2. What discussions has the First Minister had with cabinet colleagues following the declaration of a climate change emergency? OAQ53936

I thank the Member of that question. Cabinet colleagues continuously engage in discussing actions to reduce emissions and to deliver the low-carbon plan for Wales. New arrangements have been put in place to focus on decarbonisation and biodiversity in the current budget round.

Can I thank the First Minister for that response? I welcome the declaration of a climate change emergency. I believe that climate change is the most important issue facing us today. I'm probably in a minority but I think it is, very much, the most important issue. Will the First Minister produce a road map of planned Welsh Government actions? This could include things such as the annual tree planting target, and an annual target for home improvements, making houses either zero- or very low-carbon emitters.

I thank Mike Hedges for those observations. I don't think he is much alone in believing that climate change is one of the major challenges that face humankind across the globe. We have already set out a series of practical actions in the low-carbon plan, and they build as well on things that the Welsh Government is already doing. We've reduced emissions from our administrative estate by 57 per cent, against a baseline, and we've already exceeded our 2020 targets. And it's in that cumulative effect of the many things that governments do that we will have the impact we want to have. So, only last week, my colleague the health Minister announced the £13.5 million we are investing in 111 new vehicles for the ambulance service in Wales, and 33 of the non-emergency vehicles we will purchase are equipped with solar panels to be able to convert sunlight into electricity. If we are to succeed, then we need action beyond Government as well. And I know that Mike Hedges will be very well aware of the work that goes on in Swansea, through the Swansea community energy and enterprise scheme, carrying out local work within that area, particularly in areas of fuel poverty, to make sure that the way that we address climate change does not fall disproportionately on the shoulders of those least able to pay the cost. The low-carbon action plan, Llywydd, provides £4 million new investment in those local activities that, together with the things that Government can do, will make a difference in every part of Wales. And a road map that draws all of those things together is very much in the mind of Welsh Government as we move to address the problem that we know we face.

First Minister, in March I called on your environment Minister to consider, along with the rest of your Cabinet, the environmental reasons, as well as the economic reasons, for assisting Tata Steel to create its own local energy supply, through a proposed state-of-the-art power station. At the time, I was told that the environment Minister and the economy Minister would be having a joint meeting with Tata in the next couple of months. That's three months ago now, so I'm wondering if you can update us on progress on that and let us know how things are going.

I'm grateful for the question and for the emphasis that the Member puts on environmental issues. I know that my colleague Ken Skates has been in further discussions with Tata on that matter. I was myself in Tata just before half term, meeting with senior executives there. They raised with me once again, Llywydd, the high price of energy that they have to purchase and the failure of the UK Government to act on high costs for energy-intensive industries. It is part of why they are so determined to develop their own power supplies, and the Welsh Government remains an active supporter of that intention, both in the advice that we provide to Tata but also in discussing ways in which we can make a financial contribution to that development.

You said in your initial response that there's an ongoing discussion between you and your Cabinet Ministers on this issue. Of course, the whole purpose of declaring a climate emergency is to change gear and to ensure that more happens. So, can I ask you what instruction you've given to your Ministers on how the declaration of a climate emergency is going to change their priorities? And will the Government, for example, amend remit letters to public bodies in response to this emergency?

I thank Llyr Gruffydd for that question and for that suggestion. As I said in my original response, we've changed the way in which we've approached the funding for next year internally and placed more emphasis on things that we can do across the whole of Government in the context of decarbonisation and other issues in this area. So, we have changed our approach to this. And the purpose of doing that is to collect more ideas and change the things that we are doing across the whole of the Government, and, as regards the suggestion you’ve made this afternoon, we are open to those kinds of ideas.