I'm shortly coming on to the Welsh Government's position, and I intend also to address, at some point during the debate, the issues about the environmental concerns, which I know are very much at the uppermost of all of our thoughts at the moment. But as I say, there has been no change in the Welsh Government's position. In the event it is devolved to Wales, our intention is to use APD to secure optimal growth for the airport and for Wales, working with the other levers available to us.

There is compelling evidence for the economic benefits of devolving APD. Enhancing connectivity between Wales and the rest of the UK, and the wider world, is a central strand of our economic action plan. Control over APD would enable us to make decisions in Wales for Wales, opening up new opportunities for trade and tourism, and enabling growth in the aviation sector and wider economy. It would give us the power to deliver one of the most important messages as we look ahead to the UK's exit from the EU: that Wales is open for business. But of course, any policy decisions on APD can only be made once we have the powers, and in the context of what is devolved and the circumstances at the time of devolution.

Any proposals for APD would be subject to full consultation with businesses and the people of Wales, and would be thoroughly assessed to ensure full compliance with the well-being of future generations Act and our statutory decarbonisation targets and associated carbon budgets required under the Environment (Wales) Act 2016. Therefore, we urge the UK Government to recognise the strong cross-party support that exists for the devolution of APD across this Assembly, and respond to the recommendations of the parliamentary committee in agreeing to fully devolve APD to Wales without further delay.