Questions Without Notice from the Party Leaders

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:29 pm on 24 September 2019.

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Photo of Mark Reckless Mark Reckless Conservative 2:29, 24 September 2019

Given the First Minister accepted my correction on the number of Supreme Court judges, I accept his geographical correction with equally good grace.

Could I ask him about another potential divergence between UK and Wales policy? At his conference today, there seems to be a big move to change climate change policy and have a policy of net zero by 2030—that's just 11 years away. Does the First Minister agree with me that that would be an absolute disaster, would lead to a collapse in the economy, even without the group's proposal that we pay reparations for past climate emissions, and that it would undermine any possibility of any joint working with anyone else on this issue? He talks a lot about net zero by 2050, but will he also confirm that the policy of the Welsh Government is not net zero by 2050, but a 90 per cent reduction, as the Committee on Climate Change said it was unachievable to get net zero for Wales? 

And would he also reflect again on the M4 issue, because we spoke last week about the decision notice? I pointed out that his decision notice on the M4 said nothing whatever about climate change, and twice the First Minister interrupted me and claimed that it did. Fortunately for him, it's only recorded as 'interruption' in our record. But will he reflect again that when he ruled out the M4, he said nothing about climate change in that decision notice, which is the legally binding document, and he did that for good reason, because the inspector concluded that the scheme would, perhaps uniquely, be carbon neutral over time?