CALLS have been made for an immediate moratorium on industrial-scale solar and windfarm developments in Wales amid concern over the loss of productive farmland.

The Welsh Conservatives say the Welsh Government should pause major renewable energy schemes and urgently review the planning rules for Developments of National Significance.

Party leader Darren Millar MS said Future Wales 2040, the national planning framework, gives too much weight to large-scale renewable energy projects and risks allowing solar farms and windfarms to be built at the expense of food production.

Planning row

The row comes as Wales faces pressure to increase renewable energy generation while also protecting agricultural land, rural landscapes and farming communities.

Under the Developments of National Significance process, major infrastructure projects, including some large renewable energy schemes, are decided by Welsh Ministers rather than local councils.

Supporters say the system is needed to deliver clean energy and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, while critics argue it can leave communities feeling that decisions are being taken out of their hands.

Mr Millar said: “In opposition, the now First Minister campaigned against industrial-scale renewable developments in his own constituency for fear of the impact it would have on valuable farming land. Now in government, he needs to act accordingly to protect prime agricultural land.

“The current planning framework is fundamentally flawed. Future Wales 2040 creates an assumption in favour of industrial-scale solar farms and windfarm developments across great swathes of rural Wales, putting productive farmland at risk.

“We support renewable energy and recognise its role in achieving energy security and reducing emissions, but those developments should not be at the expense of Wales’ food security.

“Renewable developments should be appropriate in scale and sensitive to their environment, making better use of the roofs of buildings and car parks.

“The Welsh Government should introduce an immediate moratorium on industrial-scale solar and windfarm developments and undertake an urgent review of the planning framework for Developments of National Significance so Wales can take a more balanced approach to Wales’ energy future.”

Climate targets

The Welsh Government says renewable energy is central to meeting Wales’ climate targets and improving energy security, but that projects must go through the planning system before consent is granted.

Supporters of large-scale renewable schemes argue they are needed to cut emissions, reduce reliance on imported energy and help stabilise electricity supplies. Some farmers and landowners also see renewable projects as a source of income at a time when the agricultural sector is under pressure.

However, opponents say the scale and location of some proposals risk damaging landscapes, reducing food-producing land and leaving rural communities with too little say over major developments.

REFORM WALES has accused the First Minister of failing to guarantee jobs for student nurses in Wales, despite continuing pressure on the NHS.

During First Minister’s Questions on Tuesday (Jun 9), Reform Wales leader Dan Thomas MS challenged Rhun ap Iorwerth to promise that all student nurses would be offered employment in Wales after graduation.

Mr Thomas linked the issue to the Welsh Government’s overseas affairs budget, saying £9m should instead be used to employ newly qualified nurses.

He told the Senedd: “Will you do the right thing and will you guarantee all student nurses in Wales a job when they graduate, yes or no?”

The First Minister did not give a direct guarantee, but said workforce planning was central to the government’s health strategy.

Rhun ap Iorwerth said: “Putting a robust plan in place to make sure that people who have decided to devote themselves to careers in nursing or medicine or all the allied health professionals is a core part of our delivery of a workforce strategy.

“That is why my Minister for health and care has already begun the work of ensuring that we are able to support students to have careers within the NHS.”

Workforce concerns

The exchange comes after the Royal College of Nursing Wales warned in April that up to half of this year’s nursing graduates in Wales could be left without a role because of a shortage of Band 5 posts.

The RCN said the situation risked leaving hundreds of newly qualified nurses without work, despite pressure on services and continuing concerns about staffing levels.

Speaking after FMQs, Mr Thomas said: “Our health service is in desperate need of qualified staff. It is unacceptable that newly qualified nurses, doctors and paramedics are being told to find work outside of Wales.

“We all know Plaid Cymru are all in favour of open migration but forcing Welsh nursing graduates to move overseas is taking it way too far.

“I was disappointed that the First Minister could not commit to ensuring these hardworking, qualified professionals can move into the frontline roles our NHS so desperately needs to fill.”

The Welsh Government says its health minister has begun work on supporting students into NHS careers, but no blanket job guarantee was given during the Senedd exchange.

THE PROBATION SERVICE in Wales is at risk of being overwhelmed unless urgent action is taken to improve staffing, pay and working conditions, MPs have warned.

A new report by the House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee, titled Jagged Justice: Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation in Wales, says probation staff are working under “exceptionally challenging circumstances” and have been “stretched to their limit”.

The report, published today, also says there is merit in exploring whether probation and youth justice should be devolved to Wales, so services can be designed more closely around Welsh communities.

The committee found that the Probation Service in Wales manages around 15,300 people at any one time, including those serving community sentences, people released from prison, and prisoners preparing for release.

MPs heard evidence that all six Probation Delivery Units in Wales had been rated either “requires improvement” or “inadequate”, although North Wales was singled out as an example of strong practice.

The report says new tools being piloted in Wales may help reduce pressure on staff, but warns that technology alone will not solve the problem.

The committee said: “Probation staff in Wales have been stretched to their limit and without tangible investment in additional officers at a national level, as well as measures to improve retention, the service runs the risk of being overwhelmed in the future.”

MPs have called on the Ministry of Justice to review staffing levels, pay and working conditions as part of its forthcoming strategic review of probation.

They also said the UK Government should set out clear steps and timelines for deciding whether probation and youth justice should be devolved to the Welsh Government.

Napo, the trade union representing probation and family court staff, welcomed the report.

General Secretary Ian Lawrence said: “It is encouraging to see a Parliamentary Committee recognise issues that Napo has been raising for many years.

“The recommendation to explore the devolution of probation in Wales reflects our long-held view that services are often most effective when they are designed and delivered closer to the communities they serve.

“We’re also pleased that the committee agrees that probation staff cannot continue to do more with less.

“If governments are serious about reducing reoffending and making greater use of community alternatives to custody, then staffing levels, pay and working conditions must be addressed as a matter of urgency.”

The wider report also raises concerns about overcrowding, rehabilitation, prison healthcare, Welsh women being held in prisons in England, and the impact of the current “jagged edge” between reserved justice powers and devolved services such as health, housing and education.

The committee said justice remains a UK Government responsibility, but many of the services needed to reduce reoffending are run in Wales.

That split, MPs said, makes joined-up rehabilitation harder and strengthens the case for looking again at whether Wales should have more control over parts of the justice system.

Napo said it would continue to press both the UK and Welsh Governments to engage directly with probation staff and unions as discussions over the future of justice services in Wales continue.