Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his statement this afternoon? As today’s statement makes clear, the greater part of the Historic Environment (Wales) Act 2016 has now been brought into force, and, following the commencement of the relevant provision at the end of May, Wales now has statutory historic environment records for each local authority area. Of course, these records should help introduce greater transparency and accountability into decisions taken on the historic environment, and will be important tools for local authorities and other stakeholders in developing the sustainable management of the historic environment.

Now, the creation of these lists has resulted in increasing the workload of local authorities in this area, and this naturally comes at a cost. Therefore, can the Cabinet Secretary tell us whether there has been any push back from local authorities regarding the preparation of lists of historic assets of special local interest, particularly the cost of doing this? Perhaps he could also tell us what discussions he’s had with the Law Society, and the Welsh Local Government Association, about the revision of local authority search forms, commonly used in conveyancing, to ensure that applications for searches of the various registers are standard procedure and don’t come at any additional cost?

Now, councils have made provisions in their budgets to use some of their new powers to carry out works on a building when the owner hasn’t done so, in both emergency and non-emergency circumstances. Whilst I appreciate that it may be a bit early to ask for an assessment of those powers, given that they only came into force in May, I’d be grateful, however, if the Cabinet Secretary could indicate how the Welsh Government intends to monitor the use of these powers. If these powers are not used, then we need to be clear whether that is because of the financial position that some local authorities may find themselves in. I note that today’s statement highlights that planning authorities can undertake urgent works by making any costs a local land charge. This is a significant step forward in addressing deteriorated listing buildings, and perhaps the Cabinet Secretary could tell us a bit more about these land charges and how they can be used to aid in the recovery of costs associated with urgent work. Indeed, could the Cabinet Secretary provide an initial assessment of these local land charges, and whether they have been effective in addressing urgent works on any neglected listed buildings so far?

Of course, it’s essential that the historic environment Act is supported by the most relevant and updated planning policy advice, and I’m pleased to see the work that has been done with the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs in developing a revised historic environment chapter for ‘Planning Policy Wales’. The first technical advice note for the Welsh historic environment, TAN 24, provides guidance on how the planning system considers the historic environment during development plan preparation and decision making on planning and listed building applications. However, it’s important that that technical advice note is constantly reviewed to ensure its effectiveness. So, therefore, can the Cabinet Secretary tell us how frequently the planning guidance will be updated, and what impact will this have on planning authorities, particularly in relation to contentious planning applications?

Now, I understand that the Welsh Government will be compiling a statutory register for historic parks and gardens, which will certainly help owners, local planning authorities, and other stakeholders, to look after the sites in a much more informed way. Therefore, perhaps the Cabinet Secretary could tell us a bit more about the review of the boundaries of those parks and gardens in Wales, and provide some timescales on when the Welsh Government intends to see this statutory register brought into force.

Today’s statement also refers to the governance arrangements of heritage services, and I understand that the Cabinet Secretary is still considering action in this particular area. I understand that there is still quite a bit of work that is taking place on this, but perhaps the Cabinet Secretary could give an indication of what timescales he’s considering in addressing governance arrangements, so that Members can better understand when the statutory advisory panel for the Welsh historic environment will be fully established.

Llywydd, can I once again thank the Cabinet Secretary for his statement this afternoon, updating Members on the Welsh Government’s direction of travel in this area? Perhaps the Cabinet Secretary could indicate which parts of the historic environment Act are still yet to come into force, and tell us what sort of timescales are involved in ensuring that all aspects of the Act are fully implemented? And, finally, the Cabinet Secretary is aware of my interest in war memorials, and so perhaps I could tease out some information about how this Act, and the Welsh Government’s general policy in this area, is better protecting war memorials across Wales. It’s so important that guidance is developed to help local authorities and all stakeholders to manage Wales’s historic environment carefully and sustainably for the benefit of present and future generations, and I look forward to scrutinising the Welsh Government in this area to better protect and support our historical sites for the future. Diolch.