Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:21 pm on 11 June 2024.
James Evans
Conservative
2:21,
11 June 2024
First Minister, there is a worrying lack of accessibility when it comes to reporting pollution instances to Natural Resources Wales. Numerous constituents have contacted me about difficulty in reaching their enforcement teams, especially via the phone, with one person, when they finally got through, being told by Natural Resources Wales, 'We physically don't have the people here to respond to e-mails or answer telephone calls.' This communication barrier is undermining public confidence in the regulator's ability to tackle water pollution. So, can you outline what plans does the Welsh Government have to support NRW to address these communication issues, so when river pollution is seen, it can be reported and dealt with in a timely manner?
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
