2. Will the First Minister make a statement on the latest survey of staff at Natural Resources Wales? OAQ(5)0059(FM)

Yes. It’s a big file, as the Member can see. I am aware of the staff survey results. It is, of course, a matter for the board of Natural Resources Wales as an arm’s-length body, but the Cabinet Secretary has met with the chair and chief executive of NRW. She has outlined her disappointment in the figures and stressed the importance of proper staff engagement.

Thank you for the answer, First Minister. The survey results clearly indicate that there’s a problem with senior management, and it’s far worse than last year. I’ve had constituents who’ve contacted me who don’t wish to be named, and they’re fearful for the comments that they’ve sent me, saying that they had a Skype meeting with the directors and their leaders last week—and this included more in-depth analysis of the survey results—which made for worse reading than those that were published. I think the feeling from that meeting was that the problems were with lower management, and that they should go off and try to fix it themselves, although they see it more as something that needs to be fixed from the top. First Minister, can you tell me how this will be done, given that it is an organisation, as you say, that’s arm’s length from yourself? How will you achieve the £158 million savings over 10 years when, as I believe from staff there, processes and contracts that are now in place cost more than when they were fulfilled by the legacy organisation?

Those are responsibilities for the chair and chief executive to make sure that staff feel valued. I notice from the survey that, overall, staff were more satisfied than they were last year. But, it’s right to say that, when we drill down underneath those figures in terms of perceptions of management, for example, career development and understanding of the organisation’s direction, the figures were not as good. As I mentioned earlier on, the Cabinet Secretary has met with the chair and chief executive. It’s been made clear to them that they must drive positive change from the top, and make sure that people do feel more valued within the organisation.

First Minister, according to the survey, it is a cause of great concern that staff in NRW feel that they don’t have access to learning and personal development opportunities when they need them. Of course, it is important that people do have these opportunities. Given that Natural Resources Wales is accountable to your Government, how does the Government ensure that staff in this organisation can access training and learning opportunities to support their professional development?

Although it is an arm’s-length body, the Secretary has a clear interest in ensuring that the body works as it should. In doing this, the Minister will want to see these figures improve, and will want to see that there is evidence that pathways to developing individuals’ careers are developed and are available as they require it.

The Plaid Cymru Member opposite is right to draw the First Minister’s attention to the recent staff survey at NRW. The results are both disappointing and concerning. Is the dissatisfaction of the staff in any way a reflection on how well this body is serving the general public?

No, I don’t believe that’s right. Natural Resources Wales are doing a good job in terms of managing our forestry resource, and making sure that advice is made available to businesses in order to mitigate their environmental impact, and of course in terms of managing our countryside for the benefit of our people.