4. Will the First Minister make a statement on Welsh Government support for communities who experience flooding in South Wales West? OQ58741

Thank you. Our funding objectives to reduce flood risk to communities are set out in our national flood strategy and the programme for government. We are providing £36.4 million of ongoing grant funding for flood alleviation schemes from design to construction work within the South Wales West region.

Diolch. Three weeks ago, heavy rainfall overwhelmed drains and culverts in a number of communities in my region and I saw the effect of this first-hand, both in the Swansea valley and the following day in the Melincryddan area of Neath, and this is the third time in recent years that the Melyn has suffered from serious flooding. It was heartbreaking to speak with residents who expressed their sadness, frustration and anxiety at once again seeing their homes flooded and many possessions ruined.

Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council received funding from the Welsh Government for a £100,000 new flood-alleviation scheme at St Catherines Close in the Melyn, under the national flood and coastal erosion risk management strategy. As it failed just six months after the new culvert was completed, what assessment was carried out as to the effectiveness of Welsh Government investment in this scheme? And also, will there be emergency support provided by the Government to help the council with the cost of the clean-up and to make the necessary improvements to the flood prevention works, and also to fund discretionary support payments for affected households? And for local businesses that have been devastated once again, who have no access to Flood Re, will there be any help for them, for those who cannot now get insurance, and business flood relief grant payments made available by Welsh Government, as was the case after storms Bella and Christoph?

Thank you. With regard to your question around the assessment that Welsh Government did in relation to the effectiveness of investment in the scheme, funding for a new trash screen was provided to the local authority through our small-scale schemes fund to Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council. They provided detailed proposals for a significant redesign of that existing trash screen, and officials were content with the risk management authority's proposed improvement works, and what that did was seek to make the grid more efficient and, therefore, safer to operate. Regrettably, in this instance—and I completely hear what you're saying about your constituents; it's just a dreadful experience to go through, flooding of your home—the culvert was still overwhelmed due to the magnitude of the storm event. Ultimately, flood schemes can only manage risk, and extreme events can still cause flooding. I know the local authority are in the process of preparing an outline business case to address the wider flood risk associated with the Cryddan brook, and the Minister is expecting those proposals to inform the local authority's section 19 report investigations into the event that you've referred to.

In relation to emergency support, where appropriate, local authorities are able to make applications for financial support under our emergency financial assistance scheme. That would assist with the financial burden of providing relief and carrying out immediate work to manage the impact of an emergency situation.

Regarding business flood relief grant payments, Business Wales does provide businesses with a single point of contact, so they could have a look at that to see if there is anything further available.

Trefnydd, in your initial answer, you mentioned the importance of reducing the risk of floods in the first place, so I wanted to draw your attention to the flood defences at Newton beach in Porthcawl. Residents living on Beach Road there have contacted me, worried about Natural Resources Wales's shoreline management plan, which says, and I quote:

'the short term policy is to hold the line, through maintaining the existing defences, until they reach the end of their effective life. Given the medium and long term policy, no defence improvements would be undertaken, therefore there will be an increased risk of flooding to the residential properties and assets inshore.'

In other words, the policy here is not to improve the sea defences at all, which NRW's own report concedes will significantly increase the likelihood of flooding in the area, which you can imagine causes a huge deal of concern to local people with their homes located there. Surely it's better that we take preventative action to defend against flooding, rather than reacting to a situation when it becomes too late. So, can I ask Welsh Government whether you'll liaise with Natural Resources Wales and the local council to come up with a plan that doesn't rely on people's homes being flooded?

I absolutely agree with you that it's far better for absolutely everybody involved to take a preventative approach to flooding, rather than always having to react. Clearly, as a Government, we have put significant funding into those preventative measures, with a large number of schemes right across the country, not just in south-west Wales. I did mention in my answer to Sioned Williams that flood schemes can only manage risk, and what our national flood strategy does is set out how we will manage that risk over the next decade. But I'm sure the Minister will certainly be very happy to take up the concerns that you raise with NRW and the local authority.