Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:35 pm on 26 November 2019.
Organiser, could I seek two statements, please, if possible—one from the Deputy Minister responsible, for the comment that she made back in February 2018 about an environmental impact assessment required for the Barry biomass incinerator. The Deputy Minister and Chief Whip was here to protest on Saturday, and I understand she spoke to the crowd, and said that the biomass boiler—or the incinerator, should I say—will be up and running in a matter of days. Now, this cannot be right that, given that the Deputy Minister said back in February 2018 that she was minded to have an environmental impact assessment; we understand now from Government Ministers that the incinerator is going to start in a matter of days. And yet, we had a statement back in April that the Government was working on breaches of the planning system, they believed, that they were going to talk to the Vale of Glamorgan Council over. And I declare and interest as a Vale councillor. But we cannot continue with this complete open-ended, unanswerable question: are you going to insist on an environmental impact assessment before this incinerator starts, or aren't you? You've had nearly two years now to come up with the answer. It just isn't good enough for the residents of Barry, and it's not good enough for other residents in South Wales Central. So, can we have a statement from the Minister, to clarify the position, rather than this ineptitude, I would say, that is at the heart of the Government decision-making process on this particular matter?
Secondly, could I seek a statement from the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs in relation to the new regulations that she's bringing forward in relation to pollution incidents, and the nitrate vulnerable zones that are going to be created after 1 January? We are obviously now on the—virtually, there are only two weeks left of term, and these regulations will pose significant burdens and new responsibilities on agricultural business, and there's still widespread concern over exactly what obligations will have to be met, and in particular around the timings that people will be able to dispose of slurry and farmyard manure onto the land. And given the autumn we've had, it is quite an acute problem at the moment on many farms. So, more information is required from the Government, and I'd be most grateful if there is an indication from you that a statement will be forthcoming before we break for the Christmas recess, given that these regulations are due to start on 1 January.