, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Instruments that raise issues to be reported to the Senedd under Standing Order 21.2 or 21.3
Thank you for that, Kate. If we're happy to note that reporting point, we'll go on to item 2.2, which is an affirmative resolution instrument, SL(6)412, the Allocation of Housing and Homelessness (Eligibility) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2023. In…
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Instruments that raise issues to be reported to the Senedd under Standing Order 21.2 or 21.3
So, noting that Adam Price will be joining us shortly, we'll move straight into item No. 2, which is instruments that raise issues to be reported to the Senedd under Standing Order 21.2 or 21.3. The first of these is item 2.1. It's a made negative resolution…
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Introductions, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest
Welcome to this afternoon's meeting of the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee. We are holding this meeting in a virtual setting today, and we are quorate; we have our Members here. One Member will be joining us shortly; he's on the way to the…
, Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Introductions, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest
Welcome, everyone. Good afternoon.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Water quality - Evidence session with Natural Resources Wales
Okay. So, just tell me briefly, looking forward, where are we now on something that's close to my heart, which is this issue of driving up the ecological status of all our rivers, recognising that every one is different? And this will take us not only into…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Water quality - Evidence session with Natural Resources Wales
The evidence on the ground is, and the indicators are, that our rivers are in dire straits—not all of them; every river catchment is different. We're focusing on sewage today, but, equally, I mentioned in the previous evidence session, in Joyce's area, the…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Water quality - Evidence session with Natural Resources Wales
No, no—we have failed. Let's go on to the ecological status of our rivers, let's look at what's happening there. We have failed to take the pre-emptive action that could have mitigated some of this. You're saying we couldn't have seen as much this traumatic…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Water quality - Evidence session with Natural Resources Wales
Thank you, Chair. Can I just ask you a big, broad question right at the outset? We've seen remarkable success in previous decades in cleaning up things like bathing water quality and so on. You're sitting in front of us as the environment regulator in…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Water quality - Evidence session with Natural Resources Wales
So, why do you and the Environment Agency seem to, for a lot of the public, take a step back from this, and say, 'Not yet; we're not ready to enforce, we're not ready to fine'?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Water quality - Evidence session with Natural Resources Wales
Yes, just a small follow-up. We've heard a lot this morning in our earlier evidence session about the team Wales approach going forward. Not only you, but the Environment Agency in England, have faced a lot of criticism for not being more assertive in…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Water quality - Evidence session with Dwr Cymru Welsh Water
I just want to express one of the frustrations. There is certainly a great deal now of work that is being pulled together in Wales. You put it under the umbrella of 'team Wales', and I get that, but, simply speaking, the crisis we're facing has been serial…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Water quality - Evidence session with Dwr Cymru Welsh Water
But the only benefit of that is that you can now borrow more at a lower rate in order to invest more.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Water quality - Evidence session with Dwr Cymru Welsh Water
And are you getting a fair shake from the regulator?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Water quality - Evidence session with Dwr Cymru Welsh Water
We've got the regulator in front of us later on this morning. This is my final question, Chair. Do you think you've been given a fair shake by the regulator, or would you like to see something else happening that allows you to give that certainty of…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Water quality - Evidence session with Dwr Cymru Welsh Water
Your colleague wanted to come in. It's, I think, on the issue of investment, and I do remember back in 2009, Lord Lamont, at the time, was advocating a tax on visitors to the south-west of England in order to put the historical underinvestment into the water…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Water quality - Evidence session with Dwr Cymru Welsh Water
Hopefully, transformative investment for the next decade and more. But there are going to be some communities and some stretches of rivers that are not going to see it, because they're not going to be the top priority, they're not going to see the big…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Water quality - Evidence session with Dwr Cymru Welsh Water
So, recognising the mountain you have to climb—I do want to come to you in an a moment, Mike, but recognising the mountain you have to climb, you have to acknowledge that we're going to see, from what you're saying, massive investment.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Water quality - Evidence session with Dwr Cymru Welsh Water
Thank you, Chair. I'm going to go slightly off-piste, if it's okay. I just want to pursue this line of questioning here. The investment plans that you've laid out with the regulator, are they sufficient to deliver success in improving the qualities of our…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Water quality - Evidence session with Dwr Cymru Welsh Water
But that's five serious incidents—five serious incidents that could have done massive damage to the river and watercourse.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Water quality - Evidence session with Dwr Cymru Welsh Water
We're holding you to account, we're asking all of you.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Water quality - Evidence session with Dwr Cymru Welsh Water
So, you're all in the dock.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Water quality - Evidence session with Dwr Cymru Welsh Water
Chair, if you'll allow me just for a moment. We rarely get an opportunity to have somebody like you in front of us, and we have others coming in front of us this morning. In your written submissions—when Joyce raised the issue of some of our western Wales…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Water quality - Evidence session with Dwr Cymru Welsh Water
Not always; too often, not.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Water quality - Evidence session with Dwr Cymru Welsh Water
Very briefly. You know the reason why you're in front of us today, and why there's such public concern, is because of Surfers Against Sewage, and local groups as well, raising this issue and being appalled at what's going on. Do you welcome not only the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Thank you, Minister. On 10 October 2023, you issued a written statement, Nutrient management'—Managing the application of livestock manure sustainably'. It's fair to say—. I mean, I've read through that statement, and I've had a lot of correspondence now from…
