I realise, of course, the Minister isn't here to introduce this today, but the Counsel General has very ably pointed out the problems that we have with so much plastic. By the time I've actually given my contribution, around 5 million plastic bottles will have actually been purchased, because 1 million are purchased every minute on our planet.

The plastic plague, of course, is here in Wales. Single-use plastic was found on 64.2 per cent of our streets in 2021. Three beach cleans that I've been involved with, held by the Marine Conservation Society and One Global Ocean at Llandudno, Colwyn Bay and Rhyl saw nearly 100 volunteers cleaning up and recording over 70 kg of litter. And if you've ever undertaken a beach clean, that is one of our biggest issues.

Certainly, as this legislation comes in, and the Bill, which we welcome, as well as this statement, I would hope that we as Welsh Conservatives can have some say and some influence to ensure that we actually look at addressing all kinds of other types of plastic, for instance, the thousands of plastic-tipped cigarette ends that you find on beaches, which are really damaging to our marine environment. If we follow a business-as-usual model, where countries do not reduce the amount of plastic produced or recycled, the World Economic Forum has estimated that there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050.

Already, Scotland has introduced bans on plastic drink stirrers, plastic-stemmed cotton buds, plastic drinking straws, disposable plastic plates, single-use plastic cutlery, balloon sticks and expanded polystyrene containers, which I think are absolutely dreadful things, when you buy food. Since October 2020, the UK Government themselves have banned the supply of plastic drink stirrers, plastic-stemmed cotton buds and plastic drinking straws.

So, whilst it is the Counsel General introducing this today, I would like to ask some questions. Counsel General, do you agree with me that it is regrettable that we've had to wait so long for this legislation when we're so far behind England and Scotland and it really is contributing to our climate crisis? Even when considering the responses to the reducing single-use plastic in Wales consultation, it was apparent that there is disappointment that the bans are not already in place. We've called for this for years.

So, having read the draft Bill, I do have serious concerns about enforcement. You're relying an awful lot, once again, as you often do with your legislation coming forward, on our local authorities, and in particular our enforcement regulatory departments. It is stated many times in our Senedd that these departments are vastly under-resourced. In my own authority, vastly under-resourced because of a very poor settlement by the Welsh Labour Government. So, how on earth do you expect local authorities to pick up the mantle with this? What extra resources will you actually be putting into this legislation? I'm worried that section 7 gives local authorities a legal right to investigate complaints in respect of offences under section 5. What other steps do you take with a view to reducing the incidence of offences under section 5?

Counsel General, can you clarify whether every local authority in Wales has been consulted on their ability to take on further enforcement responsibility, and can we have some of that feedback here today? I genuinely, and my colleagues in the Welsh Conservative group genuinely, want this legislation to work. Will you work with us to consider possible amendments to the draft Bill so that enforcement responsibility is given to another body, perhaps, that is not a local authority? As it stands, this so-called made-in-Wales Bill, which is supposed to enable the Welsh Government to be at the forefront of action on plastic and place Welsh Ministers in the driving seat for future action in this area, does pass the buck to local authorities. There's so much of this Bill—. It is a good Bill coming forward, but you've got to be open—none of the political dogma that we've seen in past legislation that comes through, where the Welsh Conservatives put forward some really good and constructive suggestions only to have them overruled and ruled out simply because it has come from Conservative Members in the Senedd. If we all work together on—