Questions now from the party spokespeople. The Conservatives' spokesperson, Janet Finch Saunders. 

Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, you'll be aware of how storm Francis wreaked havoc in north-west Wales. Flooding and landslides saw the A55 and properties submerged in Abergwyngregyn, around 40 individuals rescued from chalets in Bethesda, people from five houses rescued and businesses ruined in Beddgelert, and, of course, the historic grade I listed Gwydir Castle and gardens battered just after their summer reopening. Now, the 2021 Welsh Government flood risk management capital investment scheme actually doesn't include any funding that clearly benefits these areas—Beddgelert, Abergwyngregyn, Bethesda, nor Gwydir—in the short term. Will you increase funding for urgent flood risk schemes in areas that have been affected by storm Francis in north-west Wales, and why have you not already announced any such emergency funding for those affected by these really unexpected storms at a time when we should all be enjoying a summer?

Thank you. I'd like to welcome the Member to her new post in the shadow cabinet. We did see some unprecedented flooding over the summer. It reminded us that the climate emergency is still there alongside the COVID-19 pandemic. I have made 100 per cent repair funding for flooding events available to all local authorities, so it could be that the local authority hasn't applied for that. Certainly, with Rhondda Cynon Taf—and I know I've got a question further on specifically around RCT—we funded 100 per cent of what they've applied for. There are several flood alleviation schemes that we are funding in north Wales, but for the flooding events that we've seen, as I say, there is—. We don't need a special pot of money; that money has been made available to all local authorities and risk management authorities to apply for. 

Thank you. Of course, all this falls on top of what my constituents experienced earlier with storm Ciara. It's well documented here that I put forward a report on the flooding concerns following storm Ciara, and it took until 18 August for you and your department to actually address those concerns raised. Now, you dismissed accountability at the time by stating that the local lead flood authority is responsible for the section 19 flood investigation report. This is a statutory requirement. Now, seven months on, that report has not been published. And I am not laying criticism on our local authority given what they've had to contend with in dealing with COVID-19 over the past six months. But this is not a one-off failure in terms of across Wales, and it took from December 2015 to July 2016 for a report for Betws-y-coed and Dolwyddelan. So, it is taking an unacceptably long period for S19 reports to be delivered. So, will you address this urgently by setting a deadline for these publications, and do you actually have any powers to instruct the publication of these statutory reports within a more realistic and more reasonable time frame, because, without those statutory reports, it's very difficult to actually then get any sort of flood works implemented? Thank you. 

Well, I hope Janet Finch-Saunders will recognise that Welsh Government has been faced with exactly the same, if not more, significant concerns as local authorities. But I will certainly look at those dates, because I think you're right—it is helpful not just for transparency, but also for looking at what flood alleviation schemes we can bring forward. I've put additional significant funding to make sure that those flood alleviation schemes do come forward. Local authorities told me that one of the barriers to bringing the schemes forward was funding, so I've taken that barrier away by saying we'll fund 100 per cent of that initial study to see if a flood alleviation scheme would be suitable for that particular area. 

Thank you. Now, everybody knows that trees play a major part in the mitigation of major flooding incidents. Now, since 17 August 2020, Natural Resources Wales have themselves received applications for licences to fell almost 50,000 trees from Gwynedd to Monmouthshire, and, to my horror, NRW only consider the environmental impact where deforestation will lead to use of the land for a different purpose. This is actually scandalous because, if you imagine taking 100 or 1,000 trees down in a particular area and say that you are going to be planting seedlings, you do not get the actual impact in terms of flooding protection. So, what urgent steps will you take to ensure that NRW themselves consider the impact of any felling on the rate of run-off, and that they do produce environmental and ground impact works? You have set aside £1 million to support slowing the rate of run-off into our rivers and streams. Will you use that funding to review the effectiveness of licences in preventing felling in flooding hotspots? My constituents believe that NRW, whilst they are technically a regulator, are running a really good business of felling many trees, and yet they do impose many regulations on other forestry owners. So, I think there has to be some equilibrium here in the system.

And finally, how is the felling of trees in the Conwy valley in line with the requirement in the UK forestry standard that woodland management be considered as a way of mitigating flood risk, when the concern really is that the amount of deforestation that NRW are doing in my constituency may actually be causing the problems with a lot of the flooding? Thank you.

The Member makes some very wide-reaching claims, and I think it would be best if I discussed them with Natural Resources Wales and then wrote to the Member.FootnoteLink

Information further to Plenary

Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Llyr Gruffydd.

Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Minister, your consultation on proposals to continue agricultural support for farmers in a post-Brexit transition period through to whatever point it is that we manage to get a new Wales agriculture Bill passed proposes to close the young farmer scheme for new applications from next year onwards. Can you give us confirmation or clarity as to longer term intentions in terms of providing some form of bespoke support for new entrants into the industry? Clearly, it is causing concern that we may be facing a two or three-year period without any bespoke support of that kind. Why do you think it would be acceptable for us not to support young entrants in the interim period? And what kind of message do you think it might send to the industry if they believe that Government's thinking is that that kind of support is expendable, even if only in the short term?

The Member's probably aware that at the current time, the White Paper that we'll be bringing forward at the end of this calendar year, ahead of introducing an agricultural Bill in the next term of Government, is currently being finalised. I think we've got about another two chapters to write on it before it's able to come to me for the final write-off. As you know, I've always wanted to support our new entrants, but looking at what we've given in the past, looking at the way that funding has been accessed, I want to make sure that we are reaching people who are truly new entrants. That is part of what we'll bring forward in the White Paper.

That's the longer term plan; I was asking you about short-term, interim arrangements, because there will be a two to three-year period, therefore, when there isn't any kind of bespoke support for young entrants. It's needed now particularly, because we continually need new blood, new ideas and new enthusiasm. And with the prospect—the increasing prospect, actually—of a 'no deal' Brexit, then it's those kinds of people that we need, who are there ready to face the new challenges ahead. And with that increasing likelihood of a 'no deal' Brexit before us, I'm wondering whether your department has sufficient resources to be grappling with the COVID pandemic on the one hand and meaningfully and properly preparing for the prospect of a 'no deal' Brexit on the other. Maybe you could tell us whether your department is ready for a 'no deal' Brexit and whether you're confident that the sector will also be ready in what is 15 weeks' time. 

In relation to my department, you're quite right; it's the same officials who are dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic who are also helping prepare for a 'no deal' Brexit. You'll be aware that, obviously, the COVID-19 pandemic is not something that you could have planned for, and clearly, in the beginning, many of my officials were helping with the COVID-19 response right across Welsh Government. Certainly the ones that you referred to—so, the agriculture White Paper, for instance, and the 'no deal' Brexit—they are now working very clearly on those issues.

Is the sector ready? I would say probably not. I think that business preparedness is certainly an area that causes me great concern. On Monday, I chaired the latest Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs inter-ministerial group, where myself and my Scottish counterpart were told—. We were talking about business preparedness and we were talking about the Internal Market Bill that the UK Government have introduced and we were told by the Secretary of State that we were looking at it 'glass half empty'. I don't agree with that at all. I have genuine, real concerns that businesses aren't prepared. We asked them to prepare last year for a 'no deal' Brexit; they were stood down, if you like. We've now had the COVID-19 pandemic and, clearly, now, we're having to gear up again. As you say, I think it was 100 days on Monday, so it's probably 97 days now.

Okay. Well, we will need all sorts of contingencies, of course, and people are looking to the Welsh Government, obviously, to be leading from the front on that, and I would hope that you feel that you do have the resources, or if not, then we'll all need to bang the drum to make sure that they are there. One thinks particularly of the need to handle surplus lamb in a 'no deal' scenario. There isn't enough storage capacity in the UK to store lamb if we were to lose our export market. So, can you update, then, and explain to us where exactly you are in terms of contingency planning and whether you're confident that you will have covered all the bases? Because you can tell us that the work is starting again or gearing up again, but people want to know whether you believe that, actually, it's going to be the car crash that some people are suggesting it might be, or that you are confident that measures will be in place to mitigate the worst of the damage.

The Welsh Government has always led from the front around these issues. Back in November 2016, not long after the EU referendum vote, we started preparing. I've got my round-table of stakeholders and that's been meeting far more frequently this year, in light of COVID-19. It's not about starting again in relation to a 'no deal' Brexit; that work was done last year. It was quite prescient, now, looking at it, as it helped with the COVID-19 pandemic also.

Certainly, in the discussions we had last year around the sheep sector, we made it very clear to the UK Government they would have to provide additional funding, which was accepted last year. Nothing has changed in my view around that. But I think it is hard, because businesses have had to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, they're now just starting to—not necessarily recover, because I think things have been, obviously, quite slow, as we are very concerned about a second spike, but I certainly think that those twin-track difficulties that all businesses are encountering at the moment are making it very difficult. But, certainly, we are doing all we can to make sure the information is out there and to pressurise UK Government. They will not extend the transition period, even though we've asked many, many times. They tell us that it will all be done by the end of the year and, clearly, the most important thing is that we continue to put pressure on the UK Government. I know myself and all my ministerial colleagues do that at every opportunity.

Question 3, Mick Antoniw.

You need to unmute yourself first, Mick Antoniw. Not quite yet.

My apologies.