Thank you to the Member for Blaenau Gwent for introducing this legislative proposal. A number of constituents have been in touch with me, as is the case for many other Members I know, expressing concerns about sewage being spilt into our waters from storm overflows—many of them supporting the call by Surfers Against Sewage to stop the release of sewage into the seas by 2030. These people include swimmers, surfers and also people who are encouraged to use the seas for their health and well-being. And the concern is that the current practices not only have clear environmental implications, but they also represent a direct risk to the health of people using our waters. There was one surfer who truly wanted to take advantage of a good day of waves, as we have around Anglesey very often, but told me, 'I'm not sure how ill I will be if I do go surfing.'

In looking into the issue, one thing that became clear to me was that it's only during the usual swimming season that water monitoring actually happens, and it doesn't happen in winter when there is potential for CSO spills to be higher, of course, and often because of wetter weather. And representing an island constituency, I can tell you that people do use our beaches and waters at all times of the year, and some of the best surfing waves come in midwinter. You need to actually look at them very closely, if you ask me—it looks very cold—but some people do enjoy that, and I enjoy watching them, I have to say.

But I will ask the Member whether he would agree on the need for monitoring 12 months of the year, and is that something that the Bill that he proposes would deliver? And perhaps the Minister could also comment on the need to extend the current seasonal monitoring. It would be of great help to constituents in making choices as to whether they do go swimming or surfing or not, and I think it would aid with the objectives of the proposed legislation too. And I'm happy to support it.