6 Gorffennaf 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
But that's not the—. It's the devolution points that we're having absolutely no engagement on at all.
6 Gorffennaf 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
Well, we're in the process of discussing with the Counsel General and the First Minister escalation processes. I can't go into that.
6 Gorffennaf 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
Well, by the time the Bill finishes its passage through the Senedd.
6 Gorffennaf 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
So, it simply means that, instead of a complete one-stop-shop, we would have to write and ask the various non-devolved consultees to consult. They would do so, but they would be unable to recover their costs appropriately as part of that, and it would simply…
6 Gorffennaf 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
Yes. This has not been fun, it has to be said, for a variety of reasons. But we requested the transfer of legislative competence to the Senedd for consenting of energy generation stations offshore between the edge of the territorial sea and the edge of the…
6 Gorffennaf 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
And we've asked the developers, but, not surprisingly, they are quite shy about sharing their costs with us, so it's a—.
6 Gorffennaf 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
Again, it's just about a streamlined process. So, at every point in this process, each of the organisations or statutory bodies or statutory consultees that engage, has to engage a single time, rather than multiple times, and on that basis, the amount of…
6 Gorffennaf 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
So that's based on the things I've been saying already about the number of times you've got to engage in a process. So, what we're assuming—. We haven't got any real hard data on how much it costs a community to engage in a DNS process, really, and, you'll…
6 Gorffennaf 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
No, not really, Delyth. What we're trying to do is we're trying to make sure that we've got things that we think will change in the regulations, or are likely to change and need review in the regulations, and things that we think are very, very unlikely to…
6 Gorffennaf 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
Even on the things we require, just to say, we don't say that they have to be on parchment and signed or anything. Actually, in all fairness, there have been earlier Bills where it actually says things like, 'Three copies of something or other to be given…
6 Gorffennaf 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
So, I think there's a big difference, myself—sorry for the constitutional nerdery—but I think there's a big difference between a framework Bill with Henry VIII powers in it that gives the Minister executive functions to do various things, and a headline Bill…
6 Gorffennaf 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
Yes. So, if you use the pre-application process as an example here, we'll set out in the regulations the technical details: the types of pre-application services that should be provided, the consultation arrangements, the format of applications, exactly what…
6 Gorffennaf 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
So, that's about the hierarchy of the decision-making process. So, again, Neil, I'm afraid I'm going to defer to you on that.
6 Gorffennaf 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
I'm afraid you're doing that, Neil. [Laughter.]
6 Gorffennaf 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
So, it would be the same, Joyce. So, if you had a sudden change of heart or change of Government with very opposite proposals, then they could put policy statements through that contradicted the national framework, while they reviewed the national framework…
6 Gorffennaf 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
And, just to be really clear, if that happens, then in the following review, you'd expect the major document to be reviewed accordingly.
6 Gorffennaf 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
Well, in the review.
6 Gorffennaf 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
We don't think they will be, is the truth, but we have to have the possibility that we somehow didn't think of everything in all of these plans, and that something happens that might be inconsistent. But we don't actually think that we're in that position…
6 Gorffennaf 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
So, that's just about what's the swiftest route to address the issue that's emerged, really. So, policy statements are more reactive and quicker to implement on a specific policy. There have been lots of examples of this over the years, haven't there, rather…
6 Gorffennaf 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
Sorry about that.
6 Gorffennaf 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
So, we're not aware of any policy gaps at the moment. Applications must be determined in accordance with the national development framework for Wales—or 'Future Wales: The National Plan 2040', as we call it—the marine plan, and its associated policy…
6 Gorffennaf 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
Well, I very much hope so, and then, of course, that will come into this regime.
6 Gorffennaf 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
We just did a complete end-to-end review of the marine licensing process with NRW, and out of that has come a range of issues, one of which was what are the fees that can be charged. So, I don't want to go into controversial areas here, but you may know that…
6 Gorffennaf 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
Sure. But that's a local—
6 Gorffennaf 2023 , Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd
Yes, so this is a much more straightforward regime, Jenny, and in fairness to the local authority, at the moment, trying to decide what exactly has been breached and under which regime they should try and enforce it is a real headache, whereas this is a…
