I generally welcome the national development framework proposals. The changes proposed greatly improve the draft. As Chair of the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee, I'm pleased that the Welsh Government accepted 47 of the committee's 50 conclusions, although again disappointed that 22 of them were in principle only. And as Llyr Gruffydd said, we'll come back with further suggestions, I would imagine, later on after we've had a further chance to look at it.

Significant changes that are consistent with the committee's conclusion include: clearer links to other Welsh Government documents, such as 'A Low Carbon Wales', the transport strategy, and the 'Wales Infrastructure Investment Plan'; providing more detail about how the NDF will be monitored and reviewed; strengthening the NDF in terms of responding to climate change, for example, by including a new policy on flood risk management; and greater emphasis on the criteria-based approach to renewable energy developments.

The four-region model is a huge improvement on the three regions, which included a giant mid and west Wales, which had places that have nothing in common whatsoever. The Swansea bay region is now a national development framework region and that is hugely beneficial to the area and to its future economic development. And I'm also sure that those in Powys and Ceredigion, where they have the mid Wales growth deal, are also pleased with the change to create the mid Wales region rather than being tacked on to outer Swansea.

Regional policy is important in Wales and we need to develop all of Wales, not just one small part of it. I believe that it is important that we develop a coherent regional policy. We need to ensure that Welsh Government services stay within the regional framework. I think, now we've got these four regions, can we start thinking in terms of these regions rather than every Minister having their own little set-up?

The plan has three national growth areas, three regional growth areas, and four regions with their own strategic development plans. I think that can work. Swansea bay development will be driven, at least in part, by the universities, and I again ask for the economic strategy, which I know is not part of this, to promote high-skill and high-value employment based upon the research carried out at the universities and the graduates coming out of it.

Cities have, historically, driven growth within a region, but will that be true of the post-COVID economy, where more people will be working from home? We know we have two types of villages: the commuter villages and the rural economy villages. Seven years ago, a study was done on Rhossili, a rural village on the Gower peninsula, which I am sure the Minister knows well. Whilst it might be thought that tourism and agriculture would be the main employers in this area, it was found that over a third of the working population living in that village worked in education, mainly at the universities.

On housing within the plan, each region has its own allocation for new housing by 2039. These numbers need to be kept under constant review. Also, the distribution within each region, as well as between regions, needs to also be under review, because if people are going to work more from home, the need to have people travelling into cities and living on the outskirts of cities will reduce. I welcome that 48 per cent of new homes across Wales are to be affordable homes during the first five years. I would, however, prefer the term 'affordable' to be replaced by 'council' or 'registered social landlord provided' housing.

I welcome the natural resources policy that identifies the key priorities, risks and opportunities to achieve the sustainable management of natural resources, including addressing the climate change emergency and reversing biodiversity decline. If those two things can be done, this would be a success, because I have serious concerns about the decline in biodiversity and I have very serious concerns about the effect of climate change and the effect on weather. Anybody who's over 50 years of age will have noticed how the rain comes much less often but much stronger than it ever did before. It is setting out specific policies that: safeguard areas for the purposes of improving the resilience of ecological networks and ecosystems, identifying areas for the provision of green infrastructure and to secure biodiversity enhancement; ensure resilient location and design choices by promoting a sustainable growth strategy as well as ensuring that consideration of natural resources and health and well-being form part of site and design choices; and, consider the decarbonisation of the economy.

Finally, I look forward to the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee looking at this in more detail. I believe this is a very good document. Our challenge is to make it a better document and to make it work for the people of Wales.