Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Climate Change – in the Senedd at 2:01 pm on 6 October 2021.
Thank you very much, Carolyn. I share your concern, actually. The First Minister and I asked officials to carry out a really rigorous exercise looking at the range of legislative and non-legislative options available to achieve the aims that we want. We got really detailed legal advice on it. You're absolutely right that the National Parks (Scotland) Act altered the designation processes in Scotland, and subsequent to that, designations did go faster—about two to three years. But the actual legislation itself took a very long time to draft and introduce, so you've got to factor in the primary legislative change as well as the designation.
I think overall in Wales, we've decided that that probably isn't the fastest way to go, although I do understand the temptation and we did look at it very carefully. We want to do the whole thing in this particular term. We don't want to put the primary legislation in place and then designate. We think we've found a way to do that. We think we've found a way to do it making sure that we have all the right engagement and consultation. We need to take into account all the views of local people, and in the end we may not do it, if that's what the consultation says. But we very much hope to be able to make the case for the national park and the protections that it offers, and actually the enhanced life opportunities for the people who live inside the national park as well. But yes, we have looked very hard at what the quickest way of doing it is, and I think we have decided to go with the current system and the processes that that entails.