Thank you, Llywydd. The aim of this Bill is to abolish permanently the right to buy and the right to acquire in Wales. I'm afraid this amendment does cause the Government difficulty because it is complete abolition that provides a significant incentive for social landlords to invest in new properties, safe in the knowledge that they won’t be lost through the right to buy after a relatively short period of time. Temporary abolition, sought by amendment 6, provides no such certainty for social landlords to invest in building new houses. Indeed, evidence from the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee stakeholder sessions noted that local authorities are seeking assurance beyond that provided by temporary suspension that their future investments will be protected. 

The existing housing Measure enables local authorities to apply for the right to buy to be suspended for five years, and that can be extended to 10 years upon application and the provision of supporting evidence. Therefore, it has to be said that this amendment provides little advance on the current legislation. The temporary period would introduce confusion in the sector and not provide the long-term incentive for landlords to invest in new stock. As Siân Gwenllian said, if a future Government wishes to reintroduce the right to buy, well that would be a matter for them, but it was a manifesto commitment for this Government—and, as outlined by Siân Gwenllian, it was a manifesto commitment for Plaid Cymru too—to abolish the right to buy to safeguard the stock for use by people in the greatest housing need. Therefore, I urge Members to vote against amendment 6 and the related amendments.