4. Will the First Minister set out his priorities for the environment in Wales? OAQ53324

I thank the Member for that question. Amongst my priorities is the production and implementation of a strengthened nature recovery action plan demonstrating the practical action needed to reverse the decline in biodiversity in Wales.

First Minister, most people in Wales live in urban areas, and many of our inner urban areas lack sufficient green space. If they were greener, I believe quality of life would be improved, air pollution would be lessened, people would be encouraged to have more of an outdoor life, taking more exercise and enjoying better health, and they would also, I think, feel more strongly linked with nature, so that would increase their appreciation of nature, their understanding of nature and their valuing of it, which I think would feed through into many desirable environmental behaviours, such as not littering as much, less fly-tipping, more participation in recycling schemes, and enjoying nature further afield, outside their immediate areas. So, with those benefits in mind, I wonder what early action Welsh Government will take to make our inner urban areas greener and more enjoyable for our local communities.

Llywydd, I'm sure that John Griffiths is right when he points to the many different benefits that would come from a renewed focus on making the very most of the opportunities that there are in our urban areas to contribute to reversing the decline in our basic ecosystem and to make it resilient again. Those of us who live in the inner city of Cardiff are very well aware of actions that are already happening where local people are recolonising bits of green space that had otherwise been neglected, turning them into places where a greater diversity of natural species are to be found, making them more attractive to local residents to visit, planting fruit and vegetables in there as well, and doing all the things that John Griffiths said in answer to the question.

I know that he will be interested to know that on Monday of this week my colleague Lesley Griffiths was able to announce the first set of projects to benefit from the new funding stream that a number of us around this Chamber debated during the passage of the landfill disposals tax in Wales when we set up a new community scheme. Twenty-seven projects worth £1 million were announced by my colleague on Monday, and that included the Wastesavers Charitable Trust in Newport, which will benefit from £42,000 for a scheme that will increase awareness of reusing matters in the local community, contributing to a better environment in a different way. All of these things have an important part to play in achieving the sort of inner urban revival, as far as the environment is concerned, that John Griffiths has often championed in this Chamber.

First Minister, Natural Resources Wales is key to delivering the Welsh Government's policy priorities for the environment. Last month, the results of staff consultation on plans by NRW to reorganise the agency were leaked to the BBC. The BBC reported that 62 per cent of staff were strongly opposed to the reorganisation plans and were highly critical of the process. A week ago, 10 timber firms said they had, in their words, no confidence in the ability of Natural Resources Wales to manage forestry following a damning report by the Public Accounts Committee into timber sales. First Minister, why is it that your Government still has confidence in Natural Resources Wales to deliver your environmental priorities when it is clear that Assembly Members, timber companies and NRW staff themselves do not? Thank you.

The confidence that we have in NRW comes from the new chief executive that we have in place, the very distinguished interim chair that is now in charge of the board of the organisation, and the renewal of the board that my colleague Lesley Griffiths carried out towards the end of last year. NRW does enormously important work in all parts of Wales. It has a very dedicated staff group who carry out things that matter every day to people in Wales, let alone at times when there are emergencies, such as flood protection work.

As far as the specific matter that the Member raised in relation to a letter from a group of timber organisations—NRW met that group earlier this week. Officials of the Welsh Government will meet them on Thursday of this week—that is in advance of a meeting that we hope will be possible between the Minister and that group before 11 February, when the Public Accounts Committee will return to this matter, and there's to be a debate on the floor of this Assembly in this area in February as well. There will be ample opportunity there for us to be able to share with Members the steps that NRW are taking, with help from the Welsh Government, to put itself in an even stronger position to discharge the very significant responsibilities it has.