The next item is a statement by the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, the emergency floods summit update, and I call on the Minister to make the statement, Lesley Griffiths.

Diolch, Llywydd. Over the last two weeks, many communities throughout Wales have suffered devastating effects from storms Ciara and Dennis. I want to say again that my thoughts, and those of my Cabinet colleagues, are with all those who have been affected.

These two storms are two of the most severe and widespread flooding incidents we have experienced in Wales for many years. At the peak of storm Dennis, there were 61 flood alerts, 89 flood warnings and two severe flood warnings in force. This is more than Natural Resources Wales has ever issued. The rivers Taff and Usk reached their highest levels in more than 40 years and, at its peak, 900 tonnes of water per second was flowing down the River Taff.

As a result of these two storms, we have seen severe and widespread flooding in communities in north, mid and south Wales. There are confirmed accounts of more than 1,000 homes suffering internal flooding and more than 300 businesses being directly affected. The threat has not yet passed. Yesterday, a severe flood warning was issued in Bangor-on-Dee and we saw flash flooding in Dolgellau over the weekend following further heavy rain. We do not yet know the full extent of damage. Teams on the ground are continuing to verify the damage and likely cost of repairs as they start the clean-up. The Welsh Government wants to thank everyone involved in the response to the flooding, from the emergency response to the ongoing recovery. The emergency services, local authorities, Natural Resources Wales and volunteers have worked around the clock to address the immediate impact of the flooding.

I have seen first-hand some of the devastation caused as I visited communities across Wales, in Llanrwst, Tylorstown, Pontypridd, Llanhilleth, Crickhowell and Mountain Ash. But many more communities have been affected. I have spoken with people who saw for themselves the incredible response from their local community as schools, halls and centres opened their doors to help those in need. There were incredible acts of kindness and generosity as people came together to help and there were powerful and humbling levels of resilience. One example, Llanhilleth Miners Institute in Blaenau Gwent, provided shelter, advice and three meals a day to all those who needed it.

These floods have had a significant and financial impact on councils, businesses and individuals. Last week, the First Minister chaired an emergency summit, announcing a £10 million fund to help meet the costs of the initial response, including support for those affected by the flooding. However, this of course will not be enough to cover the full costs to repair the damage caused by storms Ciara and Dennis.

The emergency flood relief scheme is now available. Households affected by flooding will be able to claim £500 each with a further payment of £500 available to those without flooding insurance. Support will also be available for businesses and high streets. Business Wales is ready to support affected businesses. Any business affected should contact their helpline, who can provide practical advice, including help with recovery plans.

I've heard from many home owners who lost everything and who have previously been declined flood cover. Since 2016, Flood Re has been in place to enable home owners to access affordable insurance, but there is a lack of awareness about the scheme. I want to work with the insurance sector to ensure Flood Re is publicised more effectively.

Emergency funding for repairs to flood infrastructure was immediately made available after storm Ciara, and extended to cover storm Dennis. Urgent works to assets, including defences and culverts, will be 100 per cent funded by the Welsh Government. This applies to both NRW and local authorities.

The number of properties affected and the damage caused has been devastating. But we know this could have been a lot worse without the network of flood defences. Across Wales, more than 73,000 homes were protected from flooding by this network of flood defences. This is a reflection of the £350 million we've invested in flood risk management since 2016. Going forward, we will work with local authorities and NRW to identify whether more schemes will be needed to further reduce risk. I also want to increase financial and practical support to local authorities to accelerate the development of new flood projects.

My officials are exploring ways to better support the development of new schemes and maintenance works, including providing 100 per cent funding for all preparatory work prior to construction. This would include all costs of modelling and design. We will also explore practical ways on how to progress more natural solutions, and wider catchment management to reduce both the amount and the rate of run-off, to reduce peak flows and help address the quick onset of flooding.

These storms have once again raised the issue of the safety of coal tips for communities living in their shadow. Many of us will have seen images of the dramatic landslip at Tylorstown. There are more than 1,200 of these tips across the former mining areas of south Wales. They are a legacy of our industrial past. Many of these tips were abandoned more than a century ago, and we have been working since devolution to address the issue of tips, and some of the sites have undergone work to transform them. The First Minister met the Secretary of State for Wales yesterday to discuss the safety of these. As a priority, we are working closely with the UK Government and partners—including the Coal Authority, Natural Resources Wales and local authorities—to ensure we have a full picture about the current checks and monitoring systems in place.

All the evidence suggests that we will see more storms as a result of climate change. Later this year, I will publish our new national strategy for flood and coastal erosion, which sets out how we will manage the risk over the coming decade. But flood risk management is more than just building higher and stronger defences. We cannot prevent all flooding. We need to be more resilient, we need to prevent flooding from happening and we need to be better at raising awareness about the risk of flooding so better decisions can be made.

We are promoting wider catchment projects, adaptive measures to respond to climate change, better information provision to communities and the sharing of ideas to do things better. We will continue to support people to recover from these storms and the flooding they caused. I commend and sincerely appreciate the work of all those who continue to work on the recovery effort, supporting people, businesses and communities alike.

Thank you, Minister, for your statement, and I appreciate there will be some cross-over with, obviously, the remarks that the First Minister dealt with during his questions, but rightly so that they were taken in such high profile in the First Minister's questions segment of today's business.

I too would join in the comments that you have identified with and sided with on thanks to the emergency services, to the volunteers, and to individuals themselves, who, in the face of complete and utter devastation of whole lives being washed away, have been remarkable in their courage and fortitude in the way they've faced up—whether that be in the first week of storms, or whether that be in the second week of storms. Looking at the weather this morning, another great big blob of rain, sadly, is due at the end of this week again, it is. And to actually see that resilience in our communities really does show what it is be Welsh, and ultimately stand shoulder to shoulder with each other in their greatest time of need.

I'd like to touch on specific areas, if I may, because I know just from our benches we have six contributions on this particular statement, and so I'd like to be quite precise in what I'm asking you, and I'm sure other Members will deal with those points in the statement.

The coal tips that you touched on is a really important area of concern in many communities, but in particular in my own electoral ward, because most probably that was one of the visuals that people could see played night after night on the news clips. And as you've identified in your statement, there are some 1,200 tips of one shape or form or another across Wales and, as I understand it, a third here in the top category, category D. The First Minister in his answer identified three authorities who are responsible for inspecting those tips—they were the Coal Authority, NRW and councils. Can you confirm that they do have a joined-up inspection process and that when each authority inspects, that information is shared with the other authorities so that there is complete confidence that things aren't sitting on shelves, and when problems might or might not occur, one organisation knew about it but another didn't know about it? And also, can you identify what type of measures might be being considered by Government to move forward in making sure that any advice that is given is acted on, more importantly, because obviously this is going to come at a cost?

I heard what you said about the meeting with the First Minister and the Secretary of State. So far today, I've heard three costs of what people think the potential clear-up operation might be. Yourself in your press conference—this isn't a criticism—this morning touched on tens of millions. The First Minister in his radio broadcast touched on £100 million, and I think in First Minister's questions a Member said £180 million just in Rhondda Cynon Taf alone. So, it is really important for us to understand how Welsh Government, working with its partner organisations and the UK Government, are able to put a final figure on what might be required to support communities and support local authorities and other public agencies, and businesses as well, in seeking that money from the Treasury. Because I think in fairness to the Welsh Government, if demands were coming in thick and fast they would want to know the quantum of what they're being asked for, and I think it's vital that we understand how Government is working to bring that figure to a conclusion, so that we can actually understand the magnitude of what is required here.

I'd also like to understand exactly how the infrastructure points are being taken forward within Government. My colleague Nick Ramsay from Monmouth touched on the clean drinking water situation in Monmouthshire, but other infrastructure issues have stuck up above the parapet on this one. If you take Natural Resources Wales and the issue of the culvert in Pentre in the Rhondda, there are many issues about how this infrastructure is managed and how it is regularly maintained and, importantly, where faults are found, the timeline that is put in place to rectify the faults that are found. Can you indicate how your department interacts with Natural Resources Wales, local authorities and other partner bodies that are responsible, such as Dŵr Cymru, to make sure that when maintenance programmes are required, those maintenance programmes are carried out on that important infrastructure?

I'd also like to understand how you're working with the UK Government on the insurance side of things. I appreciate it's for the insurance industry to step up to the plate and, in fairness, in many instances I've heard of insurance assessors going over and above what would be expected of them to get claims processed and inspect properties so that people can have peace of mind that those inspection claims are being processed in a timely manner. But it is important that the speed of processing and the speed of assessment is kept up, and whilst we move further and further from the date of the actual flood, we can understand that there might be some taking the foot off the throttle on this. That cannot be allowed be happen and you in Government and, in particular, the UK Government working collaboratively, must make sure the insurance sector steps up to the plate on this.

I would again reiterate how important it is that we have the flood risk management strategy as soon as possible. This has been a piece of work that has been undertaken by Welsh Government for some considerable time, and as it is such a vital piece of work to inform Government and other public bodies of what the responsibilities will be, to know that it will be with us in a couple of months really does leave some questions to be asked. If you could be more specific, as it is your department dealing with this, to give us a timeline that we're working to on this and, importantly, the budget consequences that you think that current development work is looking at, then that would be reassuring to say the least, going forward.

With those questions, I look forward to the answers that you'll be able to give but, again, I would like to put on the record my thanks to everyone who has worked over and above and gone that extra mile to give people peace of mind in what has been a very bleak couple of days.

Thank you, Andrew R.T. Davies, for those observations and questions. I don't think we can thank the emergency services, local authorities, the volunteers and third sector organisations such as NRW and Dŵr Cymru enough. I think we just need to continue to do that over the coming days and weeks.

You started your questions around the coal tips, and I think you're right, that very visual image of the water coming down in Tylorstown, that was something that, as you say, was played over and over again. The First Minister and I visited Tylorstown last Tuesday—I think it was—to see it for ourselves, and I was very pleased to see that the Rhondda Cynon Taf local authority, who, I think, have been exemplary in their dealings with residents, had gone to great lengths to ensure that they were talking to residents who were obviously concerned when that happened. This is clearly a priority around the ongoing work that needs doing in relation to the coal tips and, as you say, the First Minister met with the Secretary of State yesterday and I understand a further meeting will be convened, I think at an official level, next week. These tips are owned by a variety of organisations, and even some of them are privately owned. So, it is vital that there is that joined-up approach between the Coal Authority, NRW, and local authorities going forward.

In relation to your questions around insurance, I think that was a really good point. I heard you say that you'd listened to the lobby briefing this morning. I went to great pains to say that the representative who attended the flood summit last week from the insurance association, he said that the assessors would be out there as quick as possible. They'd, sort of, doubled up their efforts to make sure that that happened because, I think, certainly in the lobby briefing this morning, journalists were raising with me their concern that insurance companies tried not to pay out if they could, which—that wasn't the understanding that we had from the representative who was there, and that these assessors would go out. In fact, the First Minister and I were at a meeting of RCT's group that they brought together in relation to ongoing work following the floods, and there was an individual there who owned property on the Treforest industrial estate that's been particularly badly affected, and that morning his assessor had been out. So, certainly within 48 hours, the insurance assessor had been out. So, I think that we should pay tribute to those that do that.

You asked for a final figure. I'm afraid you're going to have to be very patient. We are not going to be able to give a final figure as to the entire cost of this for a long time. So, if you just think about RCT, for instance, we know there are several bridges that have been damaged, but it's not safe for divers to go down yet to see what damage is done. So, it is going to be a long process and we are not going to be able to give a final figure. So, you heard me say tens of millions, the First Minister the same, and I heard somebody say £180 million. I haven't heard that specific figure of £180 million, but I can assure you it will be tens of millions of pounds. I was in Mountain Ash with Vikki Howells last week, and just to see the debris alone on the streets that had come off the mountain, it is incredible that nobody was killed. All that is going to take a lot of money, a lot of time, and a lot of resources.

Around the strategy, I heard you say in your question to the First Minister that two years ago we were promised this. Well, we only closed the consultation in the autumn of last year, and the strategy will set out our strategic direction alongside revised objectives and measures for delivery over the next decade. I do think it's really benefited for that consultation and for the feedback, the workshops, the close working groups that we've had, the work we've done with our stakeholders following the responses, and I will be publishing it later this year.

I'd like to place on record my thanks to the emergency services, as others have as well, but I also want to pay a special thanks to the community volunteers because, initially, some people saw no-one official at all, and these volunteer teams were a lifeline to people.

I have to say as well that last week was one of the toughest weeks I've had to face as an Assembly Member representing the communities where I grew up. It's been absolutely gut-wrenching to see how the lives of people have been torn apart just over the course of one weekend. I've spoken with many, many people who have been affected, and the initial shock turned to anger quite quickly and frustration about what happened and the lack of support from certain agencies at the events that led up to the flooding, events that, in the eyes of many people, exacerbated the floods. So, on behalf of all of those people, I have some questions for the Minister and for this Government.

Many culverts and rivers became blocked as a result of hundreds of tons of debris left behind after tree felling operations was washed down the mountains. The drainage network stood no chance. This was particularly evident in Pentre, where many streets were flooded by a deluge the town has not seen the likes of. Natural Resources Wales, responsible for tree felling and leaving the material behind, have admitted that the debris contributed to the flood and have pledged to review their policies internally. Minister, this isn't good enough, especially as Pleasant Street in Pentre was flooded for a second time. Now, as the Minister responsible for Natural Resources Wales, will you insist on a full and independent investigation into what happened? And if that investigation deems Natural Resources Wales were liable for the flooding, will you ensure that people are fully reimbursed for the damages, in full, without any consequence to their home or car insurance policies?

In terms of keeping waterways clear, some residents took matters into their own hands—they were forced to because help was not on its way. In Ynyshir, people lowered themselves down underneath a road bridge and used saws to cut into a mass of tree limbs, twigs and muck that had formed a dam and blocked the river below the bridge. This happened in a number of places. So, will concerted efforts be made to ensure that all culverts and waterways are cleared as a matter of urgency?

As part of any review into the floods, will you also look at how other countries cope with flooding in order to learn best practice? The Netherlands has to be an obvious example; people there live below sea level without the problems that we have seen here.

As people attempt to rebuild their lives, help with the cost of utility bills are needed. Once water and muck is swept out, the next stage is to dry out all affected parts of the property, and industrial heaters and dehumidifiers are deployed. But, of course, they're energy intensive and very expensive to run, which means that people could be forced into fuel poverty just by drying out their home. In the absence of a publicly owned energy company in Wales that prioritises people and not profit, like the one Plaid Cymru proposes, will you look at ways in which assistance can be provided to households struggling to cope with the energy cost of dealing with the aftermath of the flooding?

I'm also concerned by the psychological damage the flooding has caused to people, especially, but not exclusively, to children who are often less experienced and therefore less resilient to deal with trauma on this level. The community pulled together in the Rhondda last week to put on a fun day for the children who were affected, which was great, but professional support is needed. Schools are being brilliant, but what additional efforts are being made to ensure that mental health support and counselling is available to children as well as to adults in order to cope with the aftermath of this devastation?

And finally for now, will the Government also look at ensuring that people in Wales have parity with people in England when it comes to flood relief? I note that there's a flood resilience scheme in England that offers up to £5,000 to households to futureproof themselves from flooding. That would be welcome to many, along with what seems to be enhanced support in England for businesses that have been caught up with the floods as well. Can we expect people in Wales to see something similar?

I'd like to begin by echoing Leanne Wood's remarks around the community volunteers, and I mentioned volunteers, the third sector and the communities in my statement too. I certainly saw that right across Wales over the last two weeks, and that coming together of communities.

I agree with you, I think last week was one of the toughest weeks I've had as an elected representative, to see the devastation and the trauma, and I don't think 'trauma' is too strong a word to use with people who, as you say, have lost everything. And I repeat again, I think we've been very lucky that nobody was killed. I'm sorry to hear that you came across anger, frustration and blame, because I certainly didn't. Last week, nobody said that word to me; everybody was incredibly grateful. I do appreciate that it's very early days and there is a long way to go. And if your house has had 4 ft of water—. The two streets I was in in Blaenau Gwent, which had never flooded before, they went from six inches to 4 ft of water at 3 o'clock in the morning in 20 minutes. That is so traumatic, and I absolutely would have understood if they were angry with me, but what I got in those streets was, 'Please let me go upstairs and make you and your team a cup of tea, because you're very cold and wet.' So, I didn't come across that. I certainly would understand if I had, but I think people were just incredibly grateful. And you heard the First Minister say in his answers that that was the first thing that they wanted to share—their gratitude for the support and help they received.

In relation to the drainage network, I know, over the weekend—. On the Sunday, I spoke to Andrew Morgan, the leader of RCT, and there were some culverts that they cleared three times. From Friday evening, knowing the storm was coming, they cleared them three times, but, each time, debris was coming off the mountain or from the rivers or from streets. So, we are providing 100 per cent funding for clearance of grids and culverts going forward to assist local authorities to do that very quickly.

You mentioned about learning from other countries, and, of course, best practice should always be shared, and I'd be very happy if any Members have got any examples of best practice, but, certainly, I think we must look at other countries to see how they do it, in the way that other countries are looking, for instance, at coal tips. We are international experts there; we have people from all over the world come to this country to look at that.

Psychological—and you mentioned children specifically, and I know that Delyth Jewell raised that with the Trefnydd in her statement. You will have heard that this is completely a cross-Government response to the flooding, and, obviously, this is an issue that we can take up with the Minister for health and the Minister for Education—they're both here to hear your question around that. 

In relation to the cost of energy, clearly this is going to be ongoing as part of the costs going forward. It's not just about infrastructure; it is about such things as for people to get those dehumidifiers in the houses. But this is—. As I say, this is going to be a long-term approach; it could be months before people are able to return to their homes, for instance, so we need to look at that as part of our ongoing response.

Minister, I'm going to concentrate mainly on the disasters that hit Rhondda Cynon Taf, because of the focus and concentration of the deluge, but can I first of all thank you for coming to my constituency? Can I also thank the First Minister for coming and visiting in the immediate aftermath? Can I thank Jeremy Corbyn? Can I thank Adam Price, and the Prince of Wales, who also came to visit? Because those visits are important, because they are an act of solidarity with hard-hit communities. They also uplift morale, and they show that we care and that we are listening. So, I thank all those who actually came to visit—and how well received they were by persons who were cleaning out their houses at the very time that those visits took place—and also reiterate again my thanks to not only the public sector and emergency workers, but the volunteers, many of whom are still, at this very moment, working away, helping within their communities. And a particular thanks to the leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf council, Andrew Morgan, because I think it's been almost universally accepted that the response from RCT almost immediately has been exemplary and has been outstanding and it has been an honour to work with him and his colleagues and with all those public sector workers in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

If I can make a comment also in terms of the scale of the damage, that, as is obvious to so many people, it is those—some of the communities in my constituency, it is some of those who had the least who have lost everything. And how important the grants, the contributions that have been made, the donations that have been made to a fund that myself and the MP Alex Davies-Jones made, which, within a matter of days, had achieved in the region of £30,000, and all the other funds that have been set up to do that.

I spoke with the council leader this morning about the actual scale of the damage—it's important to get this on the record—in Rhondda Cynon Taf. There are nine bridges closed—severe damage to those bridges and they may all need replacing. The council have inspected 199 bridges; there are 32 left to inspect. There are dozens and dozens of collapsed river walls and collapsed, damaged culverts, all of which have to be dealt with. There has been the inspection of 43 category C and D coal tips. There is a considerable list being drawn up in respect of the work needed on highway inspections and highway repairs.

We have in Rhondda Cynon Taf 557 flooded homes—25 per cent of the UK total. We have 500 flood-damaged business properties, and the businesses damaged alone in one area of Treforest, where something like 90 per cent of the businesses were affected, is potentially estimated at around £100 million to £150 million. So, the guesstimate from the council—and it can only be a guesstimate at this stage—is in the region of £30 million to £40 million of damage, but I suspect it is going to be considerably more once those inspections are actually completed, and I know the council leader wanted to put on record the thanks for the support. He has had vehicles and equipment from other local authorities around Wales, and it is that community spirit across Wales that is something that I think, as a country and as a community, we can be so proud of.

Can I just say one thing also, then, in respect of the money that is actually needed? We are not asking for some extra devolution handout. We are part of the United Kingdom, we pay into the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister is the Minister of the union, and it is incumbent on any union to actually help those areas when disaster hits. What is being asked for is no more than any part of the United Kingdom—Wales, England, Scotland or Northern Ireland—could ask for and, in the past, have actually received.

Can I ask for one particular thing that I think does need to be done, and that is, firstly, to assure everybody that Pontypridd is open for business? Because those businesses are up and running, despite some of the damage they still have, and that has been a remarkable effort. Can I thank the Secretary of State for Wales in respect of the fast action in respect of the derogation in respect of the Department of Social Security?

And can I then ask one further thing, and that is: we need to specifically look at specialist advice being given to our communities in respect of the issue of insurance. There are many who have insurance, there are all sorts of games that are being played by the insurance industry—'Is it flood damage? Is it storm damage?' or whatever. The fact of the matter is, I think this is a matter where the Association of British Insurers really need to rein in and take control of the situation, engage with Government and local government, and ensure, firstly, that those people who have insurance are properly compensated under their insurance policies. And then I reiterate everything that the First Minister has said, that is we need to look at the existing arrangements that may be available in terms of insurance and, possibly, how we may even devise and enhance a specific Welsh arrangement, to ensure that our people do not suffer. Thank you, Minister.

Thank you, Mick. I think the statistics and the numbers that you came forward with demonstrate very clearly that RCT local authority was so severely impacted. I was going to also say I know, through my discussions with Andrew Morgan and at the summit also, how grateful he was to neighbouring local authorities for their assistance.

Just to pick up on a couple of specific points that you raise—absolutely, Pontypridd is open for business. I think it is so humbling to see the way that businesses get back there. I was in Llanrwst a week last Thursday, following storm Ciara, and the businesses there were clearing out. It was great to see the one shop that was up and running one day ahead of Valentine's Day was the florist—she had all her flowers and her balloons outside, and I thought that was just great, to see that sort of resilience from our businesses, so I'm very happy to put that on record.

In relation to insurance, it's a very, very important point, because I think we need to do more to promote Flood Re. I don't think enough people are aware of it, so people who will have had flood insurance refused—even if that's happened, Flood Re will be able to provide some cover. So, certainly, the discussions that we had with the representative from the association of insurers at the flood submit—that's one area where I think we need to do more. So, for anybody now who is listening, the thing to do, if you don't know about it, is ring your insurance company—the one that you're with now—and ask them to look into that for you.

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Ann Jones) took the Chair.

I would also like to reiterate and would like to thank all the emergency services and the local villages, on behalf of my party, for the work that they've done over the last few weekends and their continued work on the recovery.

One thing that we can take from the last few weeks is that support from this institution and Welsh Government needs to be reviewed now. Minister, lots of constituents have been e-mailing me about the lack of support from local authorities during the flooding. Will the Welsh Government now review action plans and guidance for flood prevention? Because one thing that we can be sure of is that this sort of rainfall can and will happen again.

Minister, I agree that flood risk management is more than just building higher and stronger defences, but how we provide support, and how support is communicated to residents and businesses must also be improved. I spoke to a number of farmers who wonder if NRW could possibly look at the way flood warnings are communicated to help them, as flooding as had a huge impact on their businesses. You also mentioned future schemes in your statement. Will you please confirm that rural areas will have a scheme to help local authorities in these areas across Wales, please?

In my own village, homes and businesses were flooded when a small stream running through the village actually melded with the flood waters coming down from the mountains. It washed down into the village. The county council—I got in touch with them for the villages previous to that happening, because we could see the water rising—haven't given sandbags to residents for the last few years, Denbighshire County Council, and they really weren't interested, even though I asked for them for the villages, because the water was going into the houses and the local businesses.

My two villages, either side of where I live, were totally cut off. If it wasn't for the locals pulling together, it would have been a lot worse for all the residents there. I've driven those roads since 1986, and I've not seen water like that myself. The gullies this year were cleared earlier, but they soon backfilled due to the rubble and the rocks washing down from the mountain roads.

The River Dee has flooded all the fields up to the main roads between the villages and beyond for the last few years, and a lack of dredging is definitely being blamed for this. Can we please restart river dredging as soon as possible, as this is vital for the smooth water flow depth of our rivers, which will help to alleviate future flooding if done regularly? Thank you. 

Thank you. I think there will be lessons to be learnt from these two storms, but I think we have to accept that—you said you hadn't seen rainfall like it—we had a month's rainfall in less than 24 hours. So, I think we need to remember that.

In relation to future flood prevention and flood alleviation schemes, there are about 25 in the pipeline, and that's right across Wales. It's up to local authorities to come forward with preparatory work around business cases for such schemes. I've got 25 in the pipeline, and just before these two storms, I'd asked for a rapid review of those schemes to see which we could bring forward. It's really important, obviously, that local authorities and NRW have the capacity to be able to deliver these schemes within the year of the funding that is provided. 

You were criticising Denbighshire County Council. I suggest you write to them. If you want to copy me into the correspondence, I can share that with them. 

I would like to thank the Minister for this update, and also take this opportunity to raise the issue of promised funding for flood victims. We still have a crisis situation in Aberconwy. During storm Ciara, around 10 properties in Betws-y-Coed and 60 in Llanrwst were flooded out, on 9 February. We then had storm Dennis, and I've got to be honest, it was the community rallying around that stopped further devastation there, and the emergency services. But again, this weekend, we saw roads cut off and Llanrwst feeling almost isolated.

Now, you will be aware, Minister, that on 11 February I did ask you what funding would be available to the local authority and residents to assist with the clean-up, and I also wrote to the Minister for Finance for emergency financial support on 14 February. Yet, it took the First Minister until 18 February to announce the creation of an emergency funding relief scheme. And it was only yesterday that you could actually access that. Forms were only available yesterday.

So, you can understand that my residents in Aberconwy feel very frustrated that the First Minister seemed—and I will say seemed, or appeared—to choose to wait until after storm Dennis to take any action. For my—[Interruption.] So, why were the forms only available yesterday? For my constituents, that means they have been waiting over 15 days for any emergency financial assistance. For some without insurance, that is over two weeks without even being able to start to tackle—[Interruption.] You can shout all you want, it's exactly right what's happened.

Only non-chemical cleans have been undertaken on some flooded estates. I've still got children in my constituency having to live upstairs because their homes have just had a jet wash, yet there was sewage mud running through those homes. At least three businesses without insurance have now ceased trading, and others continue to fight for their future. Many constituents have been desperately trying to get hold of any promised financial support.

The community response to their plea, though, has been exceptional. Many of us have been making an effort to be on hand, to help where we can, be that through making representation to the local authority—. And I have to give credit to Conwy County Borough Council for their immense efforts during storm Dennis, to ensure that those already affected weren't affected yet again.

Whilst I am grateful for the fact that all households affected by flooding throughout Wales will technically receive £500, possibly £1,000, for those without house insurance it's just a mere drop in the ocean. I had a resident on the phone to me yesterday, she's lost her business, her home, and her car. She has nothing left, as we speak today.

So, Minister, why did it take until after storm Dennis for the First Minister to announce financial support to individuals affected by storm Ciara? Can consideration be given to increasing the amount of financial support available in exceptional circumstances? What emergency support will be available to our flood-hit farms, which saw losses of livestock? No mention of that in your statement. And will money be available to help undo damage to our listed, precious, historical buildings? And you know where I'm going with this: Gwydir castle and gardens. The unfairness caused to them is immense.

It is well known that I want to see an independent inquiry into flood mitigation measures in Aberconwy, because we were flooded out in December 2015, March last year, storm Ciara, and more effects from storm Dennis. Your Welsh Government—. You said in your question response to me, 'No further reviews'. People in Llanrwst feel that you are not interested, Minister. [Interruption.] I've asked four questions.

I now ask: will you work with Natural Resources Wales to reassess previously proposed and rejected options? And I endorse what Mandy Jones has said over there: people believe that the River Conwy, now recording at its highest levels, should actually have an implemented flood risk mitigation scheme in terms of dredging, or some form of support for that river. Thank you.

I really object to Janet Finch-Saunders's tone. I was in Llanrwst on 13 February—[Interruption.] Do you want to listen or not? Do you want to listen? I really object. I was in Llanrwst on 13 February, visiting houses in your constituency, and I spoke to many of the residents. Not one of them took the tone that you did—not one of them. So, I will tell you why it takes several days—and that's all it's been, several days—to set up—[Interruption.]

Will you let the Minister speak? I have 10 more speakers after this, and we've 20 minutes, so not all 10 are going to get in. Minister.

I'll tell you why it takes several days to set up a scheme: it's public money. And that public money has to be accounted for. It has to be audited. You have to have a mechanism to be able to deliver that funding. Do you want to listen or not? So, every house that's had internal flooding—. You can smirk, Janet Finch-Saunders; I'm not even going to look at you, because you—. In fact, Deputy Presiding Officer, I don't think she's worthy of an answer.

Okay, fine. Vikki Howells. 

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Thank you, Minister. I'd like to repeat again the thanks made by many Members across this Chamber for the effort made by countless heroes to help those affected by recent flooding, and to repeat also my thanks to you for visiting businesses and residents in Mountain Ash with me last week. The visible leadership from yourself and the First Minister was welcome. 

My questions. I hope you will have seen the letter jointly sent to the Chancellor of the Exchequer by representatives of RCT, and I note your comments about working with the UK Government. Will you make representations to ensure that RCT gets the help that it needs, where there is a duty on the UK Government, such as funding for infrastructure, council tax and rate relief exemption? 

I also note your comments about Flood Re and I think it's really important, as other Members have said and yourself, to make sure that people know how they can access that affordable insurance. But I am concerned about a lack of clarity in this area. I've met with a number of people who have been very, very distressed to discover that they are underinsured against flood damage. So, I'd like to ask particularly what we can do to make sure that that information is clear and that insurance companies are forced to make that information a lot more clear than it is now? 

And finally, I'd like to close by again reiterating the comments made by other Members in this Chamber about the need for support for the emotional impact of flooding as well. Financial support to help people rebuild their lives is really important, but those long term psychological scars will come to the fore over time. I've met with people in Ynysybwl who were hit by a seven foot wave of water rushing through their properties. So, just to place on record, please, my ask for some assistance with counselling services for those who require it.  

I think most of the points that Vikki Howells raises, outside what other Members have raised, are really about the cross-Government approach that we're taking in relation to the flooding. So, you'll be aware my colleague, the Minister for Finance, has written to the Treasury regarding this. Obviously, the First Minister has had discussions around funding, because—I think that Mick Antoniw raised the point—it's not a devolution handout. This is money that we need and it's money that we should have from the UK Government.

And it's the same around the emotional impact. I answered Leanne Wood before that, obviously, the Minister for Health and Social Services and the Minister for Education will ensure that that support is available as we go along the next weeks and months and even years. Because I think you're right; the majority, particularly around storm Dennis, and storm Ciara too, happened in the night. I always things are much worse in the dark and in the night and to go—as I say, the houses I visited in Blaenau Gwent—from six inches of water to four foot of water in just 20 minutes is incredibly frightening. The same: I visited Crickhowell in the constituency of Kirsty Williams on Thursday, and again it was in the night that they obviously had this huge surge of water in their homes. 

I think that you make a very pertinent point around insurance and about ensuring that people have got adequate cover. Flood Re is available for domestic. It's not available for businesses, but it is available for domestic. And I think there is a point around it perhaps being made available for businesses, and this is an issue for the UK Government, but it is something that I will be writing to the appropriate Minister about.

May I endorse the thanks and the tributes that have been paid to the emergency workers, council workers, NRW workers, volunteers and the communities that have come together in light of the exceptional pictures that we have seen over the past few weeks?

May I ask first of all, Minister, how do you respond to two north Wales council leaders, in Denbighshire and Conwy, who have criticised the pace of the Government's response? There was no talk of a £500 payment for the residents affected in Llanrwst, in Llanfair Talhaiarn and so on and so forth. But of course, after the events in RCT, there was a major announcement that funding was to be made available. There was to be an initial £10 million and there would be more available later. I know the scale is different, but we must bear in mind that over 100 homes were affected in north Wales, and many tens of businesses too. So, how do you respond to the suggestion that the Government didn't respond as they should have done to the situation in north Wales until the events unfolded in south Wales?

The council in RCT is offering an additional £500. Some comments have been made, too, that regret the fact that Conwy council isn't offering an additional £500 payment to residents affected in places such as Llanrwst, and I would like to hear from you. Because the damage is the same and the impact is the same in terms of these floods, wherever you live. But it’s starting to look as if there was some kind of postcode lottery: if you live in the Rhondda, you'll have an additional £500, but if you live in Conwy, you won't. I would like to know: isn't consistency important? Isn't fairness important? And shouldn't there be equality of access to support, wherever you live? Isn't that important? I'd like to hear your response to that.

I've raised with you in committee, in this place and in other fora, some concerns about the resources available to NRW and the additional responsibilities placed upon them whilst their resources are shrinking. Now, there will be additional work emerging in response to what has happened, not only the direct response in dealing with the impacts, but there will be additional assessments to infrastructure and there may be public inquiries that may need to be led or contributed to. So will you commit, therefore, to ensuring that, if there is any additional work in light of this that falls on NRW that they will receive the necessary resource to deal with that?

It’s not just NRW; local authorities are in the same situation and, of course, there’s a wider range of bodies that we don't always mention: the North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent, which is responsible for gulleys through Llanrwst, for example—and I see the Minister starting to listen now, having heard reference to that. We do need clarity that this whole range of relevant bodies have the necessary resources. While it is necessary to focus on the bigger picture and the major infrastructure schemes, we must bear in mind that it’s the day-to-day work, the spade work, quite literally, that is also important in terms of cleaning culverts, gulleys, and so on and so forth. So I want to know what assessment you as a Government will now make to ensure that this range of bodies has the necessary capacity for that spade work, and I would like to hear from you on that. 

There are a number of points on the planning system that would be better referred to the relevant Minister, and there will be an opportunity to do that on a future date, but a response to those three or four questions would be something I would be grateful for.

Diolch. You make a very important point about transport and roads and I think, again, we should place on record our sincere thanks to staff across the entire transport sector for those of us from north Wales who've had to come down again this week. It was equally as bad as last week, but I know they have been working tirelessly since the flooding began nearly two weeks ago to support the travelling public and to make sure we reopen our public transport and road network as quickly as possible.

You ask again about the public money that was being made available, so I mentioned that I visited Llanrwst on the Thursday; I was in my constituency on the Friday. I did try to get down to Cardiff on the Saturday when we realised the impact of storm Dennis, and I was unable to because of the train network. I'd already started to have conversations with the First Minister around what support we could give to people who had been flooded, and as I said in my answer to Janet Finch-Saunders, it does take a while to set up that scheme, but what the First Minister did straight away—but this wasn't made public, because obviously, you're doing it collectively as a Government—was that we identified the money. So, the First Minister, in the first meeting that I had with him on the Monday morning—he was adamant that that money would be found. We then found the mechanism to make sure that that money got out as quickly as possible to the public, so it opened yesterday. It did take a few days, but as I say, you've got to make sure that public money can be accounted for in the correct way.

The fact that RCT local authority are giving their residents an additional £500 is a matter for RCT. If Conwy Council choose not to do that, that's up to them. You know that the budget that local authorities get—it's up to them how they spend it with their local population, so you need to take that matter up with Conwy and Denbighshire. The money that we're giving as a Welsh Government will be the same. For a house that's been flooded, it will be £500. For a house that's been flooded that doesn't have insurance, it will be £1,000. There's also business funding available through—and people should contact—Business Wales. There was an earlier question around farms: they are businesses, and I have to say, most of the farmers I've spoken to have got insurance, but clearly, they are just as able to access that funding as a business as any other type of business. I mentioned in an earlier answer that we will be giving 100 per cent funding for clearing culverts and grids.

In relation to your questions around NRW, there are clearly lots of questions around NRW and what they have had to deal with over the last two weeks. I'm meeting with the Chair and the chief exec—I think it's next week—and obviously, this will be top of the agenda. But, what I have said to them is—. I've asked the specific question: do they have the resources—and that's human as well as financial resources—to be able to deal with that? So, I can give you a commitment that I will clearly look at anything that comes forward from them. But, again, I think that it's a little bit early to answer that question in detail.

Thank you. I have seven speakers and eight minutes left. So, please can I now just ask the remaining speakers: will they just ask a question of the Minister, rather than—? I know that we all want to put our thanks on record from our particular areas, but I think that it's been well documented, so if we could have some questions straight to the Minister. Russell George.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Minister, I'm going to raise a question that I have raised with you a number of times before, and that is about the management of Clywedog and Lake Vyrnwy reservoirs. Pictures show on social media, and video footage, great swathes of mid Wales underwater, including B roads and trunk roads and properties partly underwater as well. I have no doubt that, even if those reservoirs were managed in a way that I would like to see them managed and the people of mid-Wales want to see them managed, we would still see significant disruption because of the sheer level of rain that fell in such a short period of time. But, I also have no doubt that if those reservoirs were managed better, we would see significantly less reduction.

What we do see, for days on end, is water tipping over the top of both reservoirs. Common sense tells you that you have lost control of the reservoir when that is the case. We need a greater drawdown of water, I would suggest, during dry periods of weather on both reservoirs. I know that you are aware of the section 20 operating rules; I think that they urgently need to be reviewed. I accept that this isn't your responsibility alone; it is jointly between yourself, Natural Resources Wales, the Environment Agency and the water companies—I fully accept that. But, can I ask you to lead on meetings with some urgency to get this operating rule reviewed and changed, and ask that you and your officers lead on that particular area?  

I suppose that the short answer is 'yes'. I'll be very happy to look at that, and perhaps I can update the Member in due course.

I'd like to pay tribute to those communities most affected in my constituency, which is Machen, Bedwas, Llanbradach, Ystrad Mynach, Tredomen, Nelson and Penpedairheol; those with commercial businesses and residential businesses. Bedwas RFC's Bridge club was hugely affected and has benefited from crowdfunding. It is struggling to survive, it has to be said, at this point in time, and I'm doing all that I can to help them.

On Thursday 20 February, Caerphilly County Borough Council announced a £250,000 fund to support businesses and residents in the Caerphilly community. I have to say that Caerphilly council have been working 24/7 through this process, and I have praise for them. Can she confirm that the Welsh Government's funding is entirely separate to that, and any application will be looked upon separately to any application to the Caerphilly County Borough Council fund?

The only other question that I've got—. I've had an e-mail today from a resident who tried to apply for the Welsh Government's fund through the link I sent them to the council. She followed the link that I sent, and said that, upon ringing the number, she went through to the council switchboard, who said that they didn't know about the Welsh Government's part of it, and tried to direct them to the discretionary assistance payment. So, if any of your civil servants are listening at this point in time, please could they ensure that local authorities are well aware of the mechanism for drawing down Welsh Government funding? Caerphilly council: I've written to the chief executive and the leader to explain this difficulty. But, the sooner that that is resolved, the better.

Thank you. I can confirm that the Welsh Government funding is entirely separate to anything that Caerphilly council want to do in the same way that RCT are doing also. I'm concerned to hear your last point. As soon as I finish my statement, I will go upstairs and make sure that that is corrected as quickly as possible. Obviously, it's the discretionary assistance fund that's doing the scheme for us. I know that, just last week, they had 200 applications for the ordinary DAF funding, and I think that they gave out significant funding. It's either £50 or £100. So, those two schemes are entirely separate as well. But, Deputy Presiding Officer, I will go upstairs and do that, and hopefully, by the time I come back down I will be able to give Hefin David an answer. 

Can I extend my sympathies to all those affected in South Wales Central by this most distressful event and the experiences that followed of seeing your homes flooded? It's the speed at which it happens—I think you've referred to that. It is astonishing. In my 21 years in the Chamber, when I've talked to flood victims, speed is what they say, which means we need the most effective warning systems possible.

Can I praise the joint work between the Welsh Government and the UK Government? I know there have been a few things flying about the Chamber today, but actually, both sides seem to have co-operated very well, and you need to continue this. I do commend the fact that the Secretary of State, Simon Hart, did visit RCT on Friday.

My main point is that we do need, because of climate change, to look at the whole hydrology of the south Wales catchment area. We have very fast-moving rivers. They're short. The energy they possess is astonishing, and quite frankly, some of the culverts are not fit for purpose for the speed of the water flow. We need to look at these water courses and examine them in the whole system, about what can be done to deepen them and strengthen them and move that water away from the areas at most risk around businesses and homes.

Thank you. Yes, I think that last point is very important. I mentioned in an earlier answer that, on the Sunday, I spoke to Andrew Morgan, the leader of RCT, and he sent me some photographs of a culvert that had been cleared out three times. It was completely destroyed because of the speed of the water, to which you refer. There's a massive infrastructure operation that's going to have to take place over the coming months and years, probably.

But clearly, some things are more urgent than others, and as we work through—as each local authority goes through the clean-up operation and comes back with what's required, that's when we need to look at specific and individual things that need repairing immediately, and what needs to be done in the longer term.

I think all my exchanges with the Minister in the last four years about flooding have involved coastal flooding. I wonder if she would agree with me that we now need to give much greater attention and priority to dealing with the consequences of inland flooding as well. Nobody could fail to have been impressed by Mick Antoniw's tale of woe in RCT earlier on, and I very much agree with what he said and what the First Minister said earlier on—that it's very much a responsibility of the UK Government to make a proper contribution towards alleviating the problems that have now been created. It is part of the price that we pay, if there is a price at all, for being part of the United Kingdom, and that's the way in which we can help to cement the various parts of it together.

Chris Bryant said yesterday in the House of Commons that many of his constituents have to choose between putting food on the table or paying for insurance against disasters of this kind, and I'm sure the Minister would agree with me that that's not really an acceptable situation for people to be in in the twenty-first century in one of the richest countries in the world. What's happened here is a humanitarian disaster equally as much as the kind of flood damage that we see in other parts of the world, for which our overseas aid budget is designed to cope. Only 14 per cent of that overseas aid budget actually goes towards distress relief of this kind. So I wonder if she'd agree with me that, if the British Government comes up with the old excuse that they haven't got enough money to give us, the poorest part of the United Kingdom, in the one of the poorest areas within Wales, the money that is needed to help to alleviate significantly these difficulties, then that budget, which is currently earmarked for various absurd projects like a £6 million project to persuade Chinese housewives to put less salt in their cooking, which is funded by the Department for International Development, that money should be diverted to Wales—and indeed for future occasions of this kind—so that we are not put in a position where we are scrabbling around for the cash that is needed to sort out as quickly as possible the very, very real problems that ordinary people are now suffering. 

Well, I don't have the inside knowledge that Neil Hamilton seems to have of the workings and the way DfID gives out money, but what I do know is exactly what Chris Bryant said. There are lots of reasons why people don't have insurance, and when I was visiting people last week, we discussed some of those reasons. Some of them were because they'd been flooded before and they couldn't get insurance. Others were—the cost was a barrier. Clearly, we need to ensure that people can access affordable insurance.

Before I go on to the next questions, Deputy Presiding Officer, officials have just e-mailed Ken Skates in response to the question raised by Hefin David, to say the link is correct—it's an extension of the discretionary assistance fund. So, perhaps, if you can get that message back. And again, if there are any further difficulties, I'd be very happy to look into them.

Thank you. I have three speakers left. As long as they promise me they have a question, just one question each, then we'll get through them. Dawn Bowden.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I think it's important for me just to place on record my sympathy for the residents of my constituency, where we didn't see flooding on anything like the scale of Rhondda Cynon Taf, but we did see flooding in Troedyrhiw, Pentrebach, Aberfan, Quakers Yard, Pontsticill, Heolgerrig, Tir-Phil and Deri, and that was not insignificant for those individuals affected, as I'm sure you'll appreciate.

Most of the questions and the points that I wanted to raise, Minister, have now been raised, but there's one thing that I wanted to pick up. You will appreciate that landslides in my constituency have a very deep and painful history, and you have talked about the work being done on coal tips, and I appreciate that entirely. But I had a whole community in Troedyrhiw that were evacuated because of landslips in Troedyrhiw, but they were not actually to do with coal tips; it was literally the topography of the valley. There are very steep hills that are running right the way through our valleys—some of which are not related to coal tips. But those hills, those mountain sides, were so saturated, and they have streams and rivers running through them, that they couldn't cope with the amount of water coming through and they slipped, and we had to evacuate a number of streets in Troedyrhiw. So, my question to you, Minister, is, over and above what's being done around coal tips, what can we be doing to look at the general topography and stability of the hillsides, because this isn't going to be one-off? This is going to happen again, and we need to find some way of making sure that those steep hillsides are as secure as they can be when those heavy rains come again.

Thank you, Dawn Bowden. I mentioned in my earlier answer—I'm not sure if it was to Vikki or to somebody else—but around when I was in Mountain Ash with Vikki Howells, and to see the size of the boulders that had come down from the mountain was truly horrific. So, clearly, it was the culmination of—. We've had probably one of the wettest winters that we've had for a long time and a wet autumn as well. So, we need to be looking at this issue alongside everything else, because I'm very well aware that there have been landslips, as you say, not in relation to the spoil tips to which you originally referred.

I'm grateful to the Minister for this statement. May I ask the Minister a question on contingency planning for flooding by the Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales? Last week, I was contacted by a group based in the London Borough of Brent that provides assistance in emergency situations, such as those who lost homes in the fire at Grenfell Tower. They offered to provide a large amount of aid to flooding victims in south-east Wales in the form of food, blankets, cleaning material and other household essentials. Unfortunately, having contacted many community centres, I could not find any place and no venue whatsoever large enough that was available to store the amount of aid offered to us. Please, Minister, if such floods occur in future, could consideration be given to establishing a central point where aid can be delivered before being passed on to the flood victims? And two more questions: co-ordination among the local existing county councils; and, finally, the media must be active to make sure there is a flood-victim support website there straight away to help the people in the country. Thank you.

Well, that certainly wasn't my experience. I mentioned in my statement about Llanhilleth Miners Institute in Blaenau Gwent, where people were just continually coming with donations. And I saw it elsewhere, in Mountain Ash—we visited a community hub in Vikki Howells's constituency where a local supermarket had come with mops and bleach and disinfectant. So, that is not my experience of it at all, unfortunately. So, I don't think I can really add anything else.

Thank you. And finally, Darren Millar.

Thank you. As a person who has lived through a personal flood experience in the Towyn floods 30 years ago this week, my heart goes out to each and every person that's seen the devastation of flooding in their homes and businesses over the past fortnight with storm Ciara and storm Dennis. I also know that it brings out the best in people as well, and I know that each one of us that's visited a community in recent weeks will have the seen the way that communities have pulled together and grown together through the terrible experiences that they have had. 

Imagine, then, being in a situation, as some of my residents are in the community of Llanfair Talhaearn, which has been impacted by flooding three times in the past eight years. Three times in the past eight years, having the builders in, ripping everything out, trying to put everything back together and to piece your life together. It has just been absolutely horrific. And I would ask you, Minister: can you ensure that communities like Llanfair TH, like Llanrwst and others, which have been impacted frequently in recent years by flooding, are given that little bit extra priority because I think that they need it and they deserve it? That's not taking away from the awful impact of floods elsewhere, which also need attention, but, clearly, there's something seriously wrong when a community that is told that it has a flood risk of about one in every 50 years has been hit three times in eight. There's something not right with the modelling, which needs to be addressed.

You also referred, Minister, earlier on, and I think Llyr Gruffydd referred to this, to the capacity of certain councils to be able to respond through additional assistance and support in the same way that Rhondda Cynon Taf has been able to, with financial payments to those who've been without insurance, and perhaps even those who've had some insurance. Conwy County Borough Council, as you will know, has one of the lowest settlements this year with its revenue support grant, and it doesn't have the capacity in the same way that some of these other local authorities have to be able to support residents in its communities that have been impacted by flooding. Can I ask what support you might make available to councils with significant financial pressures, like Conwy, in order that it can respond perhaps in a different way to the challenges that residents in that community are facing?

And finally, one of the near misses that we had during the recent storms was on the coast in Kinmel Bay, in the community of Sandy Cove. As I said at the opening of my remarks on this statement, it was 30 years ago this week that that community suffered the devastating Towyn floods, along with other communities along the north Wales coast, as often the Deputy Presiding Officer is only too keen to remind me. But, clearly, having a near miss in a community that suffered such devastation in the past is also a concern. So, what support can you make available as rapidly as possible for communities on the coast in Towyn and Kinmel Bay to ensure that their flood defences are also robust and up-to-scratch, so that they can avoid the sort of devastation that people in RCT and elsewhere have suffered in recent weeks?

As a north Walian, I very well remember and actually visiting Towyn 30 years ago; it's incredible to think it's that long ago, it was so devastating. You're right; the people I met in Blaenau Gwent, it was the first time these two streets had been flooded. It was a manhole coming off that had caused the flooding there—they'd never been flooded before—but the complete devastation and the fact that the water went from six inches to four foot in 20 minutes can tell you just how traumatic an experience that was. 

In relation to Llanfair TH, when I was in Llanrwst I obviously met with Conwy council and talked about what we could do there and, obviously, NRW are delivering a flood scheme there. I've asked for it to be expedited, so that is in relation to Llanfair TH. I think I've answered this already; I've already asked for a rapid review of the schemes that are currently in the pipeline to see again what we can accelerate there.

In relation to local authorities, it's a matter for a local authority how they spend their funding. RCT have chosen to do what they have chosen to do. It's up to Conwy—and Denbighshire was in my earlier answer to Llyr Huws Gruffydd—if they want to give funding. They all have reserves for a rainy day; well, you don't get much rainier than this, do you? So, if they choose to give their funding in that way, that's up to them.

And, again, about the—. We've had a lot of near misses. I mean, our flood alleviation schemes right across Wales stood up, but some by literally centimetres, and I'm thankful for that, obviously, but, again, we need to go back, I think, and revisit those schemes to see what more we need to do because, clearly, if we'd been working to one-in-a-hundred-years events and you mentioned three in eight years, I'm not saying that was a flood scheme, but we need to look to make sure our flood alleviation schemes right across Wales are up for the job. Diolch.

Thank you very much, Minister.