2. What action is the Welsh Government taking to support residents who were evacuated from their homes in Skewen following flooding caused by water emanating from old mine workings? TQ534

Thank you, David. I want to put on record again my thanks to local authority and emergency services, who are working so hard to support people across Wales who have been impacted by storm Christoph and other extreme events. I certainly recognise the impact on those evacuated from their homes in Skewen, particularly during the current pandemic. And I'm very pleased to confirm that those evacuated for more than 24 hours will be supported in the same way as householders flooded out of their homes during the earlier lockdowns.

Thank you for that, Minister. And can I also put on record my thanks to the workers of the local authority and other agencies who worked tirelessly during that flooding on the Thursday and since? Can I also put on record my appreciation for the community, who have pulled together in Skewen to help residents who have been evacuated, working with The Salvation Army and the local councillor, Mike Harvey, who's been outstanding during this?

You indicated that the funding for flooding is going to be available to all those—can you confirm to all those evacuated, not just to those affected by flooding? Because several residents were evacuated because of safety fears, but were not flooded out as a consequence of this, and they may be some of the ones who will not be allowed back into their homes for weeks to come yet. So, it is important that we look at that. 

Can you also tell us how you're discussing with the local authority extra funding to help them? Because they are going above and beyond and making sure that residents are supported both through social services and other means, as they are still—some are out and some are going back today into their homes, but they face devastation in their house, they're being assessed, they won't be able to stay in their homes because some of the damage that's been caused. So, it is important we look at how we support the local authority in that agenda. 

Can you tell us as to how you will look at those who are uninsured? Not everyone was insured, and there are several homes that were uninsured and they are going to be facing some serious difficult times ahead of them, particularly during the pandemic, as they can't go and get other places and accommodation will be difficult to find as well.

Can you also tell us as to what discussions you're having with the Coal Authority as to their responsibility and liability in funding aspects in relation to this? I know that they have taken tremendous efforts to fix the mine full of water and the actions—. But that's going to be up to six months. But there are people who have had their homes devastated, and had their lives turned upside down in this process, and we need to know how they're going to be helped, and who is responsible, and who is accountable and who is liable for the financial aspects of that help. And those residents need to know that now, and they need to know that in the future. They want to be able to have the confidence that they know exactly who is going to be helping them and how that help will come. 

Thank you, David. I'm really pleased to say that all residents will be covered. You don't have to have been flooded, but you do have to have been evacuated for 24 hours to access the funding. And, as you rightly say, many of the residents will have been affected for much longer periods of time than that.

We're also activating the issue of an additional payment for people who are without insurance. I know the argument is made that this might encourage people not to have insurance, but it's a £500 payment and I can assure anyone who is worried about that that that is not enough to cover your uninsured losses, but it is a help to just get people back on their feet in the extreme circumstances of the first day or so out of their homes. 

Exceptionally, because of other pressures on councils at this time, the eligible cost of responding to flooding by councils during tier 4 restrictions will be covered entirely by the Welsh Government funding under the terms of our existing local government hardship fund. There's an additional fund of £6.5 million being made available from now until 31 March for councils for those costs. There are a number of places around Wales that have found themselves in similar situations. So, I'm pleased to say that that's, of course, a pan-Wales fund for everyone who's been affected. 

In terms of the Coal Authority, we've had a series of discussions with the Coal Authority and the UK Government. As David rightly said, investigations are being carried out by the Coal Authority to determine exactly what happened in Skewen last week, and we look forward to their findings with concern. And the First Minister is convening a summit with UK Ministers and key partners to help ensure that the devastating incident is not repeated, and we understand, once we've got the report from the Coal Authority, how to take that forward. That will be a summit specifically on the issue in Skewen, but there is a series of conversations with the Coal Authority and the UK Government going on about the fact that the responsibility isn't devolved to Wales. The Coal Authority should be taking responsibility for a large part of the coal tips. That responsibility, of course, lies with my colleague, Lesley Griffiths, but I am part of the discussion group that the First Minister convenes on coal tip safety. 

Minister, the fact that it will take at least six months to rectify the cause of the blowout will mean that residents will need long-term help, particularly if there are other adverse weather events. What additional support will the Welsh Government be providing to the local authority who are already dealing with the fallout of other repercussions of the region's mining past? From landslides to flooding, homeowners in my region are being put at risk. And what discussions has the Welsh Government held with the UK Government about ensuring no other homes or lives are threatened as a result of former mining activity? Diolch. 

Deputy Presiding Officer, as I just said in my answer to David Rees, we were giving £6.5 million additional to local authorities through the hardship fund to claim for the additional costs of these extreme weather events. The Skewen incident will be covered with that, except that we wait on the Coal Authority's investigation to see what else may need to be done in the longer term. We have a continuous set of discussions, as I also said in my answer to David Rees, with the Coal Authority and the UK Government, to get to the bottom of the extent of the difficulties in Wales, and to plan for the future, so we that we can ensure that all our residents are safe. 

Can I just associate myself with David Rees's remarks and the thanks that he conveyed? I think we've all been amazed by the response to this, not least by the community. Anyone who's been through a flooding experience knows how distressing it is, and when you've got all this dirty water, it genuinely is heartbreaking. This local authority, of course, has had to deal with the Aberdulais floods last year, and two years ago. They've had lots to deal with, actually, in recent years despite cuts to the environment budget in Cardiff Bay. But while immediate relief is obviously needed now in Skewen, I wonder if you can tell me either what legislative powers you've got, or a bit more about those conversations you're having with the UK Government about ensuring that landowners whose infrastructure fails, shall we say, because this is not just about the Coal Authority; we're talking about owners of land where there are waterways, for example, and what can be done to make sure that they not only recognise their responsibility and liabilities, but that they're suitably financed in order to meet those liabilities? Is there anything that you can tell us at this stage that can give us some reassurance on that point? I'm very pleased by your answer that Neath Port Talbot will be getting emergency funds to cover the immediate costs of the Skewen situation. 

Well, as I said, the fund is open to all authorities who have residents affected by extreme weather events. The one in Skewen, of course, is a particular issue caused by the collapse of mine workings, and, as we've already said several times, the Coal Authority is currently investigating the exact cause of that, but no doubt, it was exacerbated by the particularly high levels of rainfall.

We've been very well served by the good partnership between the Welsh Government and local authorities right through the pandemic, but the idea that their funding is restricted by Cardiff Bay after 10 years of Conservative austerity is a real piece of chutzpah that I think the Conservatives really need to get over, because the 10 years of the cutback of the so-called back office services that people feel are unnecessary turn out to be the very planning officers and environmental health officers who risk their lives going out in these weathers to make sure that people are well served. So, I'm really not putting up with that kind of remark. 

We've had a series of extensive discussions with the Coal Authority and the UK Government. When the mining industry closed in the early 1990s, the Coal Industry Act 1994 transferred responsibility for disused mines to the UK Government. At the same time, the Coal Authority was established and given the responsibility for managing the effects of past coal mining and dealing with the myriad of environment and safety-related issues that are a legacy of the coal-mining industry. And although the response by the emergency services, the local authority and the local community has been absolutely exemplary, we do need the UK Government and the Coal Authority to step up to the plate of their responsibilities. As I said, the First Minister is convening a summit to make sure that this happens in this particular instance, but we have had a series of ongoing conversations with the Coal Authority and the UK Government about the need for proper funding for the Coal Authority in Wales, which clearly cannot be part of any devolved Government settlement given the extensive nature of it, and the fact that it's not devolved to the UK. My colleague, Lesley Griffiths, leads those discussions in combination with the First Minister, and I'm sure there will be opportunities for Members to ask her more extensively about that in the days to come.