Category: Speeches

Vaughan Gething – 2022 Statement on the Arfor 2 Programme
The statement made by Vaughan Gething, the Welsh Minister for the Economy, on 10 October 2022.

I am pleased to inform Members that as part of the Co-operation Agreement with Plaid Cymru, I have agreed proposals for an Arfor 2 programme.

A budget of £11m is being made available over the 3-year period 2022/23 – 2024/24 to support the programme which will, alongside our wider support package, deliver a range of economic interventions aimed at promoting entrepreneurship, business growth, community resilience and the Welsh language.

We have been working with Cefin Campbell MS, the Designated Member and local authority partners in the spirit of co-production to develop proposals which build on the learning from the original 2-year Arfor programme (2019/20 – 20/21) which sought to pilot a number of activities. The findings of the independent evaluation of that programme have also been key to help shape this new programme.

The Arfor 2 programme, which is to be delivered by the local authorities, will be operational in Gwynedd, Anglesey, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire. It will support a number of strategic interventions, including a focus on opportunities for young people and families to enable them to stay or return to their home communities – and to fulfil their aspirations locally.

This programme will make an important contribution to the Welsh Government’s wider Welsh language strategy – Cymraeg 2050 which aims to reach a million Welsh speakers by 2050 and aims to complement existing or planned activity which is of relevance for example Business Wales, Big Ideas, SMART innovation, Welsh Language Communities Housing Plan and other programmes.

The Arfor 2 programme will seek:
- To create opportunities for young people and families (under 35 years old) to stay in or return to their home communities – supporting them to succeed locally by engaging in enterprise or developing a career.
- To create enterprising communities within Welsh-speaking areas – by supporting commercial and community enterprises that aim to preserve and increase local wealth by taking advantage of the identity and unique qualities of their areas.
- To maximise the benefit of activity through collaboration– to ensure that good practice and lessons learnt are shared and that there is on-going monitoring to ensure continuous improvement.
- Strengthen the identity of communities with a high density of Welsh speakers – by supporting the use and visibility of the Welsh language, encouraging a sense of place.
The Arfor 2 programme will also look to promote the learning and sharing of good practice and to broaden our understanding of the links between economy and language, and where relevant housing, and identify those interventions which can make a difference.

Work will now continue on the detail of the proposed interventions, and I will update Members as the programme progresses.
11/10/2022
Julie James – 2022 Statement on Building Safety in Wales

The statement made by Julie James, the Welsh Minister for Climate Change, on 7 October 2022.

I have always made it clear that I do not expect leaseholders to bear the cost of repairing fire safety issues that are not of their making and that I expect developers to step up to their responsibilities.

I am very pleased that following our roundtable meeting in July a number of major developers have acknowledged their responsibility by signing up to the Welsh Government’s Developers Pact. This confirms their intention to address fire safety issues in buildings of 11 metres and over in height that they have developed over the last 30 years. These developers are Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey, Lovell, McCarthy and Stone, Countryside, Vistry, Redrow, Crest Nicholson and Barratt.

I met with these developers yesterday to confirm next steps, and their plans and timescales for remediation. I wish to commend them for their engagement to date and look forward to a productive relationship in the future. In some cases, developers have started their remediation works, and are making the repairs necessary. I look forward to this work continuing at pace.

I remain disappointed that three developers are yet to provide me with assurances that they do not have any medium or high-rise developments in Wales or, if they do, are prepared to meet their responsibilities in respect of these developments.

The three developers yet to reply are: Laing O’Rourke, Westmark, and Kier (now Tilia).

I am urging these developers to contact my officials immediately to confirm their position. I want to make clear I am exploring all options, including legislation, to ensure that those developers will face consequences for their unwillingness to accept their responsibilities.

I am proud of the commitment we have made in Wales that a holistic approach is necessary to effectively address fire safety issues. This means that both internal and external factors are considered, rather than a focus on cladding alone.

I have made £375 million available to tackle building safety and have taken steps to ensure all appropriate routes are being explored to make sure that all medium and high-rise buildings in Wales are as safe as they can be from fire.

To deliver on this commitment, it is essential that we understand the needs of individual buildings and design bespoke solutions to best address their fire risk. A comprehensive survey provides this information, and the Welsh Building Safety Fund, which is still open for expressions of interest from responsible persons, is supporting this aim.

Both the digital and intrusive survey work is paid for by the Welsh Government. By funding and commissioning the surveys, Welsh Government will gain a clear, consistent and comprehensive picture of building safety issues across Wales.

Where buildings are found to be low risk, our consultants will provide an EWS1 certificate. This will help to reassure leaseholders and remove barriers to them accessing financial products such as mortgages.

To date, the digital surveys have identified 163 buildings across Wales that require intrusive surveys. All responsible persons have been contacted to advise them of the need for intrusive surveys, and to arrange for permission to access the building to undertake this work.

In some cases, our consultants have faced restricted access to buildings, which has delayed our programme of surveys. I would urge responsible persons to do all they can to facilitate access, so that our surveyors can continue this important work. I have written to responsible persons / managing agents to press this message.

I have been made aware that in a number of cases, survey work was undertaken prior to the launch of the Welsh Building Safety Fund, funded by residents, building owners or managing agents. Where this has happened, and subject to certain eligibility criteria being met, surveys costs will be reimbursed by Welsh Government. If responsible persons / managing agents are in this position, please contact my officials at buildingsafety@gov.wales.

While it is right that developers are accountable, building owners and Managing Agents also have accountabilities when it comes to ensuring the safety of buildings and it is important that effective maintenance programmes are in place.   I would encourage all residents to assure themselves that maintenance on their buildings is being carried out in accordance with their lease agreements.

I am also aware that in some cases, leaseholders are in severe financial difficulties as a result of fire safety issues and to address this I launched the Leaseholder Support Scheme in June.

As I committed when I launched the scheme, I have instructed officials to review the criteria to ensure that those in greatest need are receiving support. This review is underway, and I will announce any further changes to the scheme and eligibility criteria shortly.

Building Safety in Wales must both address our present situation and undertake fundamental reform of the building safety regime to ensure the problems we face now cannot arise again in future. Alongside investment over the next three years for building safety work, plans are underway for a significant programme of legislative and cultural reform to establish a fit for purpose building safety regime in Wales. Reforming the current system of building safety is a key commitment for this Government and also forms an important part of our Co-operation Agreement with Plaid Cymru. In addition to this, a number of provisions that apply in relation to Wales were included within the UK Building Safety Act 2022.

The Act received Royal Assent in April 2022. The provisions that apply in relation to Wales focus primarily on the reform of the building control system (Part 3 of the Act) but do extend to other areas, including several provisions intended to add further protection for leaseholders.

Some of the key provisions which have been commenced include:

•         Amendment of the Building (Approved Inspectors etc.) Regulations 2010 to make the approved inspector sector more resilient and flexible in the face of insurance market fluctuations, and to create alignment on insurance requirements between approved inspectors and other professions

•     The extension of the Defective Premises Act 1972 time periods and provision to deal with the lack of redress availability where a development company no longer exists.

We have completed our design and construction phase transition plan which enables us over the next three years to make the legislative changes necessary to ensure that the problems identified with the current building control regimes are rectified.

The first of the public consultations on this work was published in September. This consultation is focused on the rules and standards we will expect Building Control Bodies both in the public and private sector to comply with.

This can be found on the Welsh Government Consultation pages.

https://gov.wales/operational-standards-rules

A full understanding of the impacts of any proposed changes is integral to this new regime, as is providing all stakeholders the opportunity to shape future policy. To this end expect to see further related consultations over the coming months.

We will be publishing more detail of our transition plan on our webpages shortly.

11/10/2022
G7 – 2022 Joint Statement on Ukraine
The joint statement issued by G7 leaders on 11 October 2022.

G7 Statement on Ukraine, 11 October 2022
1. We, the leaders of the Group of Seven (G7), convened today with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Our meeting took place against the backdrop of the most recent missile attacks against civilian infrastructure and cities across Ukraine, leading to the death of innocent civilians. We condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms and recall that indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilian populations constitute a war crime. We will hold President Putin and those responsible to account.
2. The G7 firmly condemn and unequivocally reject the illegal attempted annexation by Russia of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions in addition to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol. We solemnly reiterate that we will never recognise this illegal annexation or the sham referenda that Russia uses to justify it.
3. Russia has blatantly violated the principles enshrined in the UN Charter. They cannot and do not give Russia a legitimate basis to change Ukraine’s borders. We call upon all countries to unequivocally reject these violations of international law and demand that Russia cease all hostilities and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its troops and military equipment from Ukraine.
4. We have imposed and will continue to impose further economic costs on Russia, including on individuals and entities – inside and outside of Russia – providing political or economic support for Russia’s illegal attempts to change the status of Ukrainian territory.
5. We deplore deliberate Russian escalatory steps, including the partial mobilisation of reservists and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, which is putting global peace and security at risk. We reaffirm that any use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences.
6. We condemn Russia’s actions at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant and the pressure exerted on the personnel of the facility. This is a further irresponsible escalation and we will hold Russia responsible for any incident caused by their actions. The safety, security and safeguards of the nuclear facility are paramount and we support the International Atomic Energy Agency’s efforts in this regard.
7. We reiterate our call on the Belarusian authorities to stop enabling the Russian war of aggression by permitting Russian armed forces to use Belarusian territory and by providing support to the Russian military. The announcement of a joint military group with Russia constitutes the most recent example of the Belarusian regime’s complicity with Russia. We renew our call on the Lukashenko regime to fully abide by its obligations under international law.
8. We reaffirm our full support to Ukraine’s independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty in its internationally recognised borders. In line with international law, in particular the UN Charter, Ukraine has the legitimate right to defend itself against Russian aggression and to regain full control of its territory within its internationally recognised borders.
9. We reassured President Zelenskyy that we are undeterred and steadfast in our commitment to providing the support Ukraine needs to uphold its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military, diplomatic and legal support and will stand firmly with Ukraine for as long as it takes. We are committed to supporting Ukraine in meeting its winter preparedness needs.
10. With a view to a viable post-war peace settlement, we remain ready to reach arrangements together with interested countries and institutions and Ukraine on sustained security and other commitments to help Ukraine defend itself, secure its free and democratic future, and deter future Russian aggression. We will continue to coordinate efforts to meet Ukraine’s urgent requirements for military and defense equipment. We look forward to the outcomes of the International Expert Conference on the Recovery, Reconstruction and Modernisation of Ukraine on October 25.
11. No country wants peace more than Ukraine, whose people have suffered death, displacement and countless atrocities as the result of Russian aggression. In solidarity with Ukraine, the G7 Leaders welcome President Zelenskyy’s readiness for a just peace. This should include the following elements: respecting the UN Charter’s protection of territorial integrity and sovereignty; safeguarding Ukraine’s ability to defend itself in the future; ensuring Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction, including exploring avenues to do so with funds from Russia; pursuing accountability for Russian crimes committed during the war.
12. We are deeply troubled by the deliberate damage to the Nordstream pipelines in international waters in the Baltic Sea and strongly condemn any deliberate disruption of critical infrastructure. We welcome ongoing investigations.
13. We will act in solidarity and close coordination to address the negative impact of Russia’s aggression for global economic stability, including by continuing to cooperate to ensure energy security and affordability across the G7 and beyond.
11/10/2022
Therese Coffey – 2022 Comments on Covid Backlog

The comments made by Therese Coffey, the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 11 October 2022.

My number one priority is delivering for patients and we’re getting on with the job of tackling the issues that affect people most – ambulances, backlogs, care, doctors and dentists.

Today I’m announcing the approval of 10 new community diagnostic centres which are helping to bust the COVID-19 backlogs by delivering vital tests, checks and scans in local areas.

They have delivered over 2 million checks over the past year, diagnosing conditions from cancer to lung disease – and we’re on track to open up to 160 centres across the country by 2025, delivering an additional 17 million checks.

11/10/2022
Lynne Neagle – 2022 Speech on the Minimum Unit Price for Alcohol

The speech made by Lynne Neagle, the Welsh Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, on 6 October 2022.

On 2 March 2020, a minimum unit price of 50p was introduced for alcohol sold in Wales to help tackle alcohol-related harm by reducing the amount of alcohol drunk by hazardous and harmful drinkers.

We undertook to carry out a review of the minimum price for alcohol legislation after two years. This statement sets out how this will take place.

It will help us understand the current impact of the legislation, including the implications from the pandemic. It will also help us to understand whether the current pricing structure of 50p per unit is appropriate and is having the desired effects of reducing alcohol related harms.

We commissioned an independent evaluation of the Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) (Wales) Act 2018, which will take the form of a contribution analysis. This has four distinct parts (lots).

Lot 1: Contribution analysis

The contribution analysis is a theory-based evaluation method, appropriate to the review of complex, multi-level programmes of work where direct causal attributions are not possible^[1]. This approach is appropriate for evaluating the impact of minimum pricing as an MUP will not be the only factor which may impact on alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm.

The evaluation approach will take account of this and assess the contribution the policy has made to any observed changes in outcomes.

The contribution analysis will look at the wider context of alcohol policy and bring together the relevant datasets and the findings from the individual studies in Wales and evaluation work undertaken in Scotland to inform the assessment of the contribution that the introduction of minimum pricing has made to the policy objectives.

The report from this component of the evaluation can only be produced when the reports from the other three studies have been produced, as this brings all the elements together into the overall assessment.

Lot 2: Research into the impact on retailers

This element will assess the experience and impact of the implementation of the Act on retailers.

A baseline report from this element of the evaluation was published on 30 November 2021. It presents the first set of findings from longitudinal qualitative research with Welsh alcohol retailers undertaken before the introduction of the minimum price for alcohol in Wales.

The research explores retailers’ understanding and views of the minimum pricing policy prior to its introduction and their expectations for the effects of the policy. Interviews were conducted with 30 retailers from across five Welsh regions. The sample included independents and chains, large and small retailers, and a mix of alcohol licence types (on-trade, off-trade, and both). This baseline research will be followed by two further waves of interviews with retailers.

The report also incorporates the quantitative analysis plan, providing details on the methods to be used for evaluating the impact of the minimum price for alcohol on retailers, using Kantar data to make a quantitative assessment of the impact.

Lot 3: Work with services and service users

The aim of this qualitative research is to assess both the experience and impact of minimum pricing on services and service users (including exploring the extent to which switching between substances may have been a consequence of the legislation). An initial piece of work exploring this was commissioned to inform implementation of the Act. The report from this baseline work was published on 24 October 2019.

Data will be gathered though an online survey with service users and service providers. Interviews with both groups are also undertaken to explore findings in more detail.

Lot 4: Assessment of the impact of introducing minimum price for alcohol on wider population of drinkers.

The aim of this final component is to explore the impact of the minimum price for alcohol legislation on the wider population, including moderate, hazardous and harmful drinkers. A baseline report was published on 8 July 2021. The report focuses on data collected prior to the implementation of the policy in March 2020. The main aim of the study was to examine the potential impact of the new legislation on drinkers in Wales and to gather baseline information that can be used to monitor the impact of minimum pricing over the five-year study period.

Data were collected through online survey questionnaires which were completed by 179 drinkers recruited through social media advertisements and announcements on two Welsh university intranet websites. Interviews were conducted with 41 drinkers recruited through the National Survey for Wales, two universities, third sector organisations and the online survey.

A further report was published on 24 March 2022, presenting the results from a second wave of qualitative interviews from the longitudinal sample. The aim of this additional wave of interviews was to undertake a detailed qualitative study of the impact of the pandemic on the drinking behaviour of the longitudinal sample to provide context for future interpretation of the data.

Each of the four parts of the evaluation is undertaking fieldwork for an interim assessment of the implementation of the legislation. The findings from each of the four lots will be published during the autumn – the interim report from the contribution analysis is due in February 2023.

The findings of these evaluation lots will make up the two-year review. I will make a further written statement which will set out the key findings once the last of the evaluation reports has been published.

A further round of fieldwork will be undertaken for each component of the evaluation during autumn and winter 2023. These findings will contribute towards the final evaluation reports, which will be available during summer of 2024 and will inform the report on the operation and effect of the legislation, which Welsh Ministers are required to prepare under section 21 of the 2018 Act.

[1] Mayne, J. (2008) Contribution analysis: An approach to exploring cause and effect. The Institutional Learning and Change (ILAC) Initiative.

11/10/2022
Jane Hutt – 2022 Statement on Funding for Tackling Food Poverty

The statement made by Jane Hutt, the Welsh Minister for Social Justice, on 4 October 2022.

As energy prices continue to rise and people struggle with the impact of rising inflation on their household income, local authorities, food banks and community support groups across Wales are reporting a rise in the number of people accessing food banks and other community food provision. In some areas, organisations have experienced more than 100% increase in demand for emergency food. At the same time, as a result of the cost of living crisis, organisations have experienced a drop in donations.

As part of our commitment to prioritise support for people affected by the cost of living crisis, today I am announcing a further £1 million for tackling food poverty. This additional funding builds on the £3.9 million allocated already this financial year by the Welsh Government to help alleviate food poverty and tackle the root causes of food poverty.

The funding will support community food organisations to overcome barriers to accessing sufficient supplies. It will enable them to purchase food, baby products such as milk and other essential goods such as period products and cleaning products which will help facilitate and maintain well-being, healthy diets and personal dignity.

The funding can also be used to support initiatives such as baby banks, clothes banks and uniform banks. It can also be used to purchase and distribute warms goods packs and equipment which will help keep vulnerable people warm this winter.

The funding can support initiatives which will help families save money on food by building their food knowledge and skills, for example, through the delivery of cooking sessions where households are provided with food and recipes as well as cooking equipment such as slow cookers or pressure cookers.

The funding can also be used to support action to maximise income and increase the uptake of benefits such as Healthy Start vouchers and initiatives which support households to pay essential bills such as our Welsh Government Fuel Support Scheme and our Fuel Voucher and Heat Fund Scheme.

The additional £1m will be distributed through local authorities in Wales in the coming weeks. Organisations that might wish to benefit from this support should contact their local authority to discuss.

11/10/2022
Eluned Morgan – 2022 Comments on Reducing Bowel Cancer Screening Age

The comments made by Eluned Morgan, the Welsh Minister for Health and Social Services, on 4 October 2022.

It is great to see the next phase of our plan to widen access to bowel cancer screening come into effect.

We have previously introduced the more user-friendly test and started inviting those aged 58-59. This next phase of the programme widens access to those aged 55-57.

This move will help us to identity more bowel cancer cases early and support improvement in survival rates.

I’m also pleased to see that more people are taking part in the programme and that the uptake rate now meets the expected standard.
In future, we plan to continue to optimise the programme by lowering the age range to 50 and increasing the sensitivity of the test until we come into line with UK recommendations.

11/10/2022
Jane Hutt – 2022 Statement on the Welsh Government and the Pakistan Floods Appeal

The statement made by Jane Hutt, the Welsh Minister for Social Justice, on 3 October 2022.

Following the devastating flooding that recently hit Pakistan, the Welsh Government has made a £100K donation to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Pakistan Floods Appeal.

The torrential floods submerged vast areas of land, leaving over 6 million people in need of urgent help. According to the government of Pakistan, a third of the country – equivalent to an area the size of the UK – is underwater, in what the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called a “climate catastrophe”. Whole villages have been cut off, with rescuers struggling to reach them. At least 1,400 people have been killed and approximately 13,000 injured.

Huge areas of agricultural land have been affected, with crops swept away and three quarters of a million livestock killed, which will mean many people going hungry in the longer term. There is also a high risk from water-borne diseases spreading in affected areas.

The Welsh Government funds the Disasters Emergency Committee Cymru to help coordinate fundraising efforts in Wales and the Pakistan Floods Appeal was launched in September. The Disasters Emergency Committee brings together leading organisations in the UK to raise funds for overseas emergencies, coordinating an effective humanitarian response, getting aid quickly to people who need it in the most cost effective manner possible.

Mobile teams have been deployed to screen children for malnutrition and provide treatment. Cash grants are helping people buy stoves and a three-month supply of firewood and agencies are supplying winter clothing for families to stay warm. This £100K donation from the Welsh Government will support that activity.

11/10/2022
Julie James – 2022 Statement on Biodiversity Deep Dive

The statement made by Julie James, the Welsh Minister for Climate Change, on 3 October 2022.

Over the summer, I have been working with a group of key experts and practitioners to undertake a Biodiversity Deep Dive to develop a set of collective actions we can take in Wales to support natures recovery. The 30×30 target was chosen as a strategic focus for the purpose of the deep dive to consider where and how action could be accelerated. 30×30 refers to protecting and effectively managing at least 30% of our land freshwater and sea for nature by 2030. It is one of a number of targets which form part of a new Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) to be agreed at COP15 later this year.

The group identified key themes and recommendations for specific actions. These build on existing commitments such as the action plan to tackle phosphorous pollution in our rivers. The recommendations are a mixture of new action we can take immediately, a scaling up and acceleration of existing schemes, and longer-term actions that will deliver benefits throughout this Senedd term and beyond.

Transform our protected sites series so that it is better, bigger, and more effectively connected

A priority will be transforming our existing terrestrial, freshwater and marine protected sites. We will do this by expanding and accelerating our Nature Networks Programme to help improve the condition and connectivity of our protected sites and make them more resilient to climate change.

We will raise the ambition set out in our National Peatland Action Programme, so that by 2030 the programme will be delivering at a scale capable of reaching the net zero 2050 target of 45,000 ha of peatland restored.

To support collaborative partnership approaches at the local level, we will be investing in our Local Nature Partnerships. LNPs bring together organisations, businesses and communities to take collective action to address local priorities.

Marine

We will accelerate action to complete the MPA network, to ensure the shortfalls in protection of habitats and features are addressed. This will mean the MPA network is ecologically coherent and connected, improving resilience and condition.

We will finalise the assessment of potential fishing gear interactions with features of Marine Protected Areas. This will enable us to understand what damage these do to MPA features and what management measures may be needed to prevent this.

Create a framework to recognise Nature Recovery Exemplar Areas and Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) that deliver biodiversity outcomes

We will create a network of Nature Recovery Exemplar Areas across a range of different semi-natural habitats will help demonstrate how effective action can be taken to halt biodiversity loss and aid nature recovery. Alongside Nature Recovery Exemplar Areas, we will also explore the use of a new concept: Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECM).

I will set up an expert working group to identify candidate Nature Recovery Exemplar Areas and OECM’s, including the management vehicles and funding mechanisms needed to establish these. The group will report to me within six months of being established.

Unlock the potential of designated landscapes (National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty) to deliver more for nature

I want to utilise the untapped potential within these designated landscapes to deliver more for biodiversity and support natures recovery. We will support National Parks and AONBs to develop a prioritised action plan for nature restoration embedding these in strategic planning. In the longer term we will ensure that the designation of a new National Park in northeast Wales affords significant opportunities for climate change mitigation and nature recovery, and that these are embedded as a key delivery priority for the new park.

Continue to reform land and marine management and planning (including spatial) to deliver more for both protected sites and wider land / seascapes

We will take a strategic spatial approach to planning underpinned by robust evidence, such as Area Statements. We will support planners and developers through improved planning guidance and tools. We will enable more effective screening of planning applications to better understand the potential impacts from proposals.

To drive the change in how we use our land in Wales, we will ensure that the right incentives are designed into the future Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS). The SFS contains proposed actions such as farmers actively managing at least 10% of their land to maintain and enhance semi-natural habitats, prioritising designated sites where they exist, and creating new habitat features where semi-natural habitats do not exist.

To support this change, we will ensure that farmers and land managers have access to high quality advice that enables them to identify the management actions needed to achieve environmental outcomes and improve the farm business’ productivity.

Build a strong foundation for future delivery through capacity building, behaviour change, awareness raising and skills development

We will strengthen the connection between local communities and nature, helping people understand the actions they can take that will make a difference. We will ensure we have the right skills and expertise for the green jobs needed for nature recovery, both now and into the future. We will expand and enhance schemes to strengthen the capacity and capability of the public, private and third sector to accelerate delivery for nature recovery.

Unlock private investment to deliver for nature at far greater scale and pace.

I recognise that identifying and securing private investment will boost our efforts to tackle nature recovery and support more sustainable project funding models. This does not come without risk, however, particularly to local communities. To mitigate these risks, we will identify what interventions may be needed, and develop principles for responsible investment to ensure that any additional funding supports both our ambitions for nature recovery and the wider Well Being goals.

Develop and adapt monitoring and evidence frameworks to measure progress towards the 30 by 30 target and guide prioritisation of action

Effective monitoring is needed if we are to chart progress towards delivering 30×30. It will also underpin decision making to enable an adaptive management approach required to deliver resilient ecosystems which are able to adapt to wider pressures such as climate change. To achieve this, we will appraise our data needs, building on existing data sets and good practice and identifying future needs. We will create opportunities for better collaboration, an increased role for citizen science and make better use of technological advances. I will set up an expert group to provide advice on how best to achieve this.

Strategic leadership

The imperative to act is now and Wales needs to deliver a decade of action if we are to become nature positive. I fully recognise we need to take ambitious and integrated action if we are to put nature on the path to recovery. This requires collective action to address the issues and reversing biodiversity decline.

I am extremely grateful for the members of the deep dive group, the participants in the expert groups and roundtable discussions, and the input from individual submissions. I look forward to continuing my work with the core group as we drive forward together as ‘Team Wales’ to become nature positive.

11/10/2022
Sam Tarry – 2022 Comments on Deselection as MP for Ilford South

The comments made by Sam Tarry, the Labour MP for Ilford South, on 10 October 2022.

I’m incredibly disappointed in this result, mostly for all my committed volunteers and the wonderful people of Ilford South. I intend to issue a further statement tomorrow on the process and outcome.

11/10/2022