Questions now from party spokespeople, and to ask the first question this week, UKIP spokesperson, Neil Hamilton.

Diolch, Lywydd. If I can pick up the gauntlet flung down at me by Simon Thomas in relation to King Canute, King Canute, of course, was the wise man who showed his fawning courtiers that there were limitations on the power of royal authority and government, and he couldn’t hold back the tide, so I feel he would probably have been a man-made global warming sceptic if he were alive today. [Interruption.] But to the business of the day, can I welcome yesterday’s statement from the Cabinet Secretary that she is designating several special areas of conservation for the harbour porpoise and for other sea birds? This is a step in the right direction in creating a coherent network of protected areas at sea to conserve our marine wildlife and habitat. Can she tell us when the Welsh Government intends to complete the marine protected area network in Wales, based on the 2016 Joint Nature Conservation Committee network progress report?

Thank you for your welcoming of the statement in relation to the three extra areas in relation to harbour porpoises. There is a significant piece of work going on around marine policy and marine planning. I think it’s very important that we have the Welsh national marine plan in place, and I hope to do that by the summer.

I thank the Cabinet Secretary for that helpful reply. The Welsh Government is committed to clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse seas, and there has been good progress made on designation. But, I’m not sure that the same progress has been made on improved management of marine protected areas. In 2012, the Countryside Council for Wales, which is now, of course, Natural Resources Wales, said that 47 per cent of species and 54 per cent of habitats in Natura 2000 sites were in an unfavourable condition and, more to the point, 100 per cent of the species and 79 per cent of habitats were not under secure management regimes to improve conditions. Given that Natural Resources Wales has been financially constrained and has had to cope with a 15 per cent cut in budgets in the last two years, is she satisfied that they have sufficient resources to achieve the objectives that the Welsh Government sets in this respect?

I’m sure the Member accepts that we’re all financially constrained and, certainly, I meet with NRW on a monthly basis—with the chair and chief executive—and I am satisfied that they do have the resources in place, yes.

I thank the Cabinet Secretary for that. In the strategic action plan that the Government published in November 2013 for Wales on marine and fisheries, paragraph 12 referred to the report of the Environment and Sustainability Committee of the Assembly in the last Assembly, in January 2013, and a commitment was made, following that, to six-monthly Ministerial Statements updating on progress. Unless I’m wrong, we haven’t had one now for about 18 months and I wonder if the Cabinet Secretary has any plans to go back to the six-monthly progress report system that was put in place several years ago.

Certainly, I’ve been in post eight months and I don’t recall bringing one forward, so I will look into that and, if appropriate, make a statement and, if not, I will write to the Member.

Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Simon Thomas.

Thank you very much, Llywydd. First, Cabinet Secretary, you will be aware of the restrictions relating to avian flu in Wales at the moment. If these are to remain until the end of February, then 90 per cent of egg producers in Wales will lose their free-range status. We will then have passed the threshold for keeping poultry indoors and we will lose the status that is very important to both customers and egg producers in Wales. Are you having any negotiations at the moment, via the UK Government, with our European partners about extending this period or about varying the restrictions?

The precautionary measures will stay in place until 28 February. You’re quite right—85 per cent of our egg production in Wales is free-range. I met this morning with the chief veterinary office, and, yes, she is having discussions with the other administrations. I know that, yesterday, she had discussions with Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs officials and also this morning, because, obviously, we have now had eight cases of bird flu in the UK. Just, I think, Monday was the last one, so clearly it’s still a very live issue. So, those negotiations and those discussions are ongoing.

I am pleased that negotiations have commenced, because, if the current ban goes beyond February, then we will lose that free-range status. As you’ve just confirmed, 89 per cent of eggs in Wales are produced under that status, and that compares with 44 per cent throughout the UK generally. So, we in Wales specialise in free-range eggs and it’s very important for our egg producers.

The leaders of the agriculture unions at a European level have asked for the 12-week period to be extended. It’s also true to say that the restrictions that you have in place in Wales, as Cabinet Secretary, are ones that you are responsible for. Are you in a position at all to give this Assembly an outline today of whether you will continue with the restrictions beyond the end of February, or are you in a position to put other steps in place for Wales, including high biosecurity levels, in order to retain the free-range status?

I’m not really in a position currently to give you a decision around extending past 28 February. As I said, I met with the CVO this morning and I’m meeting her again next week, following her discussions with colleagues. I think we need to look at a balance. We can’t keep the birds in-house forever. However, I mentioned that we’ve just had our eighth case on Monday across the UK, so it’s about getting that balance. But we are working closely with DEFRA and with the devolved administrations and making sure that we’re taking expert advice also.

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, and I accept, of course, this is very much a fluid situation. I don’t think that we’ve had new cases in Wales this year, but that’s not to say that we won’t. There is, however, a real issue here because, if free-range status is removed from eggs at the end of February, then, quite frankly, consumers won’t know what they’re buying. With what’s been talked about by the British Egg Industry Council, for example, about the material in supermarkets, information and so forth, I think we’ll lose some of the confidence that consumers have in free-range eggs—very important in the Welsh context—and there will be confusion as to what’s free-range and what’s not. We’ve spent many years working with consumers to persuade them of the animal welfare issues around free-range eggs and people have come with us and are prepared to pay more, which in turn has meant more investment in the industry in Wales. So, if this does carry on past 28 February, what steps are you doing already with supermarkets and egg suppliers in Wales to ensure the consumer really understands the reason for such a change in the designation of the eggs they buy and that we can have ready-made the kind of stickers and information that will go on the eggs sold in Wales, so that people really understand the situation?

Thank you. Simon Thomas raises a very important point. When I came into portfolio and saw that 89 per cent of our egg production was free-range I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to have 100 per cent?’ But, clearly, out of a clear blue sky, this sort of thing drops on you. The free-range industry have already contacted me asking for a meeting; I’m very happy to meet with them. We know of the significant cost it would be in relation to their packaging et cetera, so it is very important that we do all we can to help them. It also shows, when you went into those precautionary measures, it was right to wait. Obviously, bird flu is over in Europe. We didn’t go too soon because of that 12-week period that we could only keep the birds in. As I say, we can’t keep them in-house forever; we need to look at it very carefully. But it is a very fluid situation and I will update Members as we go through the month of February.

Welsh Conservative spokesperson, David Melding.

Cabinet Secretary, when do you expect the marine protected areas steering group to publish its report on improved management?

By this summer.

Thank you for that very pithy answer, Cabinet Secretary. [Laughter.] It was—[Inaudible.] The last piece of work done—. You did commission, or your predecessor commissioned it in March 2014, so it would have taken them a little over three years, alas, and the last major piece of work was done by Natural Resources Wales’s predecessor, the Countryside Commission for Wales, and that said there was a failure of effective management in these really important marine protected areas, but it also said, that report, that a high-level steer was needed from the Welsh Government because across authorities there was currently very low priority in this area. Do you agree?

No, I don’t think it’s a low priority but I do think it’s really important that we have a plan and a strategy. I mentioned in my answer to Neil Hamilton around the Welsh national marine plan consultation also that I think it’s really important that we do all that we can to protect our marine natural resources. It is a priority for me. It’s very complex, it’s a very complex part of the portfolio, but we will be bringing that work forward this year.

And it should be a priority and I think we’ll all be reassured when you deliver on that. Many experts and stakeholders believe that MPAs need a more spatial approach rather than being species or habitat specific. Furthermore, many also argued for non-extraction areas. Is this going to be the likely direction of policy?

I think the Member will have to await the policy when it’s issued later this year.