Can I thank the Minister for her statement? Certainly, we need action. Some of us would agitate for more urgent action than others, I'm sure, but there's no doubt that we need to tackle the plastics epidemic that we're facing as a society—a global society—these days. And as positive as the local authorities' record has been in terms of recycling over recent years, it is disappointing to note the flatlining, or the drop-off, albeit with some of the explanations that you've given in your statement. But I think it does underline now that the low-hanging fruit has been picked and this is where we get to the hard yards. And, of course, this is where we get to the real action from policy makers as well. And the show-stopping statistic from the Marine Conservation Society that there could be more plastic than fish by weight in the seas by 2050 I think is quite sobering, and it's one that probably needs to be at the front of our minds when we consider this particular issue.

Now, we've already touched on the increasing concerns regarding where our recycled plastic waste actually goes. We know that two thirds of the UK's plastic package waste is exported by an export industry that was worth around £50 million last year and that the Environment Agency is currently investigating allegations that include exporters fraudulently claiming for tens of thousands of tonnes of plastic waste that might not exist, UK plastic waste not being recycled and being left to leak into rivers and oceans, and illegal shipments of plastic waste being routed to the far east via the Netherlands. So, my first question to you, really, is: what assurances can you give us regarding where Welsh recycled plastic is ending up? Is there any Welsh involvement in the Environment Agency's investigation and are you confident that our plastic is being dealt with as it should be?

Of course, all of this increasingly shows that, rather than just recycling, we really need to seek to prevent the use of plastics, particularly single-use plastics, in the first place. And a levy on single-use plastics to work alongside a deposit-return scheme for bottles and cans has been a longstanding Plaid Cymru call for many years now. We're still waiting to get to that point where it is being implemented, and we've heard reference over a number of years in my time here in the Assembly to how this has worked in other countries: over 98 per cent of bottles recycled in Germany, over 90 per cent in Norway, Sweden and Finland, et cetera, et cetera. 

You say in your statement that you'll consult alongside the UK Government on both the extended producer responsibility and deposit-return schemes before Christmas, providing what you described as unique Welsh input to ensure the proposed approaches work for Wales. My question to you, therefore, would be: if the UK Government decides against a UK-wide deposit-return scheme, will you, as Minister, legislate on a DRS for Wales in this Assembly term? I'd like to hear your views on that, because, clearly, this has been something that we've been calling for for a long, long time, and I'm trying to get over that there is a sense of urgency here. And if they, as a UK Government, don't choose to pursue it, then how soon will you be pursuing that as a Government and as a Minister?

You also say that you continue to work with the UK Government to discuss potential taxation measures to tackle single-use plastics, and you say that if nothing is raised in the autumn budget next week then you'll consider again what can be done on a Wales-only basis with the levers that we have here. So my next question would be whether you would commit here today to ensuring that there is a levy, tax or charge in place to tackle plastic pollution in Wales in this Assembly term, regardless of what happens at a UK level, because it's those kinds of messages and it's that kind of clear direction of travel that we need to get the momentum behind some of these schemes that we want to realise. 

In your statement on 8 May, you said that you were working with Refill and Welsh businesses, charities and major events to ensure that there are water refill points and stations across the country. It would be nice to hear an update with regard to where you are with those discussions and also whether you'll consider working with local authorities to put in place drinking water fountainsin public spaces, which is something that we would all want to see. And, following, of course, the UK Government's proposals to ban plastic straws and plastic-stemmed cotton buds and plastic drink stirrers in England this week, I think, will you, as Minister, consider introducing a similar ban in Wales?