2. Will the Minister ask Natural Resources Wales to ensure that a full environmental impact assessment is undertaken to consider the damage to the natural environment along the south Wales coastline from the mud that is proposed to be dumped from Hinkley Point nuclear reactor into the Severn Estuary? OAQ55151

Natural Resources Wales is the appropriate authority and regulator, under the the Marine Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2007. It is for NRW to determine whether an environmental impact assessment is required. All applications for a marine licence are thoroughly and robustly assessed, to ensure proposed works do not impact the marine environment or human health.

I think what we have here is a failure of governance. And I wonder why—we are sat here—I wonder why we have a Government, in name anyway, if all we're going to do is put the responsibility on Natural Resources Wales. There are 780,000 tonnes of mud from outside a nuclear reactor that they want to dig up and dump—literally—on Wales, just outside of Cardiff, in the sea. We now know that there were accidents in the 1950s and 1960s, where radioactivity went into the estuary. And scientists tell me that there's a possibility that this radioactivity is still there. And yet—[Interruption.] From across the way, there are heckles, people are asking, 'What scientists?' Well, maybe you should speak to these scientists, because we are told that there are three kinds of testing that should have been done to this mud. Anywhere in the world, three types would have been done—mass, alpha, gamma spectrometry. Why is it that you've allowed Natural Resources Wales to not even do an environmental impact assessment last time? You're not going to insist upon one this time. I'm just staggered, standing here saying this. How on earth can you call yourself a Minister, how can you call yourself a Government, when you're going to allow this to happen, and let Wales literally be dumped on, with material that could very well be radioactive? Incredible.

I think it's really important to stress that no application has been submitted. And should a request be received, NRW will consult with those experts—of course they will—to consider if it's necessary, obviously, to inform its determination, and whether an EIA is required. I think it's also really important to stress, Deputy Presiding Officer, that a non-EIA approach does not mean a full assessment is not undertaken—. I think it's really important that people understand that. And before determining any application for a marine licence, NRW carries out a thorough assessment of the proposed activity, and that includes the consideration, as I said, of the need to protect the marine environment and human health, as required by the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. And I reiterate: no marine licence application has been submitted to NRW at this time. The Welsh Ministers are the appeals body for marine licensing, so it's not appropriate to comment on projects that are subject to that application process.

Minister, I do believe we have to be led by the science, and that science accords with the accepted international standards. And we have no way of measuring if we move away from that, and just allow a decision on other factors. I think we need to strip out any sort of national battles here. The Severn estuary is managed as an estuary. There are dumping grounds on each side, in terms of the border that runs down the middle of the estuary, and it is managed as such. However, I would say this: I don't think EDF Energy and NRW did particularly well at phase 1 on communicating with the public, because that is very, very important. And when these bodies expect politicians to be responsible, and listen to their evidence, they should remember that they also need to communicate with the public. Because if we are backing them and their science, they need to be out there, as the people best equipped to have a public discussion. Because you do need a public discussion on something like this—it's bound to be controversial.

I don't disagree with anything that David Melding says. And I know NRW have developed a communications plan. I think you're right, there were lessons, certainly, to be learned from last time, and I do believe NRW have learned those lessons, and they have detailed the steps that they will take to consult and engage widely on projects. So, just to say, obviously, everybody—and that includes everybody in this Chamber—should put their views forward to NRW.