Can I certainly thank the Petitions Committee for bringing this report forward for discussion? I wasn't here when these petitions were originally submitted, but I'm well aware of the battle that my colleague Lynne Neagle has, and I'm facing similar battles now in my constituency with the applications for Nant Llesg, which I'll cover in a moment. So, I have followed the consideration of the petitions with interest, because since I was elected as the AM for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, opencast mining has been a major consideration in the work that I do, and in the concerns of the constituents that I represent. The current opencast coal operation at Ffos-y-fran in Merthyr Tydfil has been of keen interest to my constituents, because the issue has been rumbling on around the restoration of that site. We've also now had the application for Nant Llesg in the upper Rhymney valley, and the petition, the second petition, was submitted around that. A number of my constituents were actually involved in submitting that petition to call in the opencast mining applications, including Terry Evans, who you referred to, David Rowlands, and those people have been closely involved in campaigning vociferously against the Nant Llesg development in the upper Rhymney valley.

But my interest lies in two areas in particular: restoration, which I've already referred to, and future applications. So, as I've already said, during the short time that I've been the Assembly Member, the landscape around Merthyr has changed completely as a result of the Ffos-y-fran development, as the coal has been removed and phased restoration work has taken place. More recently, however, I've been concerned to see court action involving the owners of the Ffos-y-fran operation and the local authority. Now, my position is clear and absolutely unambiguous. There remains an overriding public interest to ensure that, on completion of current opencast operations, the owners must restore the site in compliance with their obligations. That, and that alone, is the overriding public interest in this matter. However, given the ongoing litigation on that—and I believe that we may actually be getting a decision on that court action today—I don't propose to say any more on that. It does, however, lead me on to the more general point of principle, which is that local authorities, the Planning Inspectorate and Welsh Government should ensure suitable financial provision for restoration is implemented, monitored and enforced effectively, the point that I think is set out in conclusion 3 of the committee's report. No community should ever face the uncertainty of being left with a legacy of problems after operators have made millions of pounds from their operations.

And that's why the current review of 'Planning Policy Wales' is also welcome, given the outstanding applications of concern that I've referred to, including Nant Llesg. The Nant Llesg application has already been rejected by the local authority. It doesn't form part of that authority's local development plan. It is opposed almost unanimously by the local community. And yet it is subject to a current appeal. So, I hope, in line with conclusion 2 of the report, that future policy will not only reinforce the Welsh Government's view on the future of fossil fuel extraction, but will respect the right of local communities to determine whether such operations take place on their doorstep. Because while we can't escape the history of mining in our past and in our Valleys communities—indeed, I think we take pride in it—it's also clear, as Mark Reckless said, that these communities have actually moved on from that type of industry, and it's clear that they do not want to see carbon-based and dependent industries resurrected that would both destroy the beautiful landscapes that they now have and damage the environment for future generations. So, at this point in time, Chair, I am reassured by the Cabinet Secretary's evidence to the Petitions Committee and the direction that the Welsh Government is taking on this issue. However, it is vital that, through due process, we see this followed up in the review of planning policy in Wales.