Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:20 pm on 27 September 2017.
First of all, can I agree with everything Joyce Watson has said and thank her for allowing me a minute in this debate, but, more importantly, for raising this incredibly important issue? I want to highlight the importance of trees and bushes. Can I start with a short anecdote? There was a house in my constituency that had never had a problem with water, but, one year, the front step turned into a waterfall, and I mean that quite literally—the water was coming down as if it was a waterfall. What had changed? Trees and bushes had been removed from behind the house, so what you then had was the water coming down. I believe we need to plant far more trees and bushes to soak up the water before it starts making its way down to areas where it is creating problems. When you take the bushes away and you take the trees away, you lead to the reverse, which is the rain turns into mud and you get mud sliding down. I live in a constituency that is exceptionally hilly; I think anybody in Swansea would probably say Swansea was exceptionally hilly. It’s very important we make sure that we have trees and bushes there. Am I a hypocrite? No, because, if you go into my front garden, you will see a hedge and one large tree.