Later this week I will be launching our new Waste Strategy for Wales, which will set out in more detail our vision for how we can deal with waste in the coming decades
Jane Davidson AM
If approved, the revised Environment Legislative Competence Order (LCO) will enable the Assembly to make Welsh laws, called Measures, on the environment.
The LCO has been presented to Assembly Members ahead of the launch of a consultation on a revised Waste Strategy for Wales tomorrow (April 29) and will provide powers in relation to three specific areas: waste, pollution and nuisances.
Once the LCO has been approved, Measures can be brought forward under these areas and could include the introduction of a tax for single-use bags.
The LCO has been laid in Parliament for pre-legislative scrutiny. It has already been through the committee stage in the Assembly and has been signed off by all government departments and therefore is not expected to take too long to gain approval from MPs.
Speaking in parliament yesterday, the Secretary of State for Wales, Paul Murphy, said: “I am pleased to inform the House that the proposed National Assembly for Wales (Legislative Competence) (Environment) Order 2009 has been laid today, as Command Paper (Cm 7608).
“Copies of this can be found in the Vote Office and will be placed in the Library from 12 noon. I have written to the Welsh Affairs Committee and to the House of Lords Constitutional Committee to request they undertake pre-legislative scrutiny,” he added.
Lever
Welsh environment minister Jane Davidson, who first laid out the proposals in June 2007 (see letsrecycle.com story), said: “This LCO will enable us to bring forward legislation in a long devolved policy area. It will provide us with an additional lever to help us respond to new and significant challenges in relation to the environment.
“The exact content of these Measures will be a matter for the Assembly. Our priorities in the short term are likely to focus on Measures aimed at addressing waste management and improving local environmental quality.
“Later this week I will be launching our new Waste Strategy for Wales, which will set out in more detail our vision for how we can deal with waste in the coming decades. The policies contained within the revised Waste Strategy will set the broad framework for possible future Measures.
“Our focus now is on the debate on the competence of the LCO, not on the subsequent Measures,” she added.
While she would not speculate on the Measures which would be pursued, Ms Davidson confirmed that she was considering using the powers to introduce a tax on single-use carrier bags.
It was last year also touted that the powers might be used to charge householders according to how much they throw away (see letsrecycle.com story).
Ms Davidson said: “I have been on record as saying we will look at the possibility of using the powers of this LCO to introduce a levy on free, single-use carrier bags.
“I am also using new legislation contained in the Climate Change Act to look at how we can legally ban free plastic bags in Wales. The Welsh Assembly Government is the first UK administration to start work on this. An estimated 490 million plastic bags are used in Wales each year,” she added.
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