1. What discussions has the Minister had with the Minister for Climate Change regarding support for businesses in South Wales Central who are unable to obtain or afford insurance due to the ongoing risk of flooding? OQ58874

I have regular meetings with my colleague the Minister for Climate Change. Our funding objectives and strategic priorities to reduce the flood risk to communities and businesses across Wales are set out in our national flood strategy and the programme for government.

Thank you, Minister. This is a specific question in terms of insurance, because, for residential homes, there is an insurance scheme through a levy on insurance companies, namely Flood Re. Such a scheme isn't available for businesses, which means that many have very costly insurance or cannot obtain insurance to safeguard them from flooding. With the climate crisis meaning that floods are increasingly likely, a number of businesses in my region are very concerned and have said clearly that they won't be able to afford to reopen if they experience flooding again in future. So, I just wanted to ask whether there have been any discussions in terms of creating an equivalent scheme to Flood Re for businesses, and, if not, would the Minister commit to looking into such discussions?

I'm happy to have a discussion with my colleague the Minister for Climate Change around insurance for businesses because I understand, too, the Flood Re, developed in association with the Association of British Insurers, covers domestic properties; it doesn't cover businesses. So, I'm more than happy to take up the Member's suggestion, around the conversations that are ongoing and where the prospects are for a scheme to help cover businesses as opposed to households. So, I'll happily take that up myself with the Minister for Climate Change and report back.

Minister, as we know, inflation is having an adverse effect on every budget, and money allocated to help reduce the impact of flooding and coastal erosion is no exception. Given that the cost of materials that will be used in providing flood defences has risen considerably, budgets are going to be stretched and it's now more important than ever that funds are used efficiently. Can I therefore ask what conversations have you had with the Minister for Climate Change and the Minister for Rural Affairs to ensure that assessments are being made to ascertain if budgets allocated to help prevent flooding and coastal erosion are not only providing value for money and are being used efficiently, but are also meeting the needs of those who need them?

Yes, I can confirm that those conversations do take place and it's a real concern for the Welsh Government. You'll see in the draft budget that we published yesterday the reality of how we make the whole budget balance. And the relative value of the Welsh Government's budget has significantly decreased because the realities of inflation within that prioritisation is looking at both of the points you make around the value for money in the schemes that there are, the efficacy and what that actually means, and how far our money can stretch in providing adequate flood defence measures. It also reinforces the other action we're looking to take to deal with some of the challenges and causes of flooding, as well as the flood defence schemes that you mentioned.