Lesley Griffiths: ...decisions about the future of the wild animals will have already been taken. Janet Finch-Saunders also asked about what if a travelling circus rebranded itself. I think you gave the example as an educational show, for example. The scope of the Bill is specifically about wild animals in travelling circuses and I think it's more appropriate that we regulate the use of wild animals in other...
Lesley Griffiths: ...in the Chamber or if it was before, but clearly it's something that they're looking at, and, as you say, the future generations commissioner is also keen to engage. I'm very happy to speak to the education Minister if NRW want me to, or, obviously, they can have a meeting with my colleague Kirsty Williams, if they would prefer to do that.
Lesley Griffiths: ...the clean air plan oral statement, you may have heard me say that one thing we're looking at is tiny forests, and these are small pieces of land, and quite often public sector land in hospitals or schools, for instance, where we can look to plant just a small amount of trees. Clearly, local authorities would have a role to play in that.
Lesley Griffiths: ...what they can do, and I will continue to do that. Obviously, raising awareness with people is really important and very much a part of the plan. In relation to your question around pesticides and schools, I will write to the Member about that. I'm not aware of anything specific that I've written to local authorities about, but I will certainly write to the Member about that.
Lesley Griffiths: ...you referred to as being an issue. But I do think we need to consider how we can enhance these powers through a clean air Act, and that is absolutely the intention of this Government. Talking about schools, when I mentioned to Andrew R.T. Davies that I'd recently been in Madrid for COP25, which is still ongoing, one of the things I saw in Madrid was living walls. So, incredible, really...
Lesley Griffiths: ...tackling congestion around the M4. And I understand there will be an interim report—I think it's before the end of this year, which, obviously, I will watch with interest. Around air quality and schools, again, it's a very important point. And if you look where we spend our time, we spend our time indoors—and I'll come back to what you were saying about domestic combustion—and also...
Lesley Griffiths: ...industry, non-governmental organisations and of course the general public all working together. We will empower everyone to reduce their impacts and exposures to local air quality through better education and awareness raising, and develop targeted and integrated communications to inform and enable behavioural change. Our new clean air Act for Wales will play a key role in helping us...
Lesley Griffiths: I'd be very happy to share that information with regional Members, if NRW are happy to do so. I can't remember if I've had the specific discussion with the education Minister, but I've certainly had that discussion with NRW, and it's something they are very keen to look at and said they would take forward.
Lesley Griffiths: I have committed to reviewing the Animal Welfare (Breeding of Dogs) (Wales) Regulations 2014. This will include full consideration of any barriers to enforcement. In addition, we will help educate the public on how to purchase their pets responsibly and how to report suspicious activity to their local authority.
Lesley Griffiths: ...will continue to make. I and other Welsh Ministers regularly discuss climate change issues with the young people we meet. I recently received a climate change magna carta, produced by one primary school pupil, and, I have to say, it showed a keener understanding of the issues and contained in it a far more comprehensive set of measures than those suggested to me by some opposition Members...
Lesley Griffiths: ...that we all monitor that, so I think just raising awareness will help that. I certainly hadn't thought of plaques, but I'd be very happy perhaps to speak to Keep Wales Tidy, who do the eco-school project, for instance, to see if there's any way we can look to doing that. But I certainly am very happy and I will write to Pontypridd Town Council.
Lesley Griffiths: ...it's great that staff have taken this on in a voluntary role. I know, certainly, that the—. I'm trying to think. I think it might have been the Merthyr offices where I went, and there was an education official who has now become an expert in looking after beehives because she volunteered for the role to do that. I'm very interested in green roofs, as I said. Again, we have got a pilot...
Lesley Griffiths: I was pleased to attend Caerphilly council’sClean Air Day event on 20 June at Caerphilly castle, which educated over 600 local children about air quality. We are evaluating Clean Air Day in partnership with Global Action Plan who are undertaking research to help evidence the impact of the day. Findings will be available in September.
Lesley Griffiths: ...impact on the welfare of animals that are being used in exhibits, and you mentioned some examples. There are a significant number of animals that we probably don't know about that are going round schools, for instance, and we often see them at agricultural shows and in other settings. So, I think it is really important that we have this scheme. But I think also it's important for our...
Lesley Griffiths: ...through the consumer choices they make. There are Welsh Government initiatives focused on supporting citizens to access the opportunities and resources to take action locally, such as our eco-schools initiative and our enabling natural resources and well-being grant schemes. So, our message to Welsh citizens is this: if you share our determination to tackle the climate and ecological...
Lesley Griffiths: ...Hedges that we're not planting enough trees, and, certainly, if we are going to mitigate climate change in the way we would want to, we need to ensure that happens. So, I know NRW are working with schools, from the last conversation I had with them. I don't know if it's specifically around planting trees, but it's certainly an opportunity, I think, that they can take forward. NRW manage 7...
Lesley Griffiths: ...at this stage. You're quite right around vehicles. It is road traffic that does have such a massive impact, and we do need to encourage a shift. And going back to what you were saying about the school run, we need to encourage a shift from over-reliance, I think, on the private car, to much more sustainable modes of transport such as walking and cycling and public transport, and that's...
Lesley Griffiths: ...we now accept that as completely normal, whereas not that long ago when you went into a pub, for instance, smoking was allowed and the impact it must have had on so many of us—. In relation to schools, I think you raise a really important point and, also, around behavioural change. The primary school that you mention from your own constituency is clearly a good example of that. If we...
Lesley Griffiths: ...young people—I met a group of young people along with the children's commissioner and the future generations commissioner, and it was inspirational. Some of them were little ones from primary school, others were older, and we heard what they expect us to do over the coming years, and we're working a plan out as to how we can ensure that our policies and proposals—. And they're not...
Lesley Griffiths: ...exit. These regulations, which introduce technical amendments to a number of statutory instruments relating to food marketing standards, public interventions in the agricultural products sector and school milk will ensure Welsh law remains operable and effective after we leave the EU. It will correct out-of-date references relating to European law in domestic legislation, for instance...
