I'd like to thank the Chair of the committee once again, and I thank my fellow members of the committee and the clerking team for their work on this topic. It became clear to us as a committee, as has already been set out, that NRW is facing a number of barriers and complexities that make it difficult for the body to do its work. NRW is an important regulator, but as Llyr Gruffydd, the Chair, has said, the budget has decreased by more than a third between the time of its creation and 2020.

But, at the same time as the budget has been decreased, the number of responsibilities given to the body has increased. That's not sustainable and it doesn't allow NRW to work in an efficient manner. This issue is evident in so many of the debates that we have had here at the Senedd. A whole host of problems have arisen over recent months and years related to flooding, to environmental pollution and to land use. And, yes, there is a tendency to think, ‘Well, this is just technical stuff.’ But no, actually, it has an impact on people's lives. It impacts on quality of life in our communities, on the safety of our environment, and it also impacts on the connection that we feel with the natural world around us. This isn't something far removed from us and something isolated. Rather, it's crucially important.

Stakeholders feel a lack of confidence, perhaps, in NRW's ability to do what is expected of it. And I would say, as the Chair has said, that this is in no way a criticism of the members of staff who work for NRW. We heard that there is a dashboard in NRW’s business plan; that is, a dashboard to measure progress made by the body in fulfilling work. That dashboard uses a traffic-light system, and of the 35 measures on the dashboard, two are red. We need to see movement on these, particularly, as Huw Irranca-Davies has been setting out, the inspections related to water. 

When the Minister replies to the debate, I would like to hear more about the Government’s view on any progress that has been made in these fields. And I would certainly like to have an update on work being done to support NRW to tackle river pollution. That is something that caused a great deal of concern to us as a committee. It would also be good to hear more about how the Government will support NRW to deal with phosphorus pollution.

It is clear that budget cuts have led to NRW's failure to discharge its numerous responsibilities and to undertake adequate monitoring. As a result, we are haemorrhaging wildlife. The NRW report states that, in the areas where information is gathered, 60 per cent of protected sites are in an unfavourable state. Last year, we heard that almost half of protected sites aren't being monitored. The necessary funding must be provided to NRW to do the work that it's supposed to do and that it needs to do. If we don't work in a transformational way now to protect and save our biodiversity, it will disappear. And it won't come back.

So, I will conclude by asking one further question of the Government: how will the Government guarantee that NRW receives the support it needs? Does the Government acknowledge that the situation needs to change, and change dramatically, if wildlife in Wales is to survive?