Will the Cabinet Secretary outline her legislative priorities for 2017?
The year ahead will likely be dominated by the legislative implications resulting from the UK’s exit from the EU. The large scale exercise of analysing and mapping the existing EU legislation is ongoing. Approximately two-thirds of the current environmental legal framework in Wales derives from EU legislation. This is why my portfolio is one of the areas most affected.
Work will also continue on preparing for the Wales Bill. I am monitoring the progress of the Bill through the House of Lords.
We continue to implement the Environment (Wales) Act 2016. The State of Natural Resources Report which was published in October last year and the statutory National Natural Resources Policy is expected to be published in March. These are just a small part of the vast work underway.
We have also made excellent progress to implement the Planning (Wales) Act 2015, with three quarters of its provisions now fully or partially in force. It is now for Local Planning Authorities and other parties to positively embrace the improvements made and to fully realise their benefits.
A report on the operation and effectiveness of the Agricultural Sector (Wales) Act 2014 is due to publish this year, with a consultation ahead of that. In addition, a new Agricultural Wages Order is expected to come into force under the Act on 1 April.