'Labour’s Environment Bill has been left in doubt', says Plaid Cymru

Labour’s Environment Bill has been left in doubt after the Minister’s incompetence was revealed, understands Plaid Cymru. It has emerged that the Labour Minister failed to seek consent for key elements of the government’s Environment Bill until three months after the legislation was introduced.

It has since emerged that the Secretary of State for Wales is in fact withholding consent from the Welsh Government raising questions about whether or not the Bill has any future.

Having told the legislative Affairs Committee on the 1st of June 2015 that gaining consent from the UK Government for key elements of the Environment Bill was “just a process issue”, it has now transpired that the Minister for Natural Resources had not sought formal consent until more than a month later, on the 7th of August.

Ordinarily, the Welsh Government would be expected to receive consent before tabling a bill. The Labour Minister for Natural Resources only sought consent three months after the Bill was tabled and his incompetence could now scupper the Bill.

Plaid Cymru’s Shadow Minister for Sustainable Communities, Energy and Food Llyr Gruffydd said:


“The Labour government has some very serious questions to answer about the way it has handled this Bill. For months, the Labour Minister told us that he was in discussion with the UK Government and that there was no need for concern over consent for these important points.

“However we now learn that the Minister did not formally request the consents until more than three months after the Bill was laid before the Assembly. Standard practice dictates that all consent should be acquired before a bill is tabled.

“Now, the Labour Minister by his own admission says this could scupper the Bill. How has he let this happen?

“The Labour government must now be transparent and release all correspondence between it and the UK government on the issue.

“The Minister for Natural Resources was previously mired in controversy for his mishandling of the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act which resulted in whole sections of the Bill being removed by the Environment Committee. It seems that he hasn’t learnt his lesson, and once again hasn’t done the necessary groundwork.

“This is another shambolic display by this Minister. Plaid Cymru wants to work with other parties to pass legislation that will enhance the natural environment in Wales, but the Labour government’s incompetence is making that very difficult.”