7. Welsh Conservatives debate: Natural Resources Wales

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:49 pm on 13 March 2019.

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Photo of Neil McEvoy Neil McEvoy Independent 5:49, 13 March 2019

I'll be supporting the motion. Just to outline my experience of dealing with Natural Resources Wales, back in September 2017—the very first meeting about the nuclear mud. Honestly, I really had absolute confidence that the officials of NRW would be able to assuage my concerns about the mud and the testing regime, and so on. They knew nothing about the testing, despite being the body issuing the licence. They didn't know what kind of testing was done. They didn't know where the testing was done. They couldn't tell me to what depth. They couldn't tell me where the mud would end up. But they assured me nevertheless that it was safe, without knowing any of the detail. It was so bad it was the only time in my professional career where I offered to adjourn the meeting until I could maybe get an answer.

The Roath brook campaign—the desolation, the desecration of a park in Cardiff, and the destruction of very valuable trees. I went to a meeting with NRW with the new Minister. You could tell she was new because she just accepted what the officials were saying—that there was no alternative. [Interruption.] With respect, all the meetings I've attended—. [Interruption.] I'll give way if you wish. I'll happily give way. What we were told in the meeting was that there was no alternative. Again, in my entire career, I've never had an official tell me there's no alternative and not challenge it. That's what we were told. But, as time has transpired, as matters have moved on, we've seen that there are in fact very good alternatives to what is proposed at the Roath brook.

If we look at the wood contracts, I'll tell you what, I would commend NRW, because they've done pretty well in awarding a contract to a company that didn't even apply for it. Well done. Well done on that. Seriously, Grant Thornton found that their behaviour had heightened exposure to the risk of fraud. I remember being criticised back in the autumn of, I think it was 2017, again, when I objected to the shotgun retirement of the chief executive when there was this matter of the accounts not being qualified and, as I said, the company that hadn't applied for the contract being awarded the contract. Yet, the chief executive was allowed to swan off into the sunset with a package. I really didn't understand why I was criticised back then for attacking that. I still don't know.

On a personal level—I don't think Members will know this—Natural Resources Wales have breached my data protection personally as a politician in Wales. I phoned up one time and was considering making a complaint about a particular matter, and then I found out later that a Member of this Assembly, a politician here, was briefed about my call—unbelievable. Unbelievable, and that matter has still not been resolved yet. I know that the person was briefed because I saw the e-mail that somebody wrote about the briefing.

So, you've got all these things swirling around. This is an extremely serious matter. The nuclear mud will be coming back to—[Interruption.] I know it's a bit of a grind for some of you to listen to this, but please, please bear with me. As I said, this is a really important matter. The issue of the nuclear mud will be coming back. You may not like it coming back, but it will be coming back. I fully support this motion. Diolch yn fawr.