Julie James: I heard you perfectly well all the way through, certainly through the translation there, Delyth. So, thank you very much for that. Just on that last one first, we have a number of reviews going on into slightly different elements of the flood and coastal management programmes that we have in place. So, without compromising in any way Professor Evans's ability to make any recommendations that...
Julie James: Thank you, Janet. Just to start right where you finished, no, I don't think that at all. I think one of the things that we absolutely need to do is integrate this work, and the idea that you have a separate quango for every single bit of climate change where it stands alone and does it's own thing—I just think that's a recipe for absolute disaster, myself. So, I don't agree with that at...
Julie James: Over the last few months, Plaid Cymru designated Member Siân Gwenllian and I have been working closely to develop the scope, approach to delivery and draft terms of reference for securing the co-operation agreement commitment to commission an independent review of local government section 19 reports and Natural Resources Wales reports into extreme flooding in the winter of 2020-21. So, I am...
Julie James: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. The First Minister, the Deputy Minister and I have made clear that addressing flood risk is a priority for this Government. We have put in place, through the flood strategy, a comprehensive programme that sets out our long-term measures for reducing flood risk across Wales. The co-operation agreement commits us to deliver an increase in investment for flood and coastal...
Julie James: So, going backwards with your questions then, Jenny, on that last one, we're looking at a mixed economy, really. So, we haven't got very many of these yet in Wales, but we're accelerating the pace of building them. I want to encourage the regional partnership boards to go as fast as possible with that, alongside other care models. And one of the reasons I'm not putting hard-and-fast targets...
Julie James: Yes, I'd be delighted, Carolyn, to come and visit. I'm planning a trip up to north Wales very soon, so perhaps we can incorporate it then. That would be lovely. That's a project that absolutely evidences what we've just been talking about. That is bringing a number of revenue streams together, all available from the Welsh Government in different guises, to make these projects work....
Julie James: Thanks, Mike. Yes, I do absolutely agree with that; you've always been a champion for this kind of housing, I absolutely acknowledge that, and it's been really good to work alongside you on these agendas. We are absolutely going to scale and pace. One of the big, big frustrations for me, because of the global supply chain problem and the climate crisis, is in trying to get the availability of...
Julie James: Diolch, Mabon. You make a series of really good points there. We absolutely have learnt lessons from the ICF; we always look to evaluate our programmes as they run through and hope to adapt them as we go. Amongst the lessons learned, we've been looking at how the structure of the funds can be improved. In particular, we want regional partnership boards to focus on strategic functions,...
Julie James: Thank you, Janet. I think I discerned somewhere in there an enthusiasm for housing with care, which I certainly am really pleased to see. So, just to set your mind at rest: we obviously haven't waited five years. In response to the report that you mentioned, the ICF capital programme was started in 2018-19, and it was established to provide housing and accommodation to support models of care...
Julie James: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Sorry, there was a small thing about sharing pens there, so apologies. Decent, affordable housing is fundamental to the health and well-being of everyone in Wales. Healthy homes provide individuals and families with a stable and secure base that meets the household's needs. They give us a place where we can feel safe and comfortable, and where we are connected to the...
Julie James: Thank you.
Julie James: Thank you very much, Joyce. I know you've been campaigning on this issue for as long as I've known you, so it's nice to see you still coming to the bat, or whatever the sporting analogy is for that. Yes, absolutely; one of the things we were able to do with the first Welsh housing quality standard was overtrain the number of apprentices necessary to make them available into the private sector...
Julie James: I completely agree, Jenny. In terms of the new builds, of course, we will be bringing part L regulation changes through very shortly. We've already changed what's called the DQL for new-build social to carbon passive or carbon neutral, so again, incentivising the industry to build to that. We're also, of course, allowing social landlords to buy off plan for new build, incentivising our...
Julie James: Thank you, Mike. I know you share my enthusiasm for social housing. We were brought up not too far away from each other, as it happens, and I've always admired your zeal and enthusiasm for really good social housing. Absolutely, this is an anti-poverty agenda; it's also a decarbonisation agenda. Those things go hand in hand, of course. The more energy efficient you make a house, the less...
Julie James: We're also very keen on things like access to green space. So, even if you are in an apartment, you should still have access to green space outside. We're looking at encouraging all social landlords—councils and housing associations—to ensure access to green space, even if it's not a private garden, nevertheless good access is part of—we all know, as part of the pandemic—is very much...
Julie James: Diolch yn fawr, Mabon. And thank you very much for your comments at the beginning in particular. You make a whole series of very good points, and one of the reasons we're going out for the consultation is to just tease out some of these things. Just in terms of the acceptable fails that we have already, I'm very keen to look again at what we consider to be an acceptable fail for the new...
Julie James: Well, thank you very much, Janet. You raise a few very interesting points and some points of principle. So, just in terms of the points of principle, we clearly are facing a climate challenge. You will have seen the most recent report saying that we're looking at some of the hottest years ever on record. And, so, this is about making sure that people's homes are fit for that. So, this isn't...
Julie James: Thank you, Janet.
Julie James: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Today, I'm launching the formal consultation for the proposed Welsh housing quality standard 2023. The original WHQS, as it's colloquially known, was introduced in 2002 to boost the quality of social housing in Wales. Together with our social landlord delivery partners, we have invested billions of pounds over two decades to significantly improve and maintain the...
Julie James: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. As all Members have said, there's been a lot of media coverage recently about water quality and sewage discharges into waterways, and, as Alun pointed out in his submission, the UK Government has legislated to set targets for water companies in England to reduce these. But there is a widespread perception that this is the main cause of poor water quality, but,...
