3. What action has the Welsh Government taken to reduce the impact of fireworks on the welfare of animals? OQ57182

Thank you. I am very conscious of the effect fireworks can have on wildlife, domesticated animals and farmed animals. In the absence of a clear commitment by the UK Government to tighten regulations in England and Wales, we have asked the UK Government to consider the possibility of transferring these powers to Welsh Ministers.

I thank the Minister for that answer. With bonfire night having come and gone this year, and new year celebrations on the horizon, we're now in the middle of the so-called fireworks season. This year, however, it's very different to most other years, with the RSPCA saying this year will see an unprecedented amount of unofficial and unplanned events, with 44 per cent of people in Wales now attending an event like this rather than a planned one. And that of course means these events are now, on the whole, taking place closer to those pet-owning homes, increasing the likelihood of extreme anxiety and distress for those animals, and even injury and death in some more extreme cases. I know, Minister, you previously noted earlier this month that we needed to make some progress on this issue, so can I ask what lessons the Welsh Government has learnt from the 5 November celebrations earlier this month, and what future plans ahead of the new year celebrations you have to protect domestic animals?

Well, as I say, this is a matter that sits with the UK Government, and we would certainly like to have those powers devolved, so that we are able to make some really significant steps. I'm very conscious, obviously, of the impact fireworks can have on our animals, so I was very pleased to see—I can think of one supermarket in particular that did not sell fireworks this year, which I do think improved matters. I think you're quite right in what the RSPCA were saying, that there were probably more people who celebrated bonfire night at home, and bought fireworks for private use rather than going to big events, due to the COVID pandemic.

Obviously, animal welfare sits in my portfolio, but, previously, when I was the environment Minister, I had many discussions with Ministers from not just the UK Government but Scotland as well, to see what we could do to look at either banning fireworks, or looking at having silent fireworks, or no-noise fireworks. Because of course, it's a balance, isn't it, between people's enjoyment of these things and the distress it unfortunately does cause. I know that the Deputy Minister for Climate Change is looking to see what can further be done, and I think he's asked for some advice around the limitations of the current UK regulations.

Thank you, Minister, for your answer. And while recognising the fact that, of course, this is a non-devolved issue, this is something that, like many Members of the Senedd, my postbag is always full about at this time of the year. Now, Welsh councils can put in place a suite of actions to mitigate the impact of fireworks, such as voluntary or localised measures, to increase public awareness, encouraging the use of quieter or silent fireworks, and further encouraging the advertising of official displays taking place on council-owned land. What discussions has Welsh Government had with our partners in local government about the actions that they can take?

Thank you. I know Welsh Government officials have circulated the campaign materials that we had from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in Whitehall to noise teams in Welsh local authorities, for them to use if they should so wish. And of course, many Welsh local authorities, working in partnership with the emergency services, are extremely active in this area, without need, I think, of encouragement from us. The Minister with responsibility for that, I know his officials have been working collaboratively with BEIS to see what further guidance and regulations can be done. And I know we did circulate bilingual awareness-raising publicity materials to all our Welsh local authorities, so that they could use them on websites and social media. I think it's really important that, as a Government, we continue to work with our key stakeholders, and that obviously includes local authorities, to ensure that message is absolutely communicated right across Wales.