8. How is the Welsh Government working with Welsh Water to mitigate flood risks in South Wales West? OQ57683

Thank you, Tom. The Welsh Government funds risk-management authorities, such as local authorities and Natural Resources Wales, to reduce flood risk. Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water are responsible for managing their own sewerage assets. We encourage all parties to work collaboratively to address the risk of flooding to all our communities.

Thank you, Minister, for that answer. You may be aware of the decision made by Welsh Water to close the Vardre bridge that spans the River Tawe at Clydach in my region. A structural survey undertaken by Welsh Water three years ago found that the bridge was unsafe and instead of repairing it, they simply closed the bridge. Local residents have contacted me to say they're concerned that now debris is building up and forming a dam that could lead to serious flood issues in the area, particularly as the river is known to rise to meet the bridge during heavy rainfall. The closure of the bridge is also causing significant disruption in the community. For example, Vardre Rugby Football Club use this bridge to access their pitches for their players and supporters, and they're now forced to take a detour of over a mile from their changing rooms to their pitch. The rugby club also were active in the community and cleared the debris around when it was in use, but now it's closed they're unable to do that, and therefore that causes that flooding concern in the community I mentioned earlier.

So, can I ask the Minister what value you expect Welsh Water to place on the importance of an asset to a community when considering what action it takes on it? Also, what maintenance and flood-prevention work do you expect Welsh Water to undertake on an asset like that, which is closed to the public? Finally, will you seek clarification from Welsh Water on behalf of the people of Clydach on their future plans for the Vardre bridge and whether they'll consider either maintaining or reopening the bridge, on which so many of the residents of that community rely? 

I'd expect Welsh Water to take into account a hierarchy of issues. The first is to prevent flooding. That's absolutely the first—loss of limb or life and to prevent flooding; that's the first thing they have to do. So, if they're looking at a building up of debris around the bridge and so on, they are expected to clean that out. They are expected to work in conjunction with Natural Resources Wales and the local authorities, and other agencies with responsibility for that, including—I don't know the example you give, but including the riparian owners and so on, to make sure that that is in an optimal condition to cope with any additional storm and so on. So, that's the first thing they need to do. Then the second thing they need to do is to make sure that all local amenities are recovered as fast as possible and to make sure that they do that in as timely a way as possible.

I'm not familiar with the incident you're talking about, so I'd encourage you to write in to me with details of the incident, and then I can look at the specifics for you. But, in general, obviously, the first thing is to prevent the flooding and loss of life and limb, then to make sure that infrastructure assets are as safe as they can be, and then to ensure that amenities are recovered as soon as possible.

I thank the Minister.