3. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:12 pm on 4 December 2018.

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Photo of Julie James Julie James Labour 5:12, 4 December 2018

Yes, I couldn't concur more with the campaign. I thought the housing Minister endorsed it in a very clear statement. Somebody asking for sex instead of rent is not a landlord—they are a criminal. It could not be any more straightforward than that. And, of course, we share yours and many other people's concern that vulnerable people are put into this position, driven there by some of the debt issues that I discussed earlier. And in the run-up to Christmas, people are particularly vulnerable to that. I think it is very important to send that very clear message: any landlord who thinks that that's okay is fooling themselves. It is not okay. It is a criminal act, and I think we cannot be any clearer than that. 

I know that we're working very hard to make sure that any advertisements are picked up, although that's not devolved to us. I know the housing Minister has this concern very much at the heart, and we certainly will be taking forward a range of measures to see what we can do to stamp out this really absolutely vile practice.