Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs – in the Senedd at 1:47 pm on 29 November 2017.

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Photo of Lesley Griffiths Lesley Griffiths Labour 1:47, 29 November 2017

Well, yes, I'd like to think I am the Cabinet Secretary for happiness in the countryside. 

I think, at the beginning of that last question, you made a very important point about the balance. I always used to say, at that time, that I was Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs, so it was absolutely imperative that I did that balancing. Now, obviously, we've got a Minister for Environment, but that doesn't mean that the environment is any less important to me as Cabinet Secretary.

So, it is absolutely vital that any policy you bring forward is a balanced approach. It's certainly been very helpful having so many responses to the consultation and having so many individual farmers—and then, obviously, the two farmers who came to see me around the blue flag scheme—bringing forward their ideas about how they've managed to reduce the nitrates, et cetera. So, yes, you're right, I will be bringing forward that statement.