Mabon ap Gwynfor: The next question, if I may, is on recent research that was commissioned by Back the Bill partners, including Tai Pawb, Shelter Cymru and the Chartered Institute of Housing Cymru. They found that introducing a right to adequate housing would generate significant savings for the public purse. The benefits are significant. The research identified benefits to the public purse worth £11.5...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much, Llywydd. I want to start by mentioning something that's common across Wales, but by using an example from my own constituency. A constituent of mine is a single parent, who's had to move in with her sister, because her former partner evicted her from her home. She is now living in a three-bedroomed home, but there are nine people living in that property. She is on the...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Furthermore, this will place a permanent expectation on local government. During the height of the COVID pandemic, local authorities received supporting funds, such as the COVID recovery grant, to help them accomplish the new expectations placed on them, such as the huge numbers of people that needed temporary accommodation. These funds have since been stopped, yet the duties continue. Local...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Now, could you explain what this means, please? Are you saying that those people in temporary accommodation will leave this accommodation and will sofa surf instead? Or, are you saying that local authorities are going to try to evict those who are not at risk of sleeping rough? Alternatively, can you confirm unambiguously that people in temporary accommodation will not be evicted only to face...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: I thank the Minister for this announcement. It's one that we, in this party, welcome. It's certainly a step in the right direction towards abolishing priority need entirely. To begin, I’d like to ask for clarity, please, regarding those people who are already in temporary accommodation. You say in your statement, and I will quote:
Mabon ap Gwynfor: 'However, with the easing of public health restrictions and associated public attitudes it is possible that those who were hidden prior to the pandemic, such as people sofa surfing, will revert from being supported by local authorities and partners, to relying instead on social networks to provide somewhere they can live. Given this uncertainty it is difficult to determine whether there will...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: I thank the First Minister for that response. I do accept that there is significant blame here on Westminster, and that they must step up and compensate those companies and ensure their survival. I have just a few examples. In Dolgellau, we've seen Caffi'r Sgwar closing, the steakhouse closing, the deli closing. The Brondanw Arms in Llanfrothen has closed. Caffi Derfel in Penrhyndeudraeth has...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: 3. What support is the Government providing to help businesses in Meirionnydd in light of energy costs? OQ58594
Mabon ap Gwynfor: They have suggested some ideas that will help, and, at the moment, the Government haven't taken those ideas up and they're not delivering on them. Also, what we know is that people will be made homeless over the coming months, so we want to see action now to make sure that those people aren't made homeless, instead of maybe pushing it forward into the future. That's what we are proposing. A...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: No, I'm running out of time, I'm afraid, Huw. [Interruption.] Well, I am running out of time, I'm afraid, Huw.
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Well, I'm coming to—. I will accept, given that I have time.
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Yes, I will.
Mabon ap Gwynfor: We accept what Crisis are concerned about, and I believe I referenced that in my original comments. What we're saying is that while we accept that might happen in the future, we know it's going to happen now. We know people are being made homeless now, so we need steps to mitigate that situation. Now, we know also that these steps that we've referenced work in France, they work in Denmark,...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: No, what we have seen once again is examples from this Government and from your own Government of public money being transferred to private pockets, and making sure that people who are already relatively wealthy are making more money off the back of working people—[Interruption.] That's the policy—
Mabon ap Gwynfor: That's the policy that you're perpetuating. Now, what we did hear as well, thanks to Luke's intervention and Sioned, was that they did mention the fact that what we need to do is protect people, not assets. Houses are homes. They are where people need to live; they are not the way for people to make profit, which is what the Tories have been propagating here. We heard from Sam Rowlands...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Janet has just said 'more social housing', which is state intervention, which is coupled with what you said. [Interruption.] Okay. So, do you want to make an intervention, Janet?
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much, Llywydd, and thank you to everyone who has contributed to the debate, which has been very interesting.
Mabon ap Gwynfor: I must say, listening to Janet Finch-Saunders's first contribution, and also Andrew R.T. Davies's, the irony that they recognised that the free market is absolutely failing our communities, and therefore they are calling for and demanding a state intervention on building houses, only then to see those social houses be sold back to the private sector—there's a certain irony there that is...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: 'speaker Adam Jones advised landlords to issue “smaller, regular rent increases” instead of large, more sporadic hikes'. It's tactics like this that have led to Wales having the largest increase in rents anywhere in the UK, except for London. In some cases, we're hearing of rents doubling and families left bereft. Now, we hear that private landlords are leaving the sector with claims that...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd. At the outset, I want to declare an interest that is on the public register.
