The legacy of our mining past, the benefits of which were shared across the whole of the UK, is the more than 2,100 disused coal tips across Wales. When these tips were created, the full impact of carbon emissions from coal, oil and gas in driving climate change was not yet known. Tip drainage systems were not designed to deal with the volumes of rain now predicted, and unless we address these issues now, our communities face greater uncertainty in the future. By addressing these issues, we can avoid unnecessary increases in carbon emissions.

Wales is disproportionately affected by the legacy of coal mining. Approximately 40 per cent of Britain's disused coal tips are here in Wales. Of the higher risk tips, more than 90 per cent are located in the south Wales Valleys. It is beyond question that the existing devolution settlement and Barnett formula fail to recognise this or to adequately reflect Wales's needs in this respect. Ensuring the safety of tips requires ongoing maintenance by the Welsh Government. The reclamation costs now exacerbated by climate change are on a scale far in excess of anything anticipated when devolution began in 1999. They are not reflected in our current funding arrangements. The UK Government must agree to fund these costs, or it is washing its hands of its coal-mining past and its responsibility to clean up the liabilities left behind.

Perversely, we are left three times worse off, because the UK Government has so far refused to spend on coal tips, and, of course, it's holding back £375 million of regional funding that should come to the Welsh Government. So, the UK Government is willing, as the Senedd has heard in the previous statement this afternoon, to provide financial support through its levelling-up funds or for areas that are clearly devolved, introducing new legislation to do this and risking duplication and poor value for money while reneging on its obligations to provide the necessary support to tackle problems such as coal tip safety that predate devolution.

We are keen to work with the UK Government to address this challenge. We're already delivering on our responsibilities for coal tip safety. After the Tylorstown slip, the First Minister immediately established the coal tip safety taskforce, which is driving forward a substantial programme of operational and legislative reform work. Working with partners in the Coal Authority, local authorities and Natural Resources Wales, regular inspections are now under way and maintenance works have commenced. Working with local resilience fora, emergency response measures are now in place. As a Government, we're also committed to delivering new coal tip safety legislation during this Senedd. Last year, we asked the Law Commission to undertake a review on the legislative framework for coal tip safety in Wales. This review will provide vital evidence for the development of new Welsh legislation on coal tips, which we are committed to delivering during this Senedd.

However, this isn't a challenge that we can tackle alone, and nor should we have to. I was pleased to see the Prime Minister highlight the need for action on coal in his UN speech on climate change this month. I'm also pleased to note the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is providing £44 million in aid to help countries in the developing world manage extractive industries like coal responsibly and accountability.

The First Minister has been very clear: this Government is committed to a United Kingdom that works for all of its constituent parts. If the UK Government shares our commitment to the union, then this is the challenge and now is the time for them to take their share of the responsibility for the historic legacy of coal mining in the UK. 

This is no small task—if only it were. The cost of restoring just one tip where extensive work is needed can be £40 million, and we have over 2,100 tips in Wales. We are starting with the most challenging sites, of course. However, we estimate that we will need at least £600 million over the next decade and a half. We need the UK Government to fund us to invest now, while there is still time, to avoid much greater cost and impact on people and communities. 

I do want to say that it's not all doom and gloom. There are big opportunities, too. I was encouraged by my recent meeting with the new Chief Secretary to the Treasury, who told me that he shares the Welsh Government's passion for tackling the climate and nature emergency. The Chief Secretary is leading the UK Government's comprehensive three-year spending review in which tackling climate change and addressing regional inequalities are highlighted as a high priority. If we can agree a way forward to address this shared challenge and manage the inherent risk, there is an opportunity for us to show our collective commitment as we look ahead to the UK hosting COP26. And it has never been more important for us to work together across the UK and across the world to tackle the climate and nature emergency and its consequences. 

Coal tips, by their very nature, are quite literally significant stores of fossil carbon. They're a key part of our geological heritage. Many are habitats for plants and animals. Restored and made safe, they have the potential to be part of a national network for nature and the national forest for Wales. The investment needed will bring economic benefits, new skills and more employment to our Valleys communities. It will improve the environment for people who live there and give back a share of national wealth to those whose predecessors helped create it. 

The facts speak for themselves. Climate change, leading to intense rainfall events, threatens to destabilise coal tips. The industrial legacy of coal mining is having a disproportionate effect on us here in Wales. The US Government is showing the way, with the stimulus funding it's providing to former mining areas across the US. The Welsh Government is stepping up to the challenge, but the UK Government thus far has not. That's why I'm calling on Members to oppose the Conservative amendment and support the motion. It's time for the UK Government to live up to its promises and fully discharge its responsibilities, by working with us and agreeing a funding programme to address the challenge of the long-term remediation, reclamation and repurposing of coal tip sites, and I commend the motion to the Senedd.