Digital Decarbonisation

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:40 pm on 25 October 2022.

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Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour 2:40, 25 October 2022

I thank Joel James for that question. As it happens, because I make no claims to be an expert in this field, I was discussing that very issue with the chief digital officer for Wales very recently. I think it's an important question because it exposes an issue that in some ways has only come to the fore in public debate very recently. From the discussion I had, my understanding is there are two possible solutions to the point that the Member has made. First of all, there is a responsibility on those major companies that store data, including data stored in the cloud, to put into place actions that they could take already to reduce the storage of dark data and therefore to reduce its carbon imprint. In future, now that this is an issue that has come to greater prominence and greater understanding, when contracts are struck between public bodies and other businesses with the data provider, part of those new contract arrangements ought to be a way in which the fruitless storage of data that will never be used or seen again can become part of the contract you have with the provider, so that that data is disposed of in a way that does not lead to the adverse impacts that Joel James has highlighted this afternoon.