That leads seamlessly on to the next part of my contribution. You are right; it isn't a binary choice of one or the other, but it's making sure that we have the frameworks and the strategies and the policies in place to make sure that these developments, which all of us, frankly, want to happen, and indeed need to happen in terms of the challenges that we face in relation to climate change, are done on the right terms, and within the right parameters.  

You mentioned data and evidence gaps, and that was the third area covered in our work. Marine plans and strategies are only as good as the data that underpins them. We all know that. The lack of a robust evidence base to underpin those development decisions means, actually, that there are inherent risks in ramping up the development that many of us want to see. We recommended that the Welsh marine evidence strategy should be reviewed and updated in light of the deep dive, which committed to identifying priority marine evidence gaps and identifying mechanisms to fill them. So, we were surprised to read the Minister’s response to our recommendation, which says, and I quote, that

'Officials are content that the overarching strategic evidence priorities still represent the high-level evidence needs including those identified by the deep dive.'

So, apparently everything is okay, there’s nothing to worry about. Minister, the lack of evidence, as we've heard, is a real problem. Everybody told us that as part of the inquiry. And if the strategy is right, then something else isn't working, clearly, so maybe you can tell us what it is and what, more importantly, you’re going to do about it. And you are nodding, so I'm looking forward to your contribution. I always look forward to your contribution, but particularly now. 

On marine protected areas, I am pleased that the Minister has accepted our recommendations, but delve a little deeper and there are still some areas of concern here. Recommendation 16 called for the Welsh Government to set out its latest plans for the designation of highly protected marine areas. The Minister says that the Welsh Government will look at this after the MPA network completion programme. But, the truth is that the consultation on that programme isn't due to take place until 2023. So, again, we may be looking at years of delay here. Where is the urgency?

The Minister's response to the committee's report does seem to raise more questions than answers. Anyone reading it would rightly feel that there are no problems in this policy area, no weaknesses that need to be strengthened, and no need for urgency. They might even think that the Minister is trying to kick these issues into the long sea grass. Take another example. We asked the Minister for a timeline for a consultation on the future of bottom trawling and dredging in marine protected areas. I know this is something that many Members have raised here in the Chamber in the past, and I know the Petitions Committee as well has considered this. The Welsh Government has yet to consult on the management of towed gear, including bottom trawling, within marine protected areas. In contrast, of course, the UK administrations have progressed to the introduction of management measures for all fisheries gears in marine protected areas. In her response, the Minister tells us that, and I quote again, 

'The timescale for any consultation will be determined alongside other Welsh Government priorities at the time.'

What does that mean? No detail, no dates. We're already behind other parts of the UK and we might still be years away from seeing changes on that particular issue. 

Minister, at the start of my speech, I said that this inquiry was a snapshot of the health of marine policies, so what was the committee's verdict? Well, we all expect a significant ramping up of marine energy development during this decade, yet all the while, our marine environment is under threat. So, to tackle this, we need a holistic system that considers the effects of cumulative development on the marine environment, whilst doing what it can, of course, to remove any unnecessary barriers that are identified to the utilisation of natural resources. The committee believes we are a long way from that right now. So, we need the Minister and the Government to accept that business as usual isn’t enough to respond to the climate change crisis and the biodiversity loss that we are facing. We need to do more and we need to do it sooner. Diolch.