2. 2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:38 pm on 26 September 2017.

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Photo of Jane Hutt Jane Hutt Labour 2:38, 26 September 2017

Thank you, Huw Irranca-Davies. It’s important that we have that second question in terms of cavity wall insulation so that I can, again, assure Members that the competent person schemes were introduced into the building regulations in 2010 and included the insertion of insulation into cavity walls. These schemes allow installers to install insulation and to self-certify the work complies with the building regulations. The Cabinet Secretary has recently approved proposals to strengthen the requirements we place on competent person schemes to help ensure that only suitable properties are insulated. The new proposals include greater surveillance by the competent person scheme operators, as I’ve said, of their installers to help identify bad practice and non-compliant work, and these are going to be introduced from 1 October.

On your second point, which is very worrying—and you’ve drawn this to our attention today—in terms of what is described as unregulated facial procedures, following Royal Assent in July—this July, 2017—the Welsh Government is now developing the regulations for the new special procedures licensing system, which requires engagement with a wide range of professional practitioner groups to get the right support, guidance and enforcement procedures in place to enable high levels of compliance. We will give local authorities time to bed in these new special procedures in terms of that licensing system before we add any new ones, but over 2,000 practitioners and 900 premises in Wales will need to be reassessed under the requirements of the new licensing system.

You have got the Cabinet Secretary responsible for transport sitting next to me here today in terms of the lateness of the 17:19 from Cardiff to Maesteg, and he says he will ensure that this won’t happen. He is going to meet Arriva in the next month, and he’ll raise it with them, because we take customer satisfaction very seriously, particularly in relation to commuter services at that time of day for those travelling west out of Cardiff.