Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:30 pm on 2 April 2019.
Thank for your answer. According to your Government's geological disposal of radioactive waste consultation document—and I quote,
'Radioactive waste disposal is a devolved matter—the Welsh Government is responsible for determining the policy for this within Wales.'
Now, I'd ask for greater clarity on that, because I've been given contradictory advice on that particular issue. We know that it's the case for both Scotland and Northern Ireland, but my understanding is that this isn't necessarily the case for Wales. Pre the Wales Act 2017, Wales had competence over, for instance, environmental protection, including the disposal of hazardous waste, so you could argue that maybe there was relevance there, but of course it was silent on nuclear. And the Wales Act 2017 makes it explicitly clear that all matters relating to nuclear energy are reserved and not devolved. So, I would like a firmer explanation as to why you think this matter is devolved to Wales, but also of course, more importantly, whilst you say that it's up to communities to will it to happen, then clearly I would encourage you to follow the lead of other Governments in the UK that have said that they just don't want it.