I now move to today's short debate, and I call on Heledd Fychan to speak on the topic she has chosen.

Thank you, Deputy Llywydd. I look forward today, hopefully, to convincing the Senedd of the merits of establishing a flood forum for Wales. John Griffiths, Delyth Jewell and Llyr Gruffydd have requested a minute of time as part of this debate, and I will ensure that there is time for them to make their contributions at the end of my contribution. 

As anyone who has suffered flooding will know, or who has visited a property or community that has suffered flooding, it's an earth-shattering experience. If you haven't seen the impacts with your own eyes, it's impossible to comprehend the scale of the disruption and how filthy water penetrates everything. Even with insurance, it can take months and sometimes years to restore properties, and, of course, some important items such as photographs and personal papers are lost forever. I'll never forget, following the dreadful flooding of 2020, visiting a home where there were two elderly people in tears because all of the photographs of their daughter, who died in her 30s, had been destroyed by flooding. They were abroad when the flooding hit and had no time to move anything to a safe place. Words of comfort are simply inadequate in such circumstances. 

The psychological impact is also something that can last for years after flooding. I still regularly meet with those in my region who have experienced flooding in their homes and businesses, and it's clear, even years later, that they are still suffering ongoing trauma. Every time it rains heavily, they can't sleep. They're watching the rain, the river and the drains and culverts, fearing that the worst will happen yet again. Many also say that their children experience regular nightmares. On top of all of this, many have difficulty finding insurance, which leads to anxiety about the financial impact if the worst were to happen again. We must also remember those who can't afford insurance—something that's bound to get worse as a result of the cost-of-living crisis. 

I've collected countless testimonies from those that have been affected by flooding, and since there is time today, I'd like to read three quotes in full, including the first, which is from a resident in RCT six months after the 2020 floods, which illustrates the emotional and psychological impact:

'I honestly feel like this experience has pushed me to the brink. It's been one of the worst things I've ever experienced and still affects me every day in some way. Even filling in this survey and thinking back to it all I've cried. I had 6 weeks off work with stress, I can't sleep or relax when it's raining badly. I don't know if I'll ever be the same again, I've spoken to many neighbours who all agree it's like we have PTSD. The mental and emotional stress of the whole situation has absolutely shocked me, I've always regarded myself as a very strong person but this almost broke me. Waking up at 5am to the sound of running water and going downstairs to dirty water pouring in your house and looking out the window to see a literal river raging past your house and taking cars with it, with absolutely no warning at all, it makes me sick to my stomach thinking about it even now. How are we ever supposed to relax in our homes again when there's bad weather? We can't trust NRW or RCT for that matter. My sense of safety in my home has been robbed from me and my family. We've been moved into an unfurnished flat in a strange area and then we went into lockdown as well, we literally have a bed and a tv because we lost everything else and then with lockdown getting furniture was practically impossible. Then on top of all that stress we have the stress of trying to rebuild our houses and lives, deal with insurance companies who are basically soulless monsters in some cases, source 2 new cars. If I ever had to go through this again...well, I don't think I could. I'd be in a psychiatric hospital. They need to protect us before they take more of us and more from us than they already have, we can't survive another instance like this.'

The two other quotes are shorter, but still encapsulate that sense of trauma. A resident wrote:

'We lost our pet. Our dog was downstairs. Our children are traumatised knowing she suffered and drowned.'

And finally:

'Our eldest daughter (20) has been diagnosed with PTSD as a result of the flood. She is on medication, receiving counselling and although she tried, she has been unable to return to work and as a result has had to leave her post with BT. Her wellbeing is very much our focus...Someone is responsible, we are desperately worried that this may happen again...Anxiety levels are high every time it rains.'

Testimonies such as these convinced me of the need for an independent inquiry into the floods, and I'm pleased that, as part of the co-operation agreement between Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Government, there will be an independent review as well as further investment in flood protection measures. But comments and discussions on those are for another day. Rather, I would like to focus today on how we are providing support to communities that are at risk of future flooding both before, during and after the floods and make the case for the establishment of a Welsh flood forum to fulfil this role.

But why do we need such a forum? In England and Scotland, there are established fora that support and provide practical assistance to those in need. While there is some support available in Wales—some through some county councils or through NRW, or through the National Flood Forum if it is funded to work in any particular area—it's fair to say that the support is pretty ad hoc and inconsistent at the moment. And that's not a criticism of local authorities or NRW. They are overwhelmed by the statutory duties that they have in relation to flooding. And even if they had the capacity to do more to support communities, I question whether they should provide this support, because communities often believe that they are culpable when flooding happens. Indeed, even when councils or NRW have tried to fill a role similar to that undertaken by the National Flood Forum in Wales, communities are often wary of them because they are not seen as being impartial. So, let's look at what the Scottish national flood forum and the National Flood Forum in England do, and why I believe we should consider emulating this in Wales.

The Scottish Flood Forum is a charity that was founded in 2009, and it is mainly funded by the Scottish Government, receiving £200,000 per annum, with additional donations and other small grants. It was initially set up by the Scottish Government before going on to become a charity—a model that we could emulate in Wales. It works alongside communities at risk of flooding to ensure that their voices are heard and understood as part of flood mitigation planning and flood recover responses—a vital step to ensuring that flooding is not as traumatic and serious for as many as it is now. Local communities are given support and advice where needed to help manage the flood risk, and the forum also advocates on their behalf. They provide independent advice and services, and are able to provide more devolved and local support to those who need it. They also provide local communities with flooding guides and advise on insurance and flood recovery. This is something that is currently missing in Wales. We have no official guidance for those who are at risk and wish to defend their properties. They also have a live warning system in place via Twitter, and, while this is similar to NRW's warning system, it seems to be more effective. They even work with communities to install hyperlocal flooding alert systems, empowering communities to be directly involved in such schemes. 

The Scottish Flood Forum was born out of the National Flood Forum, which was established as a charity in 2002. Though initially funded by the UK Government, it is now funded by fundraising and donations from the public. Though operating in both England and Wales, in reality, their involvement in Wales is very limited at present and relies on pockets of funding for them to undertake some specific work. As a result, they predominantly work in England, and their resources are only available in English. If you look at their social media, you will see how they visit flooded communities with their recovery trailer to offer support and advice directly to residents and businesses at once following a flood. Their main focus is assisting individuals who have been affected, and they also help to guide legislation relating to flooding. They provide clear information and services to victims of flooding and have launched a website, along with a Twitter account, as well as a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week floodline for contacting in case of emergency, as well as providing independent advice regarding flood defence and insurance. They work hand in hand with Flood Re to provide advice to those who are living in an at-risk area, in terms of insurance.

When they have been funded to work in Wales, the feedback has been extremely positive. And while we could simply fund the National Flood forum to expand its work here in Wales, I think that if you look at what the benefits have been in Scotland of having a Scottish flood forum, they seem to support that we need one in Wales. In fact, if you look at the model, the Scottish Flood Forum and the National Flood Forum work closely with one another, and each have a representative on each other’s boards. I have spoken to people associated with both and they agree that Wales would greatly benefit from having a specific flood forum that could also work in conjunction with them. Now, I know that money is limited, but experiences of at-risk communities in both Scotland and Wales show the value of equipping communities to cope with the impacts and threats of flooding, and it's something that we can and should be improving here in Wales.

People in our at-risk communities are currently unsure who they can contact for advice and support in relation to reducing the flooding risk to their home or business. And, as I mentioned, many are open about their lack of trust in local authorities and NRW to fulfil such a role, especially when those organisations are overwhelmed by the demand for support when flooding hits, especially with recovery afterwards. A national flood forum here in Wales would mean that we would have a better understanding of why flooding starts and what can be done to support and help local communities. The voice and experience of those living in at-risk communities are an important factor in understanding why flooding is so severe in some areas, yet this is something that local government often overlooks. There is also the element of local support to consider. Many individuals who are flooded within a community both give and receive emotional support. As I've mentioned, flooding is an extremely traumatic event, and many will struggle with the aftermath. By having the support there to help, they are able to recover.

I very much hope that I've therefore convinced the Deputy Minister today of the value of looking into this issue in more detail and of the benefits to our communities of establishing a flood forum for Wales.

Can I remind the Members they have a minute each? John Griffiths.

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'd like to thank Heledd Fychan for bringing this debate to the Senedd today, and I very much agree that we do need to find ways to empower our local communities more in terms of flood prevention, because they know their local communities best. In December 2020, the Gwent levels experienced flooding in Magor and other parts, and there was great concern that the reens that drain that area were not properly managed and sustained, and agencies such as NRW were seen to be wanting. It seems to me that the only way we will get progress and better buy-in from our local communities, which we badly need in terms of the risk of flooding, is by empowering them and putting them in the driving seat, and empowering community councils, such as Magor with Undy Community Council, because these people do know the area best—they've lived there for many years very often—and whatever mechanism is found, they do need to be in the driving seat to a greater extent than is the position at the moment.

Thank you, Heledd, for putting forward such an important debate.

I wanted to add to the points about the physiological scarring brought about by flooding. In February 2020, I visited streets in Ystrad Mynach that had been hit by flooding. Whole homes were swamped with water and cars written off. But the thing that stayed with me is the impact on residents' children. A number of them told me that their children were traumatised with worry, that they'd lost their toys, and they were asking if their pets could sleep upstairs because they were worried that the same thing would happen again and that their pets would drown, and they were frightened every time it rained. I called at the time for counselling support to be made available for children who were affected by flooding. I hope that any forum in the future will address this. We need to make sure that local voices are heard and that initiatives to restore and protect buildings are matched by a determination to support residents' mental health.

And thank you very much to Heledd once again for this debate. I found some of the points and some the things that she quoted heartbreaking but so, so important for us to be learning about.

The NRW review of the floods in February 2020 noted that around 60 or 70 staff were required above the baseline staff numbers that they had at that time to ensure sustainable and long-term improvements to the flood management service. Now, the Government, to be fair, provided that funding on a temporary basis. I raised with the First Minister a few months ago that it would be unwise not to continue with that funding because the posts had been funded, and he agreed that it would be sensible to continue with that funding. Now, I'm aware that the review is currently taking place between the Government and NRW on their funding at present, but I just want to draw attention to a report that has been published by the Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee today, as it happens, following our annual scrutiny of NRW, which does point to the committee's view that funding NRW should be proportionate to its roles and its responsibilities, and, of course, thanks to Heledd, flooding is one clear example of that, and we very much hope that the Government will meet that need following the funding review that they are currently holding.

I call on the Deputy Minister for Climate Change to reply to the debate—Lee Waters.

Well, thank you for the opportunity to reply to the debate.

I'd just like to set out how the Government is supporting communities at risk of flooding and whether we feel it's time to establish a flood forum for Wales. 

We have in place, through the flood strategy that was published in 2020, a comprehensive strategy that sets out our long-term measures for reducing flood risk across Wales. The strategy itself drew on learning from the February 2020 storms that tragically impacted many of our communities. And now, through the programme for government and co-operation agreement, we have set out clear objectives and a substantial supporting package of investment to reduce flood risk and coastal erosion.

The Member will be aware that the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru are working together closely to develop the scope and terms of reference for the independent review of local authorities' section 19 reports and NRW's review of its response to the February 2020 floods. We intend to make an announcement on the review with a designated Member in due course, and it's likely that this review will consider the issue of a Wales flood forum. So, I think it would be preferable not to fetter this process and to allow the review to develop recommendations for us to consider and action. Aside from the independent section 19 reports review, which the designated Member and the Minister for Climate Change are leading, Wales's independent flood and coastal erosion committee, chaired by Martin Buckle, is undertaking reviews as part of its work programme, including clarifying roles and responsibilities relating to flood risk management activity.

The Welsh Government published research in 2013 entitled, 'Flood Advocacy & Support Service for Communities in Wales'—not the snappiest of titles, but it does what it says on the tin. This was designed to provide practical recommendations for developing flood support provision in Wales and led to our funding NRW to manage this work of raising awareness and building resilience within communities. And I don't feel that the work being undertaken by the National Flood Forum and the Scottish Flood Forum differs significantly to that which we're already delivering here in Wales through implementation of our flood strategy. Implementation of our policy is under constant review and we and our delivery partners look to address gaps where these exist and to learn from good practice. And we're continuing to learn from the events and our improving systems. Over the past 18 months, we've been pleased to see how well our risk management authorities have worked together, not only in undertaking their investigations but delivering improvements to those communities affected, and I expect to see this kind of collaborative working continue as we step up our engagement and delivery in reducing flood risk across Wales.

Investment in this area has never been so important, hence why we announced the 2022-23 flood programme funding package last week, and this is our largest ever flood programme, totalling over £71 million next year, with a three-year allocation of over £214 million, which will help deliver a stronger pipeline of future flood schemes and enable better forward planning. These packages will also help us meet the commitment to address the issue of flooding as set out in the co-operation agreement between ourselves and Plaid Cymru.

And I'm grateful, Dirprwy Lywydd, for the huge contribution from staff in local authorities, Natural Resources Wales, water companies, emergency services and community flood wardens, who play their role in protecting our communities in responding and in delivering measures to reduce flood risk. As the climate changes, we must all learn to adapt. We're looking forward, encouraging new ways of working whilst ensuring that our critical infrastructure keeps our communities safe. Diolch.

Thank you, all. That brings today's proceedings to a close, and I will see you all again next week.

The meeting ended at 18:29.