6. What discussions has the Minister had with UK Government Ministers about enhancing the devolved settlement in order to provide additional funding for flood victims? OQ56273

Throughout the year, I have engaged with the UK Government on the legacy impacts of the extraordinary flooding in Wales. We have also provided support through our emergency financial assistance scheme, alongside the £390 million we have invested in flood and coastal risk management over this term, benefiting over 45,000 properties.

Can I thank you for the answer, Minister, and can I also thank the Welsh Government for the support they're giving to flood victims in Skewen who have been flooded out because of water coming out of a mine, an old mine workings? The Coal Authority have clearly stated that they are not liable for water damage coming from their mine workings. This was reinforced yesterday in the House of Commons, when the Minister answered my colleague Stephen Kinnock's question on this matter. Now, if the Coal Authority are not taking responsibility, and the UK Government, whose record on this is poor when you consider what's happened in Pontypridd—is it now time for you to press the UK Government for funding from them so we can help these people? Because many citizens in that area haven't got good insurance, and those who have are going to lose money because they have to pay their excess, and there are additional costs on top of that, and they're out of home for long periods of time and that's not being covered. We need to help these people, and it's clear the UK Government is not going to. So, can you therefore press the Treasury for enhanced funding so we can help people in these situations to ensure they are not out of pocket, that they're not in difficulties and we are able to help as soon as possible?

Yes. Welsh Government has made available those support payments of up to £1,000 per household, and that's the same level of support that we were able to offer people affected by the extraordinary situation with the storms last March. But, you know, clearly, families and individuals affected are affected particularly badly. I do want to pay tribute to the work that Councillor Mike Harvey's been doing in terms of disseminating information to residents by his WhatsApp residents' group and also ensuring that people locally are having the kind of support and information that they need. But, yes, there's more to do with the UK Government on this particular agenda, both in terms of the immediate issues that we're facing, but that longer issue of coal tips and the mine works and the remediation that is necessary to prevent these kinds of things happening in future, which is why I hope that we can make some progress with the UK Government in this regard. In terms of support for local authorities, we are able, and we have been able, to meet the eligible local authority costs for this immediate response to the flooding during tier 3 and tier 4 by providing 100 per cent of the funding, and I think that that demonstrates the importance that we put on them as our local partners in terms of responding to these terrible events.

Can I just associate myself with the remarks of David Rees with regard to how people have really stepped up to the plate in Skewen? Two weeks ago, on the back of his topical question, I asked the local government Minister a question that she didn't answer, but I think you might be able to—maybe you're better placed to do that. Obviously, with the Skewen floods, the focus was very much on the role of the Coal Authority property, but my question was wider, about the liability of landowners through whose land water runs—so, things like canals and other conduits; I'm not talking about water mains, but that kind of conduit. Some of the land's going to be publicly owned, either by local government, central Government or Natural Resources Wales, so can you tell us how public bodies are financed to meet the costs of liabilities incurred as the result of a failure of infrastructure on their land that leads to flood damage, either on their own land or third-party land, as we've seen in Skewen, and how is that reflected in the Welsh Government budget?

Thank you for raising that particular issue. I will, if it's acceptable to Suzy Davies, seek some particular advice, because I think that some of those questions stray into legal areas that I might not be qualified to talk on this afternoon. So, in terms of the liabilities and so forth, I will provide a written update to Suzy Davies on liabilities.

I certainly agree that some sort of flooding victims guarantee in terms of financial support for the future is absolutely essential. We know that, in Skewen, the Coal Authority has given some sort of financial assistance, but only for external gardens—any changes that need to be made to the gardens, because of the impact—but that doesn't go anywhere close enough. So, anything additional would be welcome. But, recently, we all would have had a joint letter from the Secretary of State for Wales and the Welsh Government saying that there had been identified additional mine shafts here in Wales. I think 2,000 is the number now; it used to be 1,200. Now, this could be a ticking time bomb for other happenings across Wales that we simply do not know about at the moment. I wasn't reassured, from the reply to the letter, that we knew where they were and what was going to be done so that we can mitigate this from happening in the future. So, what are you going to do in terms of budgeting to ensure that we have the support necessary—although we don't want it to happen, it may happen again in the future—so that these victims can be supported through any experience that they may find themselves in?

Well, we've been having some discussions with the UK Government, which originated with the discussions about flooding, but then, obviously, became larger and took on the discussions relating to coal tips, and now, of course, that's extended again into the mine works. We know that the remediation of coal tips will require a piece of work over—probably a 10-year programme of work. And we're probably, I think, at this stage—and it's very hard to say exactly, but we are talking £500 million of work that would be needed over a long period of time. So, this is a major piece of work. And when we bring the mine works into this as well, I think that we are talking about some extremely serious funding that will be required to address what are, as you've set out, really important issues that can't be ignored. And this is why we're trying to make the case to the UK Government that we should be able to access additional funding, because Wales is disproportionately impacted. With coal tips, for example, we have 40 per cent of the whole of the UK's coal tips in Wales, so this isn't a Barnett consequential kind of situation. But we are continuing to try and make that case for a joint piece of work between the UK Government and Welsh Government. We realise that we have a major part to play in this as well, but I think that it does have to be a genuinely collaborative response to what is a serious matter.