And that's why we've put in place the first Welsh marine plan, which we will be reviewing in the autumn, and it will be reviewed every three years, and the Government will report on its finding to the Senedd. So, the Welsh Government already has extensive and progressive marine planning powers granted through the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009, as Huw Irranca-Davies mentioned, and we've used these powers to introduce our marine plan. So, we don't feel that any more powers are needed. Our focus is on the implementation of the plan as we develop marine planning.

But, of course, technology has developed since the plan was introduced in 2019, and we recognise we can and must do more. And our priority is to provide greater direction for development through the marine plan, and this includes improving our understanding of opportunities for development, and environmental sensitivities must and will be taken into account. In January we published our first locational guidance, and this guidance signposts towards areas with potential for development, and helps developers understand environmental sensitivities. It's supported by interactive mapping on the marine planning portal. The motion mentions developing strategic resource areas, or SRAs, and I'm pleased to tell Members that work is already under way on SRAs. Indeed, the first stakeholder event was held yesterday. These strategic resource areas will help us understand which areas have potential for sustainable development, including for renewable energy. Now, these areas will be safeguarded through our marine planning system. So, to be clear, all development, including strategic resource areas, will have to satisfy robust environmental regulations before consent is granted. 

The urgency of addressing climate change is clear, Dirprwy Lywydd, and the deep dive into renewable energy that we conducted just before Christmas reaffirmed our commitment to developing sustainable renewable energy generation and blasting through any barriers that stood in its way. We are clear that marine energy, including offshore wind, forms a vital part of our future energy mix. The motion also calls for offshore wind farms to include environmental enhancements. Not only does the marine plan require developers to consider the sensitivity of marine ecosystems, it also encourages developers to contribute to the restoration and enhancement of the marine environment. One of the actions flowing from the deep dive was an end-to-end review of the marine licensing system, which we're just beginning work on. This review aims to identity opportunities for positive outcomes for both renewable energy and marine biodiversity. But we do recognise more needs to be done to protect our sea birds and improve their status, and we are working with partners, including Natural Resources Wales and the RSPB, to produce a Welsh sea bird conservation strategy. The strategy will assess the vulnerability of sea bird species and identify actions to support their conservation. 

The motion also calls for offshore wind developers to provide a strategy for sustainable seafood harvesting, and the marine plan already includes a policy requiring developers to consider opportunities to share the same area or infrastructure with other marine activities. So, again, the pattern here is, Dirprwy Lywydd, the sentiment we agree with—we don't think it requires fresh legislation. We think this can be done through an updated plan, and we want to work with Members to make the plan as strong as possible. The central argument in Janet Finch-Saunders's opening remarks, which I'm sure she'll return to, is that our guidance should be put in statute, but whenever you put guidance in statute you make it rigid, because then you have to set new statute to update the guidance. And what we know about climate change is that the science is developing rapidly, and we wouldn't want to slow down our ability to act by putting into statute something that we covered in guidance, which is underpinned by law, just as we do in all sorts of other areas where we have a framework of legislation and we have guidance that we then update to reflect the science. So, we think this is a much more flexible and more appropriate approach, rather than bogging us down with legal barriers, which is something normally the Conservatives discourage us from doing. 

The marine plan also recognises the importance of sustainable seafood harvesting. It sets clear policy, supporting the sustainable diversification of our fisheries and the development of aquaculture, and we're developing sector locational guidance to understand future opportunities for aquaculture. We're also progressing work to map strategic resource areas for this sector. So, in closing, Dirprwy Lywydd, the Welsh Government is supportive of many aspects of this motion, and we're currently progressing work to address many of the issues raised—valid issues. We think we have the powers that we need, but we do wish to work together across all parties to make sure, when we update the plan, we take every opportunity to make it as effective as we can. Diolch.