Julie James: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. The challenge presented to Wales by the climate emergency is not simply to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and protect communities against the impact of more intense weather, as significant a challenge as these represent. The challenge is to make the transition to net zero into a set of opportunities to make Wales stronger, greener and fairer. Between 2018 and 2021,...
Julie James: The Government is also very supportive of much of the sentiment of the second part of the motion. We agree the distribution of powers and responsibilities across the UK is in need of a fundamental change. That is why we have announced our intention to establish an independent commission on the constitutional future of Wales. But what we need is a comprehensive assessment of the powers Wales...
Julie James: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I very much welcome the opportunity to respond to this debate. The motion from Plaid Cymru makes a number of very important points and recognises the steps we have taken to identify and tackle both the climate and the nature crisis. The climate and nature emergency is clearly not the next global crisis, it is the one already upon us. And I am very proud that, as a...
Julie James: Formally.
Julie James: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Generally, persons subject to immigration control are not eligible for allocation of social housing or to homelessness assistance. The Allocation of Housing and Homelessness (Eligibility) (Wales) Regulations 2014, known as 'the 2014 regulations', prescribe classes of persons who, despite being subject to immigration control, are classed as eligible for housing...
Julie James: Diolch, Joyce. Thank you very much for that. I'm delighted to be asked that question. I recently had the privilege of launching with the First Minister the Elsevier report on Wales's research performance on the UN sustainable development goals, and it was a really interesting meeting. I have been shown, as a result of meeting the scientists that were present at the launch, the land cover map...
Julie James: Diolch, Carolyn. Thank you very much. I, too, have visited the botanic gardens relatively recently and have seen the really excellent project that you're talking about. It is a real matter of concern to us that the UK Government has not held to its promise to make sure that Wales is not a penny worse off as a result of leaving the European Union. Research projects such as that which you've...
Julie James: Diolch, John. Well, on that last one, I'm very happy to say that we've had a great deal of success, with my other hat on, in Swansea. We've done exactly that: we've had graffiti artists and lighting and so on put into one of the big railway arches that connects two parts of the centre of Swansea together, and I'm more than happy to have you come down and have a look at it and have a talk with...
Julie James: Diolch, Jenny. Thank you very much for that, Jenny; Lee Waters was involved in that as well. We're certainly going to be looking at learning any lessons that we can learn from that. We absolutely do want our new programmes to be household names. We were very heartened by the number of community groups that have already come together to do this. So, we've already got the 29 projects across...
Julie James: Diolch, Mark—thank you, Mark. I was very pleased that you facilitated introduction to the curlew group for me. We had an excellent meeting, and we were very much on the same page in terms of what needs to be done. As you heard in my statement, I'm looking for examplar schemes across Wales, where groups have already come together with a very good plan for what they want to do. While I met...
Julie James: Diolch, Alun. Thank you. Yes, I take your point there, and, actually, interestingly enough, I'm having slight déjà vu here, because I remember asking you this question when you were the Minister and I was a backbencher, so we've been working on this for some time. So, what we've asked now—I've asked officials to explore what can be done to further improve the way that our national park...
Julie James: Diolch, Heledd. Those are very important points. In terms of the mental health point, I will certainly be working with colleagues Jeremy Miles and Lynne Neagle across the Government to make sure that, as we have community-based nature recovery schemes, we ensure that people are connected back to nature. We know that the connection back to nature really does help with mental health, and, as...
Julie James: Diolch, Joel. I absolutely am recognising the importance that the marine environment can play in addressing the climate, and I am absolutely committed to establishing a targeted scheme for the restoration of seagrass and salt marsh coastal habitats in this Senedd term. We'll absolutely be working hard to establish a sustainable fisheries management project across portfolios, working with my...
Julie James: Thank you very much, Mike. I do agree entirely with you. One of the things that we are aiming to do in advance of COP is look to see what we can do to assist people to plant trees, emphasising the right tree in the right place. So, for people lucky enough to have gardens that can support big trees, we can make sure that they can do that and have assistance to plant those trees so that they...
Julie James: Yes, thank you, Delyth. You were trying to tempt me, I know, only very recently, to agree to the 30x30 target, so I knew you'd be very pleased that we are committing to it today. I'm very sorry I couldn't do it when you were asking me to do it slightly earlier. Of course, what we'll be doing then, it's one of the targets proposed for the post-2020 biodiversity framework—that's the COP15...
Julie James: I'll just start from where Janet finished and say that, of course, we're willing to work together with the UK Government if only they were willing to work with us. Janet mentioned a few of the investments she says that they have made but, of course, they're all historic investments. What they haven't done is replaced the funding that we've lost from the European Union, and she knows that as...
Julie James: Diolch, Llywydd. The natural environment in Wales underpins our well-being. Access to nature and taking action with others to care for nature benefits our mental health. The connection we have in Wales to our land and waters runs deep in our culture. It makes us who we are. Whilst we rely on nature for the economic opportunities it provides and the protection against pollution and natural...
Julie James: Thank you, Buffy. I couldn’t agree more. The challenge of climate change requires everyone to act and act immediately, as I’ve said repeatedly. I make no mistake for doing that, and Members may as well get used to me saying it, because we’re going to be saying it an awful lot over the next few years. We have been absolutely clear that our net-zero Wales plan has to be an all-Wales plan....
Julie James: We'll be publishing our next all-Wales delivery plan, net zero Wales, ahead of COP26. The plan sets out the action we must all take across this Senedd term and starts our decarbonisation journey towards net zero, including our circular economy approach to help deal with consumption emissions.
Julie James: Well, you know, Janet, sometimes, I feel just a little bit weary of the Conservatives always opposing measures that they say will prevent employment on the minimum wage and prevent landlords coming into the rented homes sector if there's any kind of regulation, in the teeth of all the evidence to the contrary. So, just to put the record straight, obviously, the renting homes legislation makes...
