Minister, the UK Government's Environment Bill looks to certainly address the twin challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss, all the while seeking to protect and improve the natural environment and its species for future generations. By establishing the office for environmental protection, which will have scrutiny, advice and enforcement functions in relation to environmental protection and the natural environment, covering England and UK-wide reserved matters, the UK Government is actually looking to set the benchmark for excellence in environmental regulation. 

In contrast, however, this Welsh Government has consistently placed long-term arrangements for environmental governance on the backburner, squandering this opportunity for Wales to be a world leader in green protections. During the fifth Senedd, I repeatedly challenged the then Minister for environment to come forward with substantive plans. Yet here we are, now into the sixth Senedd, and the timeline for the establishment of a successor environmental governance body for Wales still remains very unclear. So, with the interim assessor for environmental protection for Wales now in post, this role is very different to that of formal oversight and enforcement of environmental law. Despite calls from the environmental sector and the previous climate change committee, the Welsh Government has chosen not to prioritise the Senedd environmental governance Bill in the first year of this legislative programme. So, Minister, will you make a firm commitment that the Senedd environmental governance Bill will be brought forward at the start of the second year of the legislative programme? Can you also confirm what work is presently under way to consult on such detailed legislative proposals?

This Bill also does much to bolster our war on waste. Clauses 49 and 50 and Schedules 4 and 5 reform producer responsibility schemes with the aim of making producers more responsible for the full net cost of managing their products at the end of life. Clause 52 and Schedule 9 apply charges to single-use plastic items that are supplied in relation to goods or services to encourage the transition back to reusable materials. Now, whilst the Welsh Government has committed to legislate to ban the use of more commonly littered single-use plastics, the delivery timelines for extended producer responsibility for packaging and a deposit-return scheme have already been pushed back to 2023 and late 2024 respectively. So, Minister, would you confirm to the Senedd when the Welsh Government will be in a position to make a definitive decision on its preferred option when it comes to applying charges to single-use items? Can you also confirm what discussions you are undertaking with the UK Government to agree a way forward that would enable a ban on single-use plastics that delivers on the ambitions of the public, such as including wet wipes and straws for non-medical use?

Now, given that this Bill will remove the requirement for the national air quality strategy to cover the whole of Great Britain, it is really disappointing that the Welsh Government did not see fit to prioritise the introduction of a clean air Act for Wales during the first year of its legislative programme. We’ve had promises and promises about this in previous terms, so it’s really disappointing. Now, as I’ve stated previously, the £3.4 million revenue funding and £17 million capital funding allocated for air quality actions in 2021-22 is also a fall on the previous year. So, what action, again, Minister, is being taken to safeguard against this trend going forward?

On the issue of biodiversity targets, whilst I note in your response to the Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee report that you accept that necessity in principle, to learn that you are postponing this work until after COP15 in May 2022 is gravely concerning. What stakeholder discussions have you already taken, and will you commit to establishing a taskforce to drive this issue forward in a timetable that is more befitting of the nature emergency?

Finally, in turning to Part 5, which makes new provision in relation to water quality, regulation of water and sewerage companies, will you commit to consulting stakeholders before making regulations using the powers under Part 5? This environment Bill is a bold commitment from an ambitious Conservative Government, and one that looks to clean up the country’s air, restore natural habitats, increase biodiversity and address the issue of waste. For this reason today, this LCM has our wholehearted support. Diolch.