Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:45 pm on 1 February 2022.
Well, there's an awful lot of politics being played by your Government in particular when it comes to funding and the safety of coal tips, First Minister, but the responsibility is devolved. It was actually your party in the original devolution settlement that devolved this responsibility, albeit I do accept that there are issues around legacy. Nevertheless, this could be funded and resolved by now.
The funding for the airport, for example, could have been used on coal tips, some £200 million plus. That is money that you chose to put into another project that could have been used to make coal tips safe in the Valleys. So, First Minister, given the substantial increase—. I can see you laughing, First Minister, but there are many communities in the Valleys who look at this as a nightmare situation for them and cannot sleep at night. So, you might chuckle, standing in this Chamber, First Minister, but it's not a laughing matter. You have the responsibility—