Julie James: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Amendment 44 seeks to enable enforcement authorities to use the fixed-penalty notice as a means to also request repayment of prohibited payments and holding deposits on behalf of contract holders. The matter was debated at some length, as David Melding said, at Stage 2, and the position remains the same. The primary route through which the recovery of...
Julie James: Formally.
Julie James: Formally.
Julie James: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Section 14 of the Bill requires a local housing authority to notify the licensing authority, or each licensing authority if there is more than one, of any conviction of an offence under the Act in respect of a dwelling in its area. This ensures an appropriate link between the Bill and the exercise of enforcement functions in relation to landlord and tenant...
Julie James: Formally.
Julie James: Formally.
Julie James: Formally.
Julie James: Formally.
Julie James: Formally.
Julie James: Formally.
Julie James: Diolch, Dirprwy Llywydd. Amendment 22 is a response to a recommendation of the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee in their report following Stage 1. It reads across to the group 9 amendments. It will permit an enforcement authority, which is the licensing authority designated to carry out the registration and licensing functions under Part 1 of the Housing (Wales) Act...
Julie James: I want to express my thanks to David Melding for tabling amendments 46 and 54, which address an issue he helped identify at Stage 2. I've been very pleased to work with David to produce an amendment that works alongside existing provisions to limit a landlord's right to possession of a property should they charge prohibited payments to contract holders. The Bill currently includes provision...
Julie James: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Amendment 25 amends section 41 of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014, which will help supplement existing guidance given to a licensing authority by the Welsh Ministers so that it may include specific provision about matters to be taken into account by a licensing authority in deciding whether a failure to repay a prohibited payment or holding deposit affects a...
Julie James: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Just to reiterate—I am grateful for David Melding's remarks—but just to reiterate that we will be informing the key target audience of the proposed legislation and its implications, because I agree with him that communication will be key in this regard. We will be making sure that landlords and agents know of their need to comply, and that contract...
Julie James: Formally.
Julie James: Formally.
Julie James: Formally.
Julie James: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I understand Leanne Wood's enthusiasm to commence the Bill as soon as possible and I share it. However, commencing the Bill by 1 June is just unrealistic. If the Bill is passed by the Assembly next week as scheduled, we cannot expect Royal Assent until the start of May at the earliest, following completion of the 28-day period of intimation. The date proposed by Leanne...
Julie James: Formally.
Julie James: Formally.
