David Melding: Chair, we need to build more homes—many more homes. This is the only way to meet the housing crisis. Demand for housing has outstripped supply in Wales, as across the UK, for many years. The extra requirement for housing is mainly due to the increase in the number of households, especially one-person households, but also other factors such as the increase in the overall population. The...
David Melding: Briefly, yes.
David Melding: Not only do I accept there should always be social housing stock, I think for very many people by far the best option for them is social housing, and we should meet that demand, and build more social homes. That’s what we need to do. And I just wish that the Government had brought forward policies on that basis, to meet the undoubted crisis that we are in in general on house building. I...
David Melding: I’ll take this opportunity to thank the chair of the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee, John Griffiths. I did say that I was the minority voice, but I do thank you, John, for the exemplary way you chaired the committee and ensured that I had every opportunity to advance the concerns I had in the preparation of the report. Thank you.
David Melding: Will the Member give way? The figures are—. Even if the Minister hopes to build getting on for 3,500 to 4,000 social homes a year, there are barely 400 sold at the moment, so there is a big difference.
David Melding: I did say, ‘affordable homes’; I didn’t say ‘total number of homes’; I said ‘affordable’.
David Melding: I look forward to scrutinising in this Chamber ‘Our Valleys, Our Future’, because we certainly need a transformative vision for the Valleys. I’m not sure the Valleys landscape park would constitute a hub, but it would be a transformative vision, potentially. We’ve got to start to recognise the real potential of this resource. The Valleys were once amongst Britain’s most beautiful...
David Melding: Cabinet Secretary, when it comes to mental health services, there is evidence that good counselling services can prevent repeat GP attendances, and they have a proven track record of helping and managing and even alleviating mild to moderate symptoms. I do think this sort of innovation is something we need to see more of in the NHS, particularly if we want to retain more GPs, perhaps some of...
David Melding: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on current guidance for the management and removal of dangerous structures, following yesterday’s fatal building collapse in Splott? TAQ(5)0166(ERA)
David Melding: I thank you for that answer. Can I express my sympathy, Presiding Officer, to the family of the man who was killed yesterday? I do think there’s a need to take prompt action when buildings are identified as high risk. We have quite a large number of Victorian public buildings that are not in regular use, as this building was not, and at risk of deterioration. I think particular care needs...
David Melding: Thank you, Presiding Officer. I welcome the Public Accounts Committee’s report into the accounts of Natural Resources Wales, and specifically in respect of the timber sales contract. Given the scale of the expenditure of public money in this particular scheme, it is no surprise that detailed scrutiny has followed, and a very apt and focused report has been published. As we’ve just heard,...
David Melding: Yes.
David Melding: Can I say, Presiding Officer—? I know you’re the guardian of our procedures, and the greatest procedure is to take a Bill through, because it helps the Government sort out some of its thinking, and a wiser Government pays heed to the discussions and, indeed, some of the amendments that come from other parties. A lack of that process I do think has had a big impact on this unfortunate...
David Melding: What is the Welsh Government's strategy for attracting investment to Aberdare?
David Melding: What action is the Welsh Government taking to tackle plastic pollution in Wales?
David Melding: In 2015, the Building Research Establishment said that we did need more data on this in Wales. We need a national study to see the extent of the problem. I think the issue here is the current properties that have undergone this, and it’s been defective. Because it’s at the heart of much of our refurbishment strategy, energy reduction, Warm Homes—it is really, really important that we...
David Melding: I commend Eluned Morgan’s point about the need for more SME builders, as a crucial sector that, in previous decades, provided for a lot of growth. One thing you could do is copy the scheme in England whereby local authorities have their Treasury grant increased by the value of the increase in council tax that comes with new house building. That would be a great incentive.
David Melding: That’s a lack of curiosity.
David Melding: First Minister, I commend what your Government and the previous administration has done to attract high-level events and how you’ve worked with the respective sporting associations. I think that’s a key partnership, and these sorts of achievements produce a gift that keeps on delivering because the marketing value—. People still talk about the wonderful days when the FA Cup was in...
David Melding: There are many strands to this statement and I will not test your patience, Llywydd, by going through all of them, but I do want to start by saying there’s a broad range of political consensus here in the shift to renewables and to decarbonise our energy sector. So, in that tone I offer these comments and questions. I think the Cabinet Secretary is right to say we need transformational...
