Part of 3. Questions to the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs – in the Senedd at 12:48 pm on 24 June 2020.
Well, I'm sure a number of people will be bemused that they're allowed to carry on without knowing exactly what caused the fire. So, I would urge you, Minister—and I have raised this with you before—to make sure that action is taken sooner rather than later. Because obviously the local community didn't want it in the first place, and now we see some of the consequences of that development.
Now, you referred to Natural Resources Wales in your response to me, of course, and they are key in protecting our environment, responding to pollution incidents such as this, but also the flooding response that we're seeing in different parts of Wales over recent months and, more broadly, the climate emergency and nature emergency that we're facing. And I've previously raised concerns with you regarding the funding of Natural Resources Wales over recent years, and the fact that they really are on an unsustainable trajectory of dwindling resources driven by funding cuts on the one hand, and then, on the other, increased duties and responsibilities. So, effectively, this Government is asking NRW to do more with less.
They already saw a real-terms cut in their budget for this year and now they're facing, of course, as you know, a £7.5 million further cut to their in-year budget. Now, if you add in the multi-million pound losses projected for the timber operations that they have, then this is really becoming critical. So, in light of their key role in protecting the environment, in responding to flooding and in leading the charge against the climate emergency, will you now reconsider the proposed budget cut for Natural Resources Wales?