, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Yes, even though it's in a different BEL, Julie, we can keep on the very close monitoring of it because the capital funding requirements are still agreed and monitored specifically. So, NRW will bring forward their proposals for capital funding each financial…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Yes. To be very clear, the budget allocations we've got here do not refer to the case for change programme whatsoever. They're not to do with backfilling that or anything. This is separate from that. They've been through that process. But I know that NRW will…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Okay. So, in terms of the capital allocation for 2025-26, the total of that capital allocation is £27.8 million, and this is going to be spent in these following areas: NRW's core GIA, grant in aid, £3.1 million; the flood GIA, £22 million—so it shows the…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
If it's helpful, I can give you a bit of a breakdown in some ways.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
No. I'm pleased to clarify this as well, Julie. So, the increase in the capital allocation for 2025-26 is very specifically to support NRW's service transformation programme. That £2.7 million capital funding is going to be used to pioneer NRW's marine…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Exactly. And that's a very important piece of work, and that's included within the £19 million.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Yes. So, within that—
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
No. To be absolutely clear, it's nothing to do with that whatsoever. It's not related to the tax liability. It's specifically to do with things such as internal budget accounting adjustments and corrections, additional funding for NRW's pay awards and pension…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Absolutely. They'll be considered for funding now in the future grant schemes.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
No, it hasn't outstripped the demand there, because there's a real practical reality here of being able to deliver, with the capacity out there to deliver projects on the ground. So, we allocated £18.4 million to authorities and NRW in 2024-25. It is correct…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Okay, good. But we'll correct it finally when the final BEL is brought forward in the budget.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Yes. I've got to own up, it's an error, which we will correct when the published BEL tables are brought forward in the final budget. So, the correct amount—I've got to get this right, now, for the record—the correct amount is the £5.84 million, and that's…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Yes. So, £65 million of that £102 million represents the amount awarded to local authorities, to NRW, and the nine remediation authorities since 2021, and the remaining amount is the 2025-26 budget allocation for coal tip safety work, so that includes the £25…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Yes. It's £25 million from the UK Government. It's what we asked for and what we got for this year ahead. The £36 million is made up from our investment.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
I'll do my best on transport. [Laughter.]
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
We always keep every aspect of our budget under review. And it’s worth saying, this year, I’m coming into this committee with a little bit less anxiety perhaps than previous incumbents in this seat have had, but we’re still making up for a significant hit to…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Yes. This sits within my portfolio because it’s focused on that public sector decarbonisation piece, which I co-ordinate right across Cabinet. But, just to be absolutely crystal clear, other Ministers and other Cabinet Secretaries have a role to play within…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
There are other sources available as well. So, beyond the advice and guidance and support through the energy service, there are examples. Some of those are at a very much local level, and, again, credit to local government themselves, because they have their…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Well, there's a number of ways. I mean, within the energy service itself, which sits within my area, very much focusing on public sector decarbonisation, the energy service provides advice, technical guidance, support for the public sector, in developing some…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
For the public sector, I think, we’ve got to be frank, this is really challenging and there’s great diversity within the public sector. So, from our NHS partners to local authorities, they’re all doing great work. There are really good examples of good…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Yes, indeed. Yes.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
It’s integral to the budget that we've brought forward. We published, as you know, back in October, our 'Climate Adaptation Strategy for Wales'. It shows how we’re doing this again, this approach, right across Government, not just within my portfolio, but…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Indeed. You're absolutely right and it was pleasing for me to come back to Wales, having set in place—when, with another colleague here, we were in Westminster—the sustainable urban drainage programme, the SuDs programme, to see that Wales was ahead of the…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Yes, yes. Well, the same approach applies to addressing the nature crisis as it does to the climate emergency as well; it needs to be embedded in every portfolio. And you're right in what you're saying: that is in education. And we should be proud of the…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
We've always made very clear in Government that we see both the climate emergency and also the nature crisis as being embedded right across Government. Every portfolio Minister, every directorate, every team of officials needs to integrate it, including…
