Environmental Priorities

Part of 2. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs – in the Senedd at 2:58 pm on 15 May 2024.

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Photo of Huw Irranca-Davies Huw Irranca-Davies Labour 2:58, 15 May 2024

Thank you very much, Joyce. I'm glad to see there's real support from all Members of the Senedd here to alleviate these problems for local residents. It is unacceptable and it has to be dealt with. Can I just be as absolutely clear here as I possibly can be? NRW are on the ground—they've increased their presence because of the matters ongoing. They will continue to update the community as well. I understand that there's been a lot of communications, including newsletters. They've served enforcement notices on the landfill operator as well, who is required to cover all the exposed waste, complete the landfill engineering works, and to contain and collect the landfill gas. That's pretty explicit, pretty clear. If the operator fails to comply with the final deadline of the notice, NRW will be looking to take enforcement action in line with their enforcement and prosecution policy. So, NRW are responding as a priority to resolve this issue. I would encourage, however, both you and Paul to tell all residents to continue to report, as they have been doing, any instances of odour to NRW, as this will help, actually, NRW in terms of informing the effectiveness of their enforcement.

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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.

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