I would really like to thank our colleague Rhun ap Iorwerth for bringing forward this legislative proposal today, and I'm very pleased to be giving it my support. Of course, as our party's shadow Minister for climate change, we think that it's vital that we do embrace new technologies for the way that they can enhance our emission reduction systems, and this is something that Wales can take the lead on. Research by the International Energy Agency shows that 60 per cent of all low-carbon energy patents across the past five years have been connected to fuel switching and energy-efficient technologies, and this proposal for a Bill on digital carbon footprint reductions can be the key to doing exactly that.

Part (a) aims to

'respond to the need to be more efficient in our use of digital in Wales, as part of the effort to reach net zero, specifically in relation to the use of energy to run digital platforms'.

More clearly needs to be done by the Welsh Government in accelerating our use of green digital infrastructure. When we have so much technology at our fingertips now, the sources powering it have to be made as clean and renewable as possible.

Part (b) seeks to

'include a strategy to deal with data that is created, stored and processed in a more energy efficient way'.

And I completely agree: there has to be a more co-ordinated and joined-up approach to data management. This will not just benefit decarbonisation, but it will help in other sectors such as our health service, education and other departments.

I note, in particular, part (c), which aims to support the development of a green data sector in Wales. This seems to be a marvellous opportunity to provide a boost for home-grown green jobs in Wales. It would complement new offshore renewable projects such as tidal lagoons and windfarms, which we highlighted in our Welsh Conservative debate last week. The education and training opportunities, especially for our young people, would provide a significant incentive to build a career in a skilled, high-paying job right here in Wales.

And finally, part (e) seeks to

'encourage innovation to help decarbonise and reach national net-zero objectives'.

I agree, and I hope that this can be done on a UK-wide basis, bringing together the brightest and the best scientific minds from right across the country. The UK Government's Advanced Research and Innovation Agency, or ARIA, is a good example of this. This was set up to explore the enormous scientific opportunities of groundbreaking discoveries. The investments in data and technology that we make now have the potential to provide enormous economic return in the years and decades to come. Ultimately, if we can improve digital connectivity and infrastructure right across Wales, there is absolutely no reason why this technology cannot be applied to monitoring our climate change commitments. For the sake of future generations, it's a task that we must not fail on. I have no hesitation in supporting Rhun and this legislative proposal whatsoever. Diolch yn fawr.