I'm pleased that the report has been tabled for debate today. Fifteen of the recommendations have been accepted, and five accepted in principle. That does sound good, but I'm afraid the marine sector could be described as being let down when considering the detail. 

In response to recommendation 1, the Welsh Government has committed to report on the effectiveness of the Welsh national marine plan. However, the Marine Conservation Society are very correct in highlighting that you should confirm that the review will consider the need for a statutory spatial and holistic marine development plan. I think the Minister and the Senedd have heard me mention this a few times. What I'm very concerned about—and I think it's something that my colleague Huw Irranca has mentioned—is that we need progressive renewable energy, but we've got to look after our ecological systems as well. I am very worried about this ad hoc approach—that developers come in and they seem to identify where they want to develop, but how does that then sit within an overall plan, a strategic plan? 

You've heard me speak about the need for a Welsh marine development plan on a number of occasions. Nonetheless, it is what we need. For example, RSPB Cymru highlighted a lack of a spatial component or development control policies, which means the existing plan does not embed strategic forward planning or seek to proactively address conflict, and that can then cause delays to schemes. So, I would be pleased if the Minister could explain why she's willing for her Deputy Minister to pursue strategic resource areas, but isn't prepared to create a detailed marine development plan. 

Similarly, we need greater ambition on the measures being taken to protect the marine environment. Already, you have acknowledged that there are evidence gaps in relation to interaction between the technology and the environment. This is despite the Welsh national marine plan encouraging the sharing of evidence. As the committee said in our report on the Welsh Government's draft budget 2022-23, the lack of a robust evidence base to underpin development decisions means that there are inherent risks in ramping up this marine development.

Emily Williams of Wales Environment Link advises that developers collect huge amounts of marine data when they are developing projects, but that a lot of those are then often cited as being commercially sensitive. So, I hope, Minister, that you will agree with me that we do need to reach a point where marine development licences require pre and post-construction monitoring and information sharing, so that developers do make a greater contribution to the evidence base that underpins marine planning.

I was surprised recently to learn that the Gwynt y Môr scheme, and this came from our local fishermen, actually—. Thirteen species of fish disappeared, and there are five species of fish that have never returned, and that was years ago. So, we need to see progress with the designation of future MPAs too. Successive Welsh Governments have delayed on this, despite it being a tool to address the dual threats of the climate and nature crises. In fact, there is no doubt that the Welsh Government consultation in 2012 was a disaster. Clare Trotman referred to it—and Clare did work for the Marine Conservation Society—as failing. Sue Burton called it woefully inadequate, and Dr Richard Unsworth advised that the consultation had failed to look at the experience of successful marine parks and marine protected areas anywhere else around the world. So, while you have confirmed, in response to recommendation 16, that you aim to assess the MPA network, it would be helpful if you could provide a target date for the completion of this work.

An October 2020 report in The Guardian said that 97 per cent of UK offshore MPAs were subject to bottom trawling in 2019. Now, we have heard NRW claim that those headline statistics don't really apply to Wales, but that their comments were based on an anecdotal understanding. Now, that would set alarm bells off with me, when even NRW are informing us that they cannot reach clear conclusions as to what is actually happening in our Welsh waters. As I have said before, NRW does have—what do they call it—a poacher/gamekeeper role here, because they issue the marine licences, and then they're responsible for the enforcement, and I know that there are issues there. So, this issue cannot be ignored.

Finally, you will be aware that COP15 is on the horizon. So, I think it appropriate to conclude with a question as to whether the Minister considers the current approach to implementing the WNMP as putting the nature emergency on an equal footing to the climate emergency. Diolch.