Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:23 pm on 3 March 2020.
Okay, thank you. Now, as you know, constituencies across Aberconwy have been devastated, in particular, by storm Ciara. Now, lack of presence and a more robust, proactive approach by NRW has caused considerable concern within my constituency, and you'll be aware that on Saturday, I held a meeting and we are establishing—. I think it was 121 people who turned up, very, very concerned, very, very upset and very, very angry with the Welsh Government. What was said was—and it was an overwhelming opinion—that NRW are not fit for purpose, or that the initials should stand for 'no real work'. Now, there is a growing number of people in Aberconwy who believe that a flood inquiry is required in Llanrwst, yet the Minister, three or four weeks ago, said that she was reassured by the NRW that current flood mitigation plans in place would mean that Llanrwst was fairly safe. Well, I think storm Ciara proved her wrong on that occasion.
Now, in the short term, we do need urgent action to help prevent future events. At the meeting, several concerns were raised about basic aspects of flood management, like they couldn't get sandbags. Now, before you blame the local authority, you've got to remember that it is your Government that has woefully inadequately funded Conwy County Borough Council. Floodgates—[Interruption.]