Part of 1. 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs – in the Senedd at 1:38 pm on 1 February 2017.
Diolch, Lywydd. If I can pick up the gauntlet flung down at me by Simon Thomas in relation to King Canute, King Canute, of course, was the wise man who showed his fawning courtiers that there were limitations on the power of royal authority and government, and he couldn’t hold back the tide, so I feel he would probably have been a man-made global warming sceptic if he were alive today. [Interruption.] But to the business of the day, can I welcome yesterday’s statement from the Cabinet Secretary that she is designating several special areas of conservation for the harbour porpoise and for other sea birds? This is a step in the right direction in creating a coherent network of protected areas at sea to conserve our marine wildlife and habitat. Can she tell us when the Welsh Government intends to complete the marine protected area network in Wales, based on the 2016 Joint Nature Conservation Committee network progress report?