Item 5 on the agenda this afternoon is a statement by the Minister for Environment on the environment in Wales. I call on Hannah Blythyn to introduce the statement. 

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. In Wales we are fortunate to have an awe-inspiring landscape and a rich natural heritage. It's a huge draw for visitors to our shores and a fantastic place for us all to spend time. But our natural environment is not simply a matter of recreation; it's a living, breathing, working landscape  that is and should be there for the benefit of all of the people of Wales. It's more than simply a space that exists outside our towns and cities to escape to, and it's not only home to those who live in rural areas, but an asset that underpins key industries and a vital source of water and energy for the UK as a whole, and it's a fundamental part of who we are as a nation. So, today, in underlining our commitment as a Government to the environment and setting out my priorities, I do so not as an add-on to our main objectives but as a core value that must run through our collective approach. 

With the current focus of Brexit falling on the economic and social impact, it's perhaps easy sometimes to lose sight of the environmental threats that were previously the centre of attention and have not gone away. The threats posed by Brexit should not be underestimated, but alongside this we should also not forget the scale of the risks that stem from a continued decline in biodiversity or continued rise in global emissions. 

Farmers farm the environment, and without soil biodiversity and without pollinators, there is no long-term future for farming. And if we don’t play our part in the global action needed, we risk gambling away our own prosperity along with that of future generations. The environment is not an 'either/or'; it is fundamental to our economic prosperity and our health and well-being.

As a Government, we are absolutely committed to full implementation of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016. The evidence from Wales’s first 'The State of Natural Resources' report is clear that the environmental challenges we face require transformational action. Evidence locally and globally shows that taking small, incremental steps will no longer do. The continued decline in terrestrial biodiversity brings this home in abundance. In Wales’s first natural resources policy, we set out that reversing the decline in biodiversity and improving ecosystem resilience is a challenge on a par with climate change. This is why reversing this decline will be central to my approach.

Our highest quality natural environments must rightly be at the heart of our approach to nature recovery and they represent key habitats from which we must grow our biodiversity. The evidence shows that maintaining the status quo is not an option. We must ensure action on green infrastructure, and that green engineering is mainstreamed across everything we do. We must also look at action like the reintroduction of native species, where it is sensible to do so.

We all recognise that we have world-class parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty, and my second priority is to work with the national parks and AONBs to enhance the value of nature for people across Wales. Our national parks and AONBs are central to enhancing the understanding of the value of our natural landscapes. They have a key educational role to play, which is also about helping people to explore and use those resources sustainably to ensure environmental, social and economic benefit. 

I am therefore calling on our national parks and AONBs to be exemplars on the sustainable management of natural resources, particularly on biodiversity, trees and woodlands, but also in contributing to the delivery of appropriate solutions of the right scale to improve resource efficiency and decarbonisation in those areas. The projects under our sustainable management scheme now show what is possible. I do recognise that the national parks and AONBs face a funding challenge, and that's why I've already allocated £3.4 million in additional funding.

My third priority is fundamental to the progress we must make: increasing the number of trees and woodlands in Wales. Forestry is already an important industry in Wales, both in its own right and as part of our world-class outdoor recreation offer, but our woodland resources are not sufficient or resilient enough to be sustainable, and this is a barrier to making progress environmentally and economically. To unlock commercial opportunities, particularly in a rapidly decarbonising economy, having diverse forestry and timber as a resource is crucial if we are to retain as much as possible of the supply chain benefits here in Wales. My aim is for high-quality, biodiverse woodland that delivers both economic and environmental benefit. I recognise, however, that to achieve this there will need to be a transition. For the creation of new woodland, there must be a transparent, proportionate and predictable process, and I will bring to this place a refreshed woodland strategy before the summer recess.

Expanding our woodlands is only one of the ways in which we will increase the number of our trees. Hedgerows, riparian corridors, and urban trees all have a vital role to play. Glastir has played a key role in the positive results to date, but after Brexit our new land management policy will centre on public goods, and woodlands have great potential in this space.

Let’s be clear, this is not solely a priority for rural Wales; it is a priority for our urban areas too. The Llynfi project is an example of how woodland can support a wide range of benefits for communities. There is growing evidence that demonstrates how important green space is to our physical and mental health and how putting the right trees in the right locations contributes to tackling flooding and poor air quality.  

This brings me to my fourth priority: accelerating our action on poor air quality. I'll be making a separate, detailed statement setting out our approach on 24 April. This Government is committed to taking action on one of the biggest preventable public health issues of our time, and this commitment reinforces how action on the environment has the potential to deliver win-win benefits. 

My final priority goes to the heart of our natural resources policy’s commitment to resource efficiency. Building on our already first-class record on recycling, I want to guide us to being the best in the world. We absolutely want to continue to reduce our waste and tackle key issues like the scourge of single-use plastic, but unlocking the opportunities that becoming more resource-efficient can bring is also central to our economic action plan. I will not only be bringing forward the regulations to implement Part 4 of the environment Act, but also developing a route-map for a more resource-efficient economy.

The five priorities that I have set out today are all as equally important as one another, and in many ways inter-linked: reversing the decline in biodiversity; working with the national parks and AONBs; increasing the number of trees and woodlands; accelerating our action on air quality; and becoming the best in the world on recycling illustrate the practical action being taken on the direction set by Wales’s first natural resources policy. This is the action needed to realise the high-level aspirations and ambitions set out in previous legislative reform.

As set out by the First Minister in 'Prosperity for All', our approach is cross-Government, whether that be by me working with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services on the use of green spaces to improve mental and physical health; with the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport on air quality and the economic contract and opportunities for green growth in areas like timber in construction; or with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance on the move away from a system where profit is privatised whilst the public purse picks up the cost of environmental and social impacts—all work that we have already initiated—and, of course, working with the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs on the reforms to planning policy, and using public money to deliver public goods by rewarding land managers for restoring and maintaining a healthy environment, and on a sustainable marine management policy that recognises both the importance of restoring resilient ecosystems and then securing the many benefits we gain from the marine environment. 

But action by Welsh Government alone will not be enough to address the challenges we face. The onus is on all of us to take responsibility and take action, and I want to pay tribute to the communities, organisations and individuals across the country already taking action. I welcome the initiatives in areas from Anglesey to Aberporth, who are already taking innovative action to tackle plastic pollution, and I will be undertaking a series of visits and engagements across Wales in the summer to see and discuss the work being undertaken. I want to ensure that we're working in partnership with others to empower people and remove barriers to positive action, to address our challenges and deliver on our priorities.

Empowering the public sector to take a leadership role, as we have already done in partnership with local government on recycling, is key. I intend to build on this partnership for biodiversity and will meet each local authority to discuss how they intend to implement their new legal duties in the environment Act.

The current focus on plastic shows the importance of action we can all take as individuals and organisations. There's a key role for our iconic events to play. I will be working with the organisers of major Welsh events, such as the Royal Welsh Show and the Eisteddfod, to see how we can use our world-renowned events as a platform for action.

Lastly, I set out up front that the environment is a value that runs through our collective approach. This is a value that we have in common with the EU’s environmental principles that recognise the importance of the environment, not just as a home to nature, but a key determinant of our health as individuals, of the resilience of our communities, and the long-term viability of our economy. I understand the worry that's been expressed at losing the EU standards and environment principles currently in place. 

We are committed to non-regression on environmental principles and standards, and are fully committed to not only maintaining current EU standards, but to continuing to improve upon them. And as we made clear in the debate on our continuity Bill, we will work to close the environmental governance gap caused by leaving the EU at the first proper legislative opportunity. But this must be done in a way that works with, and builds upon, rather than cuts across the internationally recognised primary legislation that we have put in place in Wales, which is unique within the UK.

I am proud of the fact that we are internationally recognised as a values based, environmentally conscious nation. In the twenty-first century, those values are increasingly at the heart of the most successful brands and will be fundamental to our ability to compete internationally. As a nation, we have the natural resources, the track record, and the ability to realise the opportunities of the transition we face. In setting out the priorities for environmental action today, we recognise that it's not a nice to have, but an investment in our nation’s future.

Whilst I welcome today's statement, I must say, two years in, it is very general indeed in its construction, and I fear in places it deflects us with expansive phrases from some very poor delivery. Do you know, I think sometimes more reflection needs to be made on the texts that come before you? I have to say, to state in this Assembly, and I'm quoting the statement:

'I am therefore calling on our National Parks and AONBs to be exemplars on the sustainable management of natural resources, particularly on biodiversity, trees and woodlands', et cetera. Well, crikey, they're in crisis if they're not doing that naturally already, you know. I just think we need more detail and more bite. And I think your department in general—I see the Cabinet Secretary also here—needs to cause a lot more trouble for the environmental agenda and sustainable development, and the use of the key legislative vehicle—that's the future generations Act in particular—and at the moment, I think this explains a lot of the poor delivery: it's just not there; there isn't the cross-Government working at the moment that we need.

Can I look at some specifics, then, to highlight my concerns? Woodlands, forestry. You're now committed to refresh the woodland strategy. Well, what does that mean? Does it mean you're going to bin the current targets and come up with something much less ambitious? You will know that the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee report into woodlands in Wales picked up this issue of the low level of woodland creation being absolutely a key failure. And Confor stated to the committee, and I quote:

'Woodland creation in Wales has been a catastrophic failure. Wales needs to plant 31,800ha of the 35,000ha which should by now have been planted, simply to get back on track'.

We are way behind the target set by the Welsh Government in 2010, where woodland creation was about 500 hectares then, to increase that to 5,000 a year over a 20-year period. We've not even matched, in that whole time, one year's target—12 months. I think this does sum up some of the difficulties we're in. Can I ask you at least in terms of the urban canopy, when you refresh the strategy, to commit the 20 per cent target of woodland canopy cover in our urban areas, which, of course, then means they can be classified as urban forests?

On air quality, I think it's very disappointing that we have this bifurcated approach, where you're making this general statement this week, and you've said, 'Well, actually, the real detail on a very key area will come next week,' but obviously, we will scrutinise you in detail now. I really want to see some ambition in terms of how we're going to target the areas that have had for decades—generations some of them—poor air quality, and how that's going to be combated. And I want to see a more general green spaces strategy, so we have concepts like green roofs, and how green spaces, particularly in our poorer neighbourhoods, are able, with a good anti-congestion policy, to improve radically our air quality in urban areas.

On resource efficiency, I largely agree with what you've said. We need, not just in Wales, but all over Europe and the UK, a plastics strategy—how we use that very useful material, but it is causing real problems in terms of its single use and disposal. And where are we with the bottle deposit scheme? Even the UK Government has gone ahead of us now after a fairly slow start when it comes to deposit schemes. They seem keen on it, but after initial enthusiasm, we don't seem to be getting very far in terms of our plans and how we even define a pilot project caused us problems. And can I just say, I have issued a statement of opinion today, calling on the Commission to acknowledge and join in with plastic-free July, which is a strategy to try to reduce single-use plastics? It'd be a good idea if the Welsh Government did the same—we would all be able to cheer, then.

On joint working, I've already said I think the excellent legislative framework needs to be used. But, we had evidence a month or two months ago, perhaps, from the economy and transport Cabinet Secretary and his officials and they loftily told us that the organising principle was now the future generations Act. So we just asked, 'Well, what sort of training have you had? What review of your current targets and ambitions?' and it was like having some nervous schoolboys in front of you as they tried to splutter out a half coherent response, and they didn't really succeed.

Finally, on Brexit, you're right to say that we don't want regression; we need to maintain high standards. There are a lot of issues here that have to be tackled on a UK basis, and we will support you where you have to make the case for the Welsh Government and the National Assembly in the various fora at a UK level. And I do wonder if you've made any response yet to the UK Government's suggestion that some form of independent monitoring body should operate on a UK level.

Thank you for your numerous questions and contributions there. Firstly, can I say that I welcome your support in terms of making sure that we don't roll back on any of our environmental protections as we exit the European Union and that those mechanisms are in place in terms of actually retaining those protections and adhering to our international obligations? In terms of work done on the environmental body, conversations and work is ongoing in terms of regular meetings with DEFRA, both at an official level and at a ministerial level through the Cabinet Secretary.

On woodlands, this is a conversation that I recognise and that we've had before. One of the first debates I responded to in the Chamber was on the environment committee's report, 'Branching out', and I did recently come before the committee with the Cabinet Secretary in the scrutiny session just prior to the Easter recess. We recognise that we are off meeting those ambitious targets in terms of woodland creation, but I identified it as making sure that this is something that we do need to have a step change on.

I mentioned that I visited Scotland and met my colleague, Fergus Ewing. They are making more progress in Scotland, but their approach has been very much based on purely conifer, whereas as I said, here, we're looking for more biodiversity and that balance between broad leaves and conifers. We're looking for a solution that fits us in Wales. But, there are opportunities in terms of posts when we look at the future of land management; it will open up an area for us to go at scale on that, but in the interim—which will be outlined in the refresh of this strategy—it's actually about what steps we can take now and what are the barriers that exist at the moment in terms of woodland creation and tree planting and what we can do now. Can we look at whether there is potential to identify a presumption of woodland creation in some areas, so going back to the right trees in the right places and making sure that is place appropriate?

I very much welcome the Member's—I did spot it today—statement of opinion on plastic-free July. I'm sure that there is something that we can be doing in terms of that to back that, and I think it's a fantastic initiative and one of those things that actually brings things to the fore of the public's and media's consciousness. You were talking about the Assembly estate and single-use plastic free, that is something, from my perspective, in terms of the Welsh Government estate, work is in hand to look at how we can take steps. We're already working with the contractors and caterers to see how we can take that forward to work towards making sure that the Welsh Government estate is single-use plastic free.

In terms of resource efficiency and deposit-return schemes, you're aware that we have had the initial summary of the extended producer responsibility report, now, and I hope to be in a position to come back to this place in the very near future to outline the key recommendations of that and the next steps, and obviously, I very much welcome your scrutiny and input on that when we get to that point. But I think we should recognise too that when we look at the levels of recycling here in Wales, we are ahead of our counterparts in Scotland and England, but that is not to be complacent, because we do need to look at actually how we continue that progress and think of things and innovative solutions and different approaches that we can take. That's why I think there is so much to learn from the kind of community wave of action that we've seen and how we can bring that altogether. Like I said, there is action that we need to take at a Government level as well.

May I welcome the tone of the Minister’s statement today? The principles contained within it are robust, and I certainly couldn’t argue with them, but I also have to say that I had hoped to hear specific proposals in this statement in terms of how the Government is going to tackle the issues and the challenges set out by the Minister. Unfortunately, we’re still in a position where we are discussing some high-level ideas, without actually discussing what are the specific proposals put forward by the Government.

So, may I turn to some of these now, and ask a number of questions, if I may, of the Minister on these issues? For example, the Government held a very broad consultation on the management of the natural resources of Wales last year. It was a contentious consultation in certain areas, and most of those proposals now sit with the Minister, I believe. There were 56 proposals in this consultation. To date, we haven’t seen the summary report of the consultation that was promised in the new year, but certainly I haven’t seen anything that’s been presented to the Assembly. Of the 56 proposals, there’s no mention today which proposals the Government intends to proceed with, so I’d like to hear from the Minister which proposals she intends to take action on.

Fundamental to the challenge that the Minister has set out today on biodiversity, for example, and on the quality of the environment, are the area statements by NRW. When will we see these area statements, and when will we know what will happen at a very localised level in order to tackle some of these issues?

The Minister has mentioned forestry, and David Melding also made mention of this. I think it’s true to say that we’ve only reached 10 per cent of the current target that we have, so what exactly does the Government propose in order to hasten this process so that we can move far more swiftly with the planting of trees, particularly commercial forestry? I accept that we have a different landscape and a different environment to Scotland, but there is room to develop commercial forestry in Wales. For example, is there anything further that the Minister can tell us about enabling NRW to retain some of the funds raised through the leasing of land for renewable energy in order to redirect that funding directly to the planting of trees and also the commercial planting of trees as well?

The challenges of the national parks have already been mentioned. Although I do recognise that there is some additional funding available, the core funding for the national parks, particularly the areas of outstanding natural beauty, is very small and has been reduced over recent years. So, are they sufficiently funded to respond to the challenges set out in this statement? And may I ask whether NRW is sufficiently funded and in a sufficiently robust governance position to tackle some of these challenges too?

I accept that there is to be a statement in a few weeks’ time on air quality, but it is true to say that we do need very swift action by the Government in this area. I and Plaid Cymru are now of the view that we need no less than a clean air Act in order to tackle this issue, and I look forward to hearing what the Minister will have to say. I accept that it’s not contained within today’s statement, but I hope that we will see that very soon.

A final point that the Minister has dealt with is the needs of a resource-efficient economy, on which I share her objectives, certainly. We do need to see the producer responsibility report as soon as possible. We need to understand, as well, how the Government is now going to react to the new infrastructure, if you like, around a deposit-return scheme. We've discussed the possibilities or feasibilities in Wales. We really are beyond that now; we have a UK-wide proposal. The Scottish Government, interestingly, has said that it wants to host, or see whether it can join with ourselves and other Governments to have, a summit on deposit-return so we can agree what a common UK framework is, and I'd really like to know today from the Minister whether she will respond to that invitation from Roseanna Cunningham and the Scottish Government and be part of a UK-wide summit to discuss this.

When it comes to plastics, of course, we're in the completely idiotic position that today we drink water from plastic bottles that contains plastic from previous plastic bottles. When you get to that situation, we really need to know that—something needs to be done. Though it's talked about again in this statement, the opportunity was missed to have a levy on single-use plastics in Wales as our innovative first tax, and now we need to move on, certainly, if we're not going to have that levy, into something that really addresses a deposit-return scheme, and builds on our success in recycling. Because the Minister will be aware that though we recycle something like 70 per cent of plastic bottles, those are only the 70 per cent that reach the recycling waste stream. A lot of them are simply disposed of either as rubbish or even on the streets or whatever—they may be in the bin, but they're not being recycled. So, the 70 per cent is a bit of a misleading target.

The final thing that I'd like to ask her is: she has talked in this statement about legislation and seeing the legislation opportunities—when does she see the opportunity arising for legislation that was talked about before Easter around preserving our European protections as we leave the European Union? When does she see that happening? And she also talked before Easter, only a month ago, about the potential for legislation for national parks around their use of natural resources. So, when does she see the opportunity for legislation on that matter?

I think the Member's absolutely right when he talks about the levels of recycling plastic bottles, in terms of, actually, one of the challenges now, actually, is the 'on-the-go' issue, not just littering, which is a contributing factor. But also I can't help but notice now, wherever I go, I actually do specifically look to see if a shopping precinct or a transport hub has recycling facilities. I've actually turned into such a geek, I tend to take photos of them as well now—I've changed. But that actually shows, actually, that we can see a cultural shift as well in terms of people's expectations in looking for the opportunity to use that, and I think it's just work in partnership to make sure that we make that happen.

In terms of DRS and the feasibility study and next steps, I believe you and I are meeting tomorrow morning. I have had contact, correspondence, with Roseanna in the Welsh—. In the UK—. In the Scottish Government; I'll get there eventually. And we are due to have a cross-Government discussion specifically on this issue next month, I believe. So, I'm sure I'll be in a position then to update Members on that.

I need to correct the Member on one thing. You say that the air quality statement is in a few weeks' time; it's actually next week, so it's sooner than you think. But I take, obviously, with all seriousness, on board what you say about the need to take action as a matter of urgency. It's one of the biggest preventable health issues we face in our generation.

In terms of the sustainable management of natural resources consultation, I don't know if you'll be aware that there was a high level of response to it—in excess of 17,000 responses. Officials have completed the initial summary of all the responses, and it's clear that some of the proposals, shall we say, polarised opinion. But, nevertheless, these responses have allowed us to gain a better understanding of the views and positions of a wide variety of stakeholder organisations, as I'm sure the Member can imagine. I do want to publish that response document as soon as is possible now, but I do want to make sure that we consider properly, and in a balanced way, the potential impacts, positive and negative, to make sure that we do find the right way forward. But, no, I recognise what you're saying in terms of the length of time and the need to progress that now.

Just to answer your point on the—. We're talking about woodland creation again, and you specifically referenced the ability of Natural Resources Wales to raise funds, and Welsh Government has now agreed that NRW can carry out compensatory planting from the income from windfarm developments. As managers of the woodland estate, they'll also get about £3.7 million additional funding this year to tackle Phytophthora ramorum, and part of this will also be replanting as well.

I don't wish to be unkind to the Minister—sometimes it's a positive duty on us, as earlier on in First Minister's questions—but, in this particular instance, I would like to follow up the points that were made initially by David Melding earlier on. The statement does lack in depth what it contained in length. The Government often, I think, shows its commitment to recycling by repeating what it's said before many, many times, and this is, I think, an example of that.

The statement does, of course, contain the ritual tilt at Brexit, and talks about threats, but I hope the Minister will recognise that, in environmental terms, what is the threat here? The threat is that we take these decisions for ourselves rather than have them taken for us by others. We are in charge of our own environmental policy from the day that we leave the EU, and that gives us the opportunity to correct some of the deficiencies of EU environmental legislation. In the specific example of Wales, I'd like to repeat something I've said before in this connection as well as regards the wilding of the hills, for example, because I fully applaud what's said in the Senedd about biodiversity in all its forms. We've seen, through the wilding policy, which is consequent upon the EU habitats directive, some disastrous changes. There's been a catastrophic increase, for example, in most predators, and the corollary of that is declines, sometimes towards extinction, of many vulnerable prey species.

Leaving the EU gives us the opportunity, because environment is one of the most important areas of responsibility that we will gain, to take a very different approach to the one that's been adopted hitherto. We've seen, again, a rise in rank and unpalatable grasses infested with ticks as a result of unburnt mature heather, and also other infestations, such as heather beetle, have been the result of that. Out-of-control bracken can also sterilise a landscape, and bracken is a vector of Lyme disease. I think we've got to reconsider the way in which we look at these areas of the countryside, and Brexit gives us the opportunity to do that to the benefit of biodiversity. So, if we do that then we'll all be marching in the same direction together regardless of what differing views we might have upon the bigger issue of national self-government.

I was intrigued by the mention of the reintroduction of native species where it's sensible to do so. She'll know that there is a vigorous debate going on about the reintroduction of the lynx, and even the wolf, into the landscapes of this country. So, it will be I think valuable for us to have some reassurance on this. Certainly, farmers are very concerned about animals of that kind being loosed into the wild to the danger of sheep farmers, in particular.

As regards areas of outstanding natural beauty and national parks, again, I fully support what David Melding said earlier on. And, again, I'd like to make my ritual plea that, where there are potential conflicts between the objectives of environmental policy on the one hand—in the case of renewable energy, for example, which I've raised many times, the siting of windfarms in areas of outstanding natural beauty—we must take, I think, a more proportionate attitude towards this. Without entering into the debate on man-made global warming, the cost to the landscape of siting a significant windfarm must be regarded, I think, as greater than the benefit overall of the energy that the windfarm can produce, and so we have to be sensitive in landscape terms, I think, and that's where I would like to put my priority.

I fully support, as an enthusiastic planter of trees myself, what she says about woodlands, but, again, David Melding has made the point that the Government is way behind in its objectives on this, and I'd also like to point out the need for greater diversity in the forms of woodlands that we plant. In the past, the deadening of the landscape by excessive conifer plantations is widely accepted now, and we have to move towards a more diverse form of tree planting.

Again, nobody could quarrel with what she says about the need to improve air quality, but it is a paradox, isn't it, that within relatively recent memory we've been promoting the use of diesel, for example, on environmental grounds, only to find that—it should have been pretty obvious, I think, from the start, when you simply look at the emissions themselves, physically, by observing them—they are pretty disastrous, in comparative terms, compared with the alternatives.

And, finally, she mentions plastic pollution. Again, nobody wants to see litter on the streets or in the countryside, but, again, we have to, I think, bear in mind the distinction between costs and benefits and the limitations of what anything we do is going to achieve in respect of the global problem, particularly in respect of the marine environment, for example, which is mentioned specifically in the statement. I think we have to recognise that more than half of the global plastic waste flowing into the oceans comes from five countries: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, and the only industrialised western country in the top 20 polluters is the United States, at number 20 itself. China is responsible for 28 per cent of the world's plastic pollution—2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste. Ninety-five per cent of plastic polluting the world's oceans comes from 10 rivers, eight of which are in Asia and two of which are in Africa.

So, I think we need to look at solutions that concentrate more upon the visual aspects of the use of plastic, where it's unsightly and diminishes our enjoyment of the environment, more than what you might call the environmental aspects. After all, where does plastic originate? Of course, these are oil molecules that are changed. The oil starts off in the ground, and it ends up in the ground if it's put into landfill. I personally don't see any objection to putting plastic into landfill because it is inert, it isn't going to degrade, it's not going to do us any harm.

I just take issue with one thing my neighbour Simon Thomas said about recycling plastic into plastic. I don't necessarily see anything wrong in doing that if it's commercially sensible to do so, but what we need to do is to have more of a cost-benefit analysis of what we do. When I was a member of the EU Council of Ministers as a deregulation Minister for the UK Government, I often made speeches to my colleagues about, before legislating, trying to take a proportionate attitude towards what we were trying to do, and trying to measure the costs as well as the alleged benefits.

So, when we come to reconsider all the environmental legislation that we're going to inherit from the EU, it gives us the opportunity not to take an absolutist view that everything that's there already must be maintained, but to look at it afresh on a sort of scientific and analytical basis. Sometimes it might be sensible to increase the amount of regulation, and sometimes—and I think there'll be lots of opportunities for this at a micro level—to reduce the impact and cost of regulation upon us. So I hope the Minister will accept that that is a common-sense approach to regulation in the future.

I'm shocked to hear the Member say that exiting the European Union is a good thing in terms of our environmental protections. Because of the threat of that—what I would say is that there's a very real chance that we risk having our protections rolled back, but also our powers rolled back, and the undermining of the legislation that we have in place. But as a Welsh Government, we remain, as I reiterate, absolutely committed to actually maintaining and meeting our international obligations when it comes to the environment.

The Member also talks about—. You recognised at the start of your significant contribution there how we as a Welsh Government keep talking about our recycling success. I make no apologies for that, because I'm proud of our record on recycling, but also I recognise that there are still things that we need to do to build on that, which is why we've talked about these things today, and we'll be taking them forward in terms of looking at a deposit return scheme. We'll also look at extended producer responsibility, because actually, as I said in the statement, there's a responsibility that we don't let people use private profit and then the public purse picks up the bill in terms of the social and environmental impact. We need to change that, and it's really important.

The Member once again talks about certain countries being contributors to the problem around plastic, but whether or not we are part of the European Union, we live in an increasingly interconnected world, and I would say that it's part of our global responsibility as a global citizen to actually take the lead and show leadership when it comes to tackling plastic waste.

First of all, I'd like to welcome the Minister's statement. The environment where all of us in Wales live is not only the areas of outstanding natural beauty, the national parks, the farms and the countryside—it's areas where people like myself live. Within Swansea East we had a mass tree planting programme in the 1960s and 1970s, and the lower Swansea Valley where I was born was the largest area of urban dereliction in Europe. It was transformed by the lower Swansea valley project, supported by Swansea council and Swansea University, and involved mass tree planting.

The Neath Road in the Hafod in my constituency has the second poorest air quality in Wales due to a combination of traffic and topography. The Morfa Distributor Road has led to a reduction in  the traffic on Neath Road, but it's still a major cause of air pollution.

As you have mentioned non-native species, I'm not going to go on about knotweed again, but there is a serious environmental problem with these non-native species. And it's not just knotweed, though that's the major one in the Swansea area. You have others, like Himalayan balsam, and you have some others in other parts of Wales and they are a serious problem. When we talk about the environment, we keep forgetting and not mentioning and not talking about it, but we really do need to address these, because they're having a serious effect.

I've only got three questions. What is the Welsh Government going to do to transform other areas of urban dereliction? What is the Welsh Government's proposal for increasing urban tree coverage? And not just planting some trees or some more woods in an area, but actually having trees in areas where people like myself and my constituents live.

And what proposals has the Welsh Government got to improve air quality, especially in the areas of very poor air quality? And there are a number of those. I see Hefin is not here at the moment, but he can mention a place in his constituency. I can certainly mention the Hafod in mine, and there's also Fabian Way, which is in both David Rees's and my consistency, where you have the topography and the volume of traffic and the fact that traffic keeps on stopping and starting because of the volume of traffic, which really does have a serious effect on the environment of the people living there. In a lot of these areas, there are people living closer than I am to the Presiding Officer away from the main road. Some of them are as close as I am to David Melding from the main road. I think that really is a problem. The cars are stopped outside their houses and then they're starting up again and it's sometimes the width of a pavement away from their front door. I'm a great believer in the 'worst first' philosophy and policy, so what can be done about the worst areas of pollution and air quality?

I thank the Member for his contribution. If my geography is right, I believe I was in the lower Swansea valley on Saturday, if I dare say, at the only premier league team in Wales, but I have to add a caveat: I was there supporting the opposition. It was a draw, so I'll move swiftly on.

On non-native species, I know you didn't ask a question, but you're right to raise Japanese knotweed and the real threat from other non-native species. This was something that was high on the agenda at the last British-Irish Council last month in terms of actually how we work UK-wide and with Ireland to tackle that as an issue that doesn't respect borders and goes across shorelines as well.

I think you might have said something about increasing urban tree coverage. You're right, it isn't just about woodlands in more rural areas or where we would think of where woodland is placed. It's actually about all the innovative different things we can do in terms of green infrastructure, and that actually has the win-win added value of actually improving the local environment in terms of visually and pride in the community, but it also can help us tackle things like flooding and air quality.

If you look at examples not far from here with the Greener Grangetown partnership between Cardiff Council, Welsh Water and Natural Resources Wales, they invested £2 million in Greener Grangetown, which actually catches and directs clean rainwater directly into the River Taff rather than pumping it eight miles up the road into the sea. As part of that, they've also replanted thousands of shrubs and plants. If you go through there now, you can really see visually the difference it has made to the community. I think that is something that we can learn from as a working partnership with the various organisations and public bodies, to see initiatives like that rolled out across Wales. There's also the Llanelli RainScape.

One thing I think is really key with these initiatives—and it goes back to the air quality question and the topography and the issue of how close you could be, especially young children, if you're close to the road and the exhausts, and cars idling outside schools. Really, what is key as part of this too is actually starting with a generational change and involving children, because pester power is powerful. I've said that before and I'll say it time and time again: it does have an impact in shaming adults to take action and change their behaviour. It's one of the things in the Eco-Schools project. We're trying it in 35 schools where children will be taking part in air quality monitoring, and then from those results they will initiate their own behavioural change campaigns, and that could include walking buses, scootering to school or a 'no idling' policy. So, I can actually see at one point, if a car is idling outside the school, a six-year-old coming knocking on the window and telling them to turn off their engine.

But in all seriousness, in terms of tackling air quality—obviously, I'll go into more detail next week—the Member raised some valid points about the impact of our topography and, actually, we know there are some places that are worst hit in Wales that will need it, which is the purpose of taking a place-based approach. We're thinking that if we're looking at clean air plans or clean air zones, then they have to actually—. A one-size-fits-all is not going to work, and we need to do things that actually meet the challenges and take action in a way that is suitable for those areas.   

Thank you very much, Minister. I think you've got the prize for putting football into every statement, and you've taking it from somebody who used to be able to do that, so well done.