1. 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs – in the Senedd at on 1 February 2017.
David Lloyd
Plaid Cymru
8. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the Mynydd y Gwair wind farm development? OAQ(5)0096(ERA)
Lesley Griffiths
Labour
2:04,
1 February 2017
The Mynydd y Gwair development is a commercial wind farm in strategic search area E. It has received all necessary consents and I understand construction starts next month. The developer will invest £50 million and provide employment during the build, generating enough clean energy to power up to 22,600 homes.
David Lloyd
Plaid Cymru
Thank you for that response. Members will be aware that the application to develop a windfarm on land under the ownership of the Duke of Beaufort, near Felindre, Swansea, is one that has gone on for 20 years and has created a great deal of local Opposition. The most recent saga, in addition to what you’ve just said there, is to do with the access to the site from the A48 at Pontarddulais. As regards that point specifically, can you give the Chamber an update about the latest discussions you’ve had with the developers, and when and how do you expect that the current situation will be resolved?
Lesley Griffiths
Labour
2:05,
1 February 2017
Well, I haven’t had any specific discussions with the developer. I will check with my officials if they have and I’ll write to the Member.
Suzy Davies
Conservative
There is plenty of Opposition, still, to Mynydd y Gwair, and local residents are concerned about the potential impact on the local bat population as well. I raise this as the lesser horseshoe bat champion for the Assembly. Residents do point to the recent Exeter university report on bat mortality caused by blade disruption to sonar and to the potential of roosts near the proposed access track to the site. The company’s qualified ecologist is satisfied that the bat roosts that they have found are not in trees that are planned to be cut down, whereas another qualified specialist has advised that roosts have been found in another tree that is due to be felled. As there appears to be some confusion about which trees and which roosts everyone’s talking about, do you think that there should actually be some clarity achieved before any trees are felled?
Lesley Griffiths
Labour
2:06,
1 February 2017
I think that’s an issue we certainly need to look at, and I’m very happy to do that and will update the Member.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
The Opposition are the political parties in the House of Commons other than the largest or Government party. They are called the Opposition because they sit on the benches opposite the Government in the House of Commons Chamber. The largest of the Opposition parties is known as Her Majesty's Opposition. The role of the Official Opposition is to question and scrutinise the work of Government. The Opposition often votes against the Government. In a sense the Official Opposition is the "Government in waiting".
