Janet Finch-Saunders: I am.
Janet Finch-Saunders: I'd just remind Members to refer to my own declaration of interests form in terms of property ownership. Now, these regulations stem from failure. Failure by successive Welsh Labour Governments to provide new homes: only 4,616 new dwellings completed in 2021, when the figure should have been 12,000. Failure to get empty homes back into use: there were 25,725 in 2017-18, 22,140 in 2022-23....
Janet Finch-Saunders: Do you want an intervention?
Janet Finch-Saunders: —over the next three years. So, Deputy Minister, I do respect what you are trying to attempt in this, but I'm telling you here and now this will backfire, and it's just a shame that our children are being used in this way. So, answer these questions if you wouldn't mind: will the Deputy Minister explain to this Senedd why she introduced a Bill, drove it to Royal Assent and, to quote you,...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I think it is no secret and many know well here that I fully disagree with the children (Wales) Act, and I actually condemn any attempt to prioritise the criminalisation of good, loving and caring parents. With this Act, this Welsh Labour Government is now reaching further into the private lives of families, creating a nanny state, where Welsh...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Now, I'm very proud to represent a constituency with a number of seaside towns—Llanfairfechan, Penmaenmawr, Conwy, Deganwy, Llandudno and Penrhyn Bay—and Llandudno is known across Wales as the queen of Welsh resorts, and I put this down to our fantastic tourism and hospitality businesses. We've managed, as a town, to keep our Victorian qualities, thanks to the help and preservation by...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I thank the Members that have contributed and the Deputy Minister, despite his negativity on this, but there we go. I'd like to just reiterate Joyce Watson's comments about our Welsh seas are far much larger than our land mass, the risk and the benefits of a blue carbon sequestration, and the other merits really, and, in particular, I think, her comments...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Okay. As our climate change committee recently heard, the marine plan is not fit for purpose in the context of the anticipated step change in development. I ask this Senedd to let that process of shaping our seas continue in a way that benefits the climate and our nature crisis by supporting this legislative proposal today. Thank you. Diolch.
Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you, Huw. It's fair to say I really appreciate working with you on the committee that we're on. As for whether it needs to be a new piece of law or whether we can adapt, currently a lot of the measures are just guidance, Huw. So, consequentially, what we're looking for is to ensure that that legislation covers some of the things I've said, and there are going to be a lot more yet. It...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Yes, of course.
Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. The historic absence of marine spatial planning and an isolated approach to managing our seas means that we now face unco-ordinated scrambles for space and increasing delays for industry. As we urgently need to move away from Russian hydrocarbons following Putin's illegal invasion, we must have the best legislation possible, which champions marine energy...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Well, I'm jolly glad you have asked that question. What I can tell you, as the Commissioner for sustainable development, is that I'm very proud of Nerys and Matthew and Ed, of course, our director, for the work that they're doing behind the scenes in terms of increasing our biodiversity and conservation. After I saw your question to the Minister, it dawned on me that, really, we should be...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you. Now, despite limited green space on our estate, the Commission has made significant improvements in recent years to encourage biodiversity, and in our carbon strategy we do commit to doubling the green space on the Senedd estate. That estate is largely tarmacked, but we have made improvements where we can, with a small garden strip extended last year, including a second pond,...
Janet Finch-Saunders: The Older People's Commissioner for Wales, the chief executive of Age Cymru, the director of the Bevan Foundation, the director of Citizens Advice Cymru, the chief executive of Care and Repair Cymru, the head of National Energy Action Cymru, and the head of Oxfam Cymru have issued themselves a joint statement, highlighting that the eligibility for the winter fuel support scheme should be...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. In my last contribution on the statement put forward by Lee Waters MS, in response to one of my questions about returning sand to Llandudno beach, the response from the Minister was that, basically, as a landlord in Llandudno, that's one of the reasons I was asking the question. Point 1 is that I've been working with the Welsh Government for eight years...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you, Deputy Minister. This is, for me, a positive statement. It is welcome news that £214 million will be invested in flood and coastal erosion schemes over the next three years, with £71 million to be invested during the next financial year. Whilst there's mention of this being part of your co-operation agreement, I think it's fair to say that the Welsh Conservatives have been...
Janet Finch-Saunders: First Minister, Mostyn SeaPower Ltd are currently going out to tender for review of the initial design and costings for a tidal energy scheme here in north Wales, and one that would create 300 construction jobs and employ 35 people during its operational life of more than 100 years. This scheme would provide low-carbon electricity for 82,000 homes, as well as four miles of flood defences, and...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Would you work with these local authorities to overcome these challenges? Now, additionally, we're all aware that there are communities facing local affordability difficulties, and I see this myself in Aberconwy. But I do believe that we need a balanced, proportionate and fair approach when seeking to address the problems facing us. I'll say it again: seeking to target second home owners with...
Janet Finch-Saunders: It isn't the same problem. Targets have actually been reached a lot easier in England than they have here. Approximately 67,000 people—I'll say it again: 67,000 people—in Wales languish on a social-housing waiting list, equivalent to around 20,000 households. Four of our local authorities saw a cumulative total of 14,240 young people in the 20 to 29 age group leave Wales between 2012 and...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Diolch. And I wish to remind Members of my own declaration of interest in terms of property ownership—second homes, holiday let. Owning your own home is one of the major bulwarks of individual freedom and choice. Home ownership provides you with the security and confidence to develop local roots, to become part of your local community, safe in the knowledge that your home is your own. For...
