Written question WQ97200
- Asked by
- Adam PricePlaid
- To be answered by
- Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 9 days
Question
Will the Cabinet Secretary confirm a) the basis of the Welsh Government’s assessment, referenced on page xvi of Dŵr Cymru’s Drainage and Wastewater Management Plan 2024, that the cost of removing storm overflows and customer flooding would be circa £48 billion, and b) whether this remains the latest figure?
Answer
Answered by Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
In late 2023, the Better River Quality Taskforce – a partnership between Welsh Government, Natural Resources Wales, the water industry and stakeholders – published the Storm Overflows Evidence for Wales Report through a Written Ministerial Statement. The report provides an independent assessment of the costs and benefits of different policy options for regulating storm overflows. It does not make recommendations but rather sets out comparative evidence on policy approaches to the regulation of storm overflows.
The Welsh Government has been clear that removing all storm overflows would be a long-term, carbon-intensive and as Dŵr Cymru have recognised a multi-billion-pound, project. Improving water quality is a priority for the Welsh Government and action on storm overflows remains part of a wider programme that requires a collaborative, cross-sector approach. We remain determined to set ambitious policy to protect and enhance our water environment for future generations.