I'm pleased to take part in such an important debate here this afternoon. Now, as Members will appreciate, this inquiry and report is especially relevant to Pembrokeshire, with the vast majority of the sea around the county located within marine protected areas. Indeed, on a recent trip to Ramsey island with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, with my species champion hat on, I had the opportunity to discuss this particular inquiry and talk about ways in which the Welsh Government can better support and protect marine protected areas in Wales.

From that discussion and from discussions with other stakeholders and local groups—and I appreciate that the Welsh Government has now published a consultation on its draft marine action plan—it's clear from this report that that strategic direction on marine management in Wales has been historically lacking. It's absolutely crucial therefore that the Welsh Government now develops a plan that works with the marine industry and stakeholders, and can actually be delivered on the ground. Previous reviews of marine management have consistently concluded that a higher priority must be given to MPA management, and whilst the Welsh Government's intentions have been good, as the Chair of the committee said, we need to see leadership on this issue.

Of course, part of the problem is that the Cabinet Secretary's budget is tight and that therefore resources are sometimes insufficient to meet their intended purposes, and I certainly don't envy the Cabinet Secretary's position. The committee's report makes it very clear that there is a need for greater resources in terms of staffing and finance to enable the sustainable management of MPAs across Wales, and stakeholders have been very clear in outlining that the lack of resources is hampering the ability to deliver MPA-related activities. Therefore, it's crucial that, moving forward, the budget for MPA activity is closely monitored. Whilst I'm pleased to see in the Welsh Government's response that the Cabinet Secretary will keep this budget under review, perhaps in responding to today's debate she will commit to updating Members more regularly on the level of resources and strategic direction for its marine conservation policies.    

Of course, staffing and resources aren't the only issues facing marine protected areas in Wales. Recommendation 3 of the committee's report makes it crystal clear that the Welsh Government must increase public awareness of MPAs and improve its engagement with stakeholders and the public. Marine protected areas, when properly managed, offer widespread benefits and the seas off my constituency in Pembrokeshire have been designated to safeguard important species, including the world's biggest concentration of breeding Manx shearwater sea birds and internationally important numbers of puffin, of which I'm proud to be species champion. Indeed, every year, thousands of visitors flock to Pembrokeshire to see our beautiful wildlife, and whilst they are there they, of course, spend money in the local area and help support the local tourism industry.

Now, the Welsh Government has accepted recommendation 3, making it clear that the Year of the Sea campaign 2018 provides a great opportunity to promote the value of our MPAs. However, I am concerned that an approach to increasing public awareness of MPAs and the benefits of these protections beyond 2018 and the Year of the Sea has not been demonstrated, and there haven't been any further commitments outlined in the follow-up letter on 2 November, following a letter from the committee seeking further clarifications. Therefore, given that both our wildlife and Welsh tourism depends so much on the health of our seas, perhaps the Cabinet Secretary could tell us a bit more about what action the Welsh Government is taking to promote the benefits of marine protected areas and increase the public understanding of their importance beyond the 2018 Year of the Sea campaign.

Deputy Presiding Officer, like John Griffiths, I'd like to briefly touch on recommendation 9 and the impact that leaving the European Union will have on Welsh MPAs. I appreciate that the Cabinet Secretary has accepted this recommendation. However, no detail was given regarding any assessments that are being made of the impact of exiting the EU on our marine protected areas. As Simon Thomas referred to, the majority of the sea area protected within marine protected areas in Wales has been designated under the EU nature directives within European marine sites, and this includes the Pembrokeshire marine special area of conservation, which covers an area of over 130,000 hectares. As I think Neil Hamilton said earlier, marine protected areas were specifically designed to complement European marine sites as part of a two-tiered protection system, that is, legally and ecologically. So, perhaps, in responding to this debate, the Cabinet Secretary will commit to keeping this two-tiered protection system so that the network of protected sites in Welsh waters can function as intended.

In closing, Deputy Presiding Officer, the benefits of marine protected areas in Wales cannot be understated, but they have to be properly managed and properly resourced. Moving forward, I hope the Welsh Government seriously commits to providing more leadership and promoting the value of Welsh MPAs much more than at present, as this will, no doubt, strengthen our tourist industry as well as environmentally protecting our seas in the future.