Concise Minutes - Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee

Meeting Venue:

Committee Room 3 - Senedd

Meeting date: Thursday, 14 December 2017

Meeting time: 09.17 - 12.35
This meeting can be viewed
on Senedd TV at:
http://senedd.tv/en/4332

------

Attendance

Category	Names
Assembly Members:	Mike Hedges AM (Chair) Dai Lloyd AM David Melding AM Simon Thomas AM Joyce Watson AM
Witnesses:	Merlin Hyman, Regen South West Robert Proctor, Community Energy Wales Holly Cross, Cwm Arian Renewable Energy Benedict Ferguson, Community Energy in Pembrokeshire Grant Peisley, Cyd Ynni Jenny Wong, Cyd Ynni
Committee Staff:	Martha Da Gama Howells (Second Clerk) Louise Andrewartha (Deputy Clerk) Chloe Corbyn (Researcher)

<AI1>

1 Private pre-meeting

</AI1>

<AI2>

2 Inquiry into 'low carbon housing: the challenge' - discussion of written evidence

Members discussed the written evidence and agreed to hold oral evidence sessions in the spring term.

</AI2>

<AI3>

3 Committee visit to the Scottish Parliament and Government - discussion of findings and next steps

Members discussed the visit and agreed to keep in contact with counterpart committees in other UK legislatures.

</AI3>

<AI4>

4 Introductions, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest

Apologies were received from Gareth Bennett AM, Dawn Bowden AM and Jayne Bryant AM.

The Chair welcomed Joyce Watson AM to the Committee and thanked Jenny Rathbone AM for her contribution to the work of the Committee.

</AI4>

<AI5>

5 Inquiry into community energy - oral evidence session

Merlin Hyman and Robert Proctor introduced themselves and responded to questions from Members.

</AI5>

<AI6>

6 Inquiry into community energy - oral evidence session

Benedict Ferguson, Holly Cross, Grant Peisley and Jenny Wong introduced themselves and responded to questions from Members.

</AI6>

<AI7>

7 Paper(s) to note

Members noted the papers.

</AI7>

<AI8>

7.1 Correspondence between the Chair and the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs, and the Minister for Environment regarding the Committee's report, 'Branching out: a new ambition for woodland policies'

</AI8>

<AI9>

7.2 Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs regarding the Committee's Natural Resources Policy workshop

</AI9>

<AI10>

7.3 Letter from the Chair of Natural Resources Wales regarding the disposal of dredged sediment at sea under marine licence 12/45/ML

</AI10>

<AI11>

7.4 Letter from the Chair of Natural Resources Wales following annual scrutiny of Natural Resources Wales

</AI11>

<AI12>

8 Motion under Standing Order 17.42(vi) to resolve to exclude the public from the meeting for the following business:

The motion was agreed.

</AI12>

<AI13>

9 Private debrief

The Committee discussed the evidence and agreed to ask the Welsh Government for information on the following:

- Disaggregating national targets for community energy to the local level

- Scaling up support for Ynni Lleol and providing it with long term certainty

- Clarifying the thresholds and eligibility for Business Rates exemptions for community energy projects

- Whether it intends to publish, annually, how much community energy is being generated by local authorities.

</AI13>

<TRAILER_SECTION>

</TRAILER_SECTION>

<LAYOUT_SECTION>

1.FIELD_TITLE

FIELD_SUMMARY

</LAYOUT_SECTION>

<TITLE_ONLY_LAYOUT_SECTION>

2.FIELD_TITLE

</TITLE_ONLY_LAYOUT_SECTION>

<HEADING_LAYOUT_SECTION>

FIELD_TITLE

</HEADING_LAYOUT_SECTION>

<TITLED_COMMENT_LAYOUT_SECTION>

FIELD_TITLE

FIELD_SUMMARY

</TITLED_COMMENT_LAYOUT_SECTION>

<COMMENT_LAYOUT_SECTION>

FIELD_SUMMARY

</COMMENT_LAYOUT_SECTION>

<SUBNUMBER_LAYOUT_SECTION>

2.1FIELD_TITLE

FIELD_SUMMARY

</SUBNUMBER_LAYOUT_SECTION>

<TITLE_ONLY_SUBNUMBER_LAYOUT_SECTION>

2.2FIELD_TITLE

</TITLE_ONLY_SUBNUMBER_LAYOUT_SECTION>