do admire, Janet, your attempt to champion the Prime Minister in his pronouncements on greening the world. If only he put his money where his mouth is. We know that in the last budget, the Chancellor didn't even mention the word 'climate'. We know that they've decreased the ability of people to go on rail, whilst increasing the ability of people to go on...
Julie James: The plan covers Wales's territorial emissions, and therefore action from UK Government is needed in those areas for which they are responsible. We regret the lack of engagement we have had from the UK Government in the development of their net-zero plan and the lack of measures in last week’s spending review to support action on climate. By setting out clearly our expectations of UK...
