Carl Sargeant: Well, I think there’s a huge opportunity. I saw some of the submissions that came through; the closing date was Friday of last week. Some are very innovative about power house-type homes—build a home that produces electricity, so there’s no energy bills to the consumer but added value to the grid. Some of it’s about modular units for the under 35s. So, there is a whole host of...
Carl Sargeant: I work very closely with my Cabinet colleagues, in particular, Ken Skates and Lesley Griffiths, on the issue of bringing housing opportunities forward. Brownfield sites is one of those areas we have discussions about, as with all other land opportunities that my colleagues around the Cabinet table can bring to the table, including the health sector.
Carl Sargeant: Well, the compact changed last year, so it includes now the Welsh Local Government Association. So, local authorities are very keen to ensure that they work with housing associations even where stock retention has remained in some local authorities, like where the Member lives. So, there is operational work between the authority, registered social landlords that work in the area, and...
Carl Sargeant: Well, I find their comments, as always, very interesting. What I would suggest is that the Welsh Government has been very proactive in this space. By legislating the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, we’ve put a duty on public bodies to have engagement with communities and interested parties. So, I would disagree with the fact Wales is behind the curve here; actually,...
Carl Sargeant: I’m very conscious of the difficulty that some smaller organisations have in commissioning, but we will look very specifically around the criteria expected on that, about having local connections, and making sure that they can deliver good, quality services. I would like to give confidence to the Member around reassuring him, and others, about the funding mechanism in place. But, of course,...
Carl Sargeant: Of course, the Member is right to raise this issue. We’ve had great success with the Houses into Homes scheme, where the money recirculates back into the system and purchases more homes. I would encourage local authorities to use the management orders, where properties are empty and becoming a blight on their community, to enforce that. We also introduced a council tax scheme around second...
Carl Sargeant: I would just caution the Member, first of all, on her—. She’s correct in saying that there was an electrical device in the flat that was in Grenfell, but there is a full inquiry going on there and we have to ensure that we have all the details of that. I think the building was also compromised in other ways, but that will become clear through the inquiry. With regard to the letter that...
Carl Sargeant: I’m grateful for the Member’s question. I did, as the Member suggested, issue statements right the way through the summer when we were updated in discussions with the UK Government. I was on a multi-agency conference call with the UK yesterday on the issue, following up on actions following on from Grenfell. In Wales—I can’t find the number in my briefing, but I will write to Members...
Carl Sargeant: Well, social landlords do take a responsibility in this field. I recognise the devastating impact that anti-social behaviour can have on individuals and communities across all of Wales. What I would say is this is a complex area that needs a multi-agency approach to deal with support for the communities, but also for the individuals causing anti-social behaviour, and we have had a strong...
Carl Sargeant: In July 2016, I set up a Welsh Government and Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales group, chaired by the south Wales police and crime commissioner. This group is working with housing associations across Wales to improve the approach taken to addressing anti-social behaviour.
Carl Sargeant: Well, empowerment is certainly about local people having an involvement in the decision-making processes as we move forward, and that’s why public services boards and the future generations Act have a very close link to engagement with all communities and individuals that they have a stake in, moving forward. I think the whole principle of the three Es is an exciting one for communities....
Carl Sargeant: Well, I’m really surprised by the Member’s question in terms of the detail around Faith in Families. I know that Faith in Families are running a significant media campaign around this transition period. In broad principle, the transition is going really well and we haven’t got any red-flag areas in terms of the transition process going forward. Faith in Families have been running the...
Carl Sargeant: I thank the Member for her question. My officials have been supporting lead delivery bodies to deliver their transition plans for this year. A number of mitigation measures have been established to support arrangements going forward. Local authorities are engaging with partners to ensure future delivery reflects local needs.
Carl Sargeant: Advice services are vital in helping those who are struggling financially as a result of welfare reforms. These reforms have hit hardest low income earners, families and those who are poorest. Welsh Government remains committed to ensuring that those who need advice can access high quality services.
Carl Sargeant: Housing is a key cross-cutting priority for the Welsh Government, which was reflected in the national strategy launched by the First Minister yesterday. Over the next year we will launch new schemes, invest in established schemes, respond to emerging priorities and continue our legislative programme.
Carl Sargeant: We will continue to provide funding of £16.8 million this financial year for an additional 500 community support officers in Wales. These CSOs contribute to the policing of our communities by being highly visible on patrol and providing reassurance to citizens in making our communities safer.
Carl Sargeant: Attacks on firefighters are sporadic but always serious. We, the fire services and the police are working together to tackle them. The number of attacks on firefighters has decreased from 64 to 39 over an eight-year period.
Carl Sargeant: The Welsh Government continues to support the implementation of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014, which is the most progressive homeless legislation in the UK. We are already supporting local services through funding and guidance, and I will shortly be releasing a further £2.1 million to tackle rough sleeping and homelessness.
Carl Sargeant: I think the Member raises some really interesting and important points about the state of the nation and particularly young people and how we have to ensure that they are protected at all costs in terms of where they are within the sector. I can say that the youth justice board relationship with Wales is very good, and there has been an inspection prior to the release of that report, and...
Carl Sargeant: Thank you for the question. Whilst the Welsh Government takes the safety of young people in custody very seriously, responsibility lies with the Ministry of Justice and the youth justice board. I have previously visited Parc prison and will raise the issue the Member raises with the UK Minister.
