Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. The landscape and coastline of Wales have been shaped by powerful and inspiring natural forces that continue to influence where and how we live. One of the challenges we face is how best to mitigate the risks and adapt to change as individuals, across communities and as a nation. Within this context, I am pleased to have this opportunity to update Members on the important work we are doing to underpin flood and coastal risk management activity in Wales.

Flooding can have a devastating and lasting impact on the lives of those affected, which is why it remains a priority for this Government. Last autumn, Storm Callum was a reminder of why our continued work and investment in this area remains vital. As a result of that storm, over 270 properties across Wales were flooded, with further damage across the country to homes, schools, roads and shops—the things we all depend upon and often take for granted in our daily lives. Such events serve as a reminder of why we need to be prepared, why it's important we are all aware and well-informed of the risks faced, and why we must continue to build resilience in our communities.

We continue to invest in flood-risk mitigation and coastal defence work right across Wales. To benefit those living most at risk, we prioritise our investment on the protection of properties. This year we've seen schemes at Borth-y-gest in Gwynedd, Mochdre in Conwy, Roath in Cardiff, Porthcawl in Bridgend and at Pontarddulais, which the First Minister and I will officially open later this week. These works alone have reduced risk to over 960 properties, meaning many families and communities are now safer than they were and not living with the same worries brought by severe weather.

Today, I will share an overview of the flood and coastal defence programmes for the next financial year, and highlight some of the key areas of work we will be progressing. They include consulting on a new national strategy for flood and coastal erosion risk management and the establishment of a new statutory flood and coastal erosion committee for Wales. This coming financial year will see the start of a three-year construction window on works to better protect our coastal communities. The coastal risk management programme will deliver investment of over £150 million across Wales, reducing risk to over 18,000 properties. Coastal schemes starting this coming year include east Rhyl, Aberavon and y Felinheli.  I've also set aside funding from this year’s capital budget for the design and development of future schemes. I encourage local authorities to now move forward with this work, recognising the unique opportunity this programme provides. 

In addition to the coastal risk management programme, over the next 12 months we will invest over £50 million into flood and coastal erosion risk management across Wales, prioritised on reducing risks to properties. This includes a capital programme of £27 million on new schemes, maintenance of existing assets and the development of future schemes. This funding will, for example, support the completion of schemes at Beaumaris and Talgarth, as well as commencing construction works at Llansannan, Llanmaes, Newport and Welshpool. On completion of schemes within the programme, over 1,200 properties, including over 850 homes, across Wales will benefit.

Also important is the development of future schemes, for which we will provide over £2.8 million- worth of funding to local authorities and Natural Resources Wales. This will support the development and design of important new schemes for future years, increasing protection and resilience in places such as Llangefni, Cwmbach, Cardigan and Newcastle Emlyn.

I will also continue to set aside £1 million for the small scale works grant, which allows local authorities to undertake minor schemes and maintenance works to benefit communities. Over the past four years, we have invested over £5.8 million this way, and it has made a real impact, helping more than 2,200 properties across Wales.

Wales has already set the benchmark in terms of its approach to sustainable drainage systems, or SuDS, for new developments. This complements our approach to managing water in a more natural way, and I am pleased to see this coming through in the flood programme.

In the coming year, we will support schemes incorporating natural flood management at Betws-y-Coed and Abergele in Conwy and at Cwmaman in Rhondda Cynon Taf. I am also encouraged to see a number of schemes not just looking at the issues in one location but taking a whole-catchment approach, tackling risk across a wider area. This is something I want to promote and I will be setting out our thinking in our new national strategy for flood and coastal erosion risk management. 

As we look wider, opportunities are opening up to work in partnership with others whose assets will benefit. Seeking contributions from such sources is vital in these times of challenging budgets, maximising our investment and building wider resilience. I am encouraged to see such thinking is already starting to happen, with housing associations, transport and utility providers being identified as potential partners. We need to ensure this continues.

With significant investment happening across the country, I want to see the benefits of this funding realised. A key part of this is showing the impacts of new and improved assets in our flood maps and online information. This helps us realise the economic and social improvements that come with making a community safer. It also allows the people of Wales to understand the risks they face, make informed decisions about the places they live and know how to support themselves should flooding occur. In our new strategy, I am asking NRW to focus on these improvements and ensure updated information is provided on an annual basis to show the impact of our continued investment. To support this work, I am once again planning to maintain NRW’s revenue budget this coming year, recognising the important work this supports, including the provision of information, awareness-raising activities, maintenance of assets and investigation work.

I will be consulting on our new national strategy this spring, which will have a strong focus on information and delivery. It will clarify roles and responsibilities, provide updates on policy, including the encouragement of natural flood risk management, and incorporate recommendations from recent reports. The strategy will stress the importance of flood risk mapping to inform decisions around where we invest and complement our planning policy to direct development away from high-risk areas. To support this, new flood risk maps will be made public on NRW’s website before the end of this year.

I would like to finish, Deputy Presiding Officer, by announcing the recruitment for the new flood and coastal erosion committee is complete. The committee will provide high-level strategic advice to Welsh Ministers and promote best practice, helping ensure we continue to lead the way in this area and learn from good work happening elsewhere.

Today's statement sets out how this Government will put the sustainable management of our environment at the heart of decision making to further reduce flood and coastal risk to homes and businesses across Wales.