Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs – in the Senedd at 1:43 pm on 27 March 2019.
But what is concerning is that there was no regulatory impact assessment done before you brought these proposals forward, because surely that should be done to assess, as I put to you earlier, the economic, environmental, social and cultural impacts that these proposals could have. And it's deeply alarming that no impact assessment was undertaken, because this potentially could shut down many currently viable rural businesses that create employment opportunities and produce high-quality food. So, that is bitterly disappointing. How can you defend that position, Minister—that the regulatory impact assessment was not done before you made the announcement?