6. Will the First Minister provide an update on the Arbed scheme in Arfon? OAQ53965

Thank you, Siân Gwenllian, for that question. During the period of Arbed 2, schemes were delivered in the Arfon area. Discussions continue with Gwynedd county council to explore further possible schemes during Arbed 3.

Constituents from Carmel, Deiniolen, y Fron and Dinorwig have expressed concern about the quality of the work done under the Arbed scheme that you mentioned, and that happened four years ago: external cladding not put on correctly and therefore causing dampness, drainage pipes being deficient, cracked walls, cracked render, plaster having cracked inside the house following the work, damage to roofs, and discolouration of the external cladding. I have been in correspondence with the environment Minister on this, but the problems continue. Will your Government review this situation and have an external report to look at the quality of the work and, more importantly, to recommend what the Government can do to assist my constituents?

Well, thank you, Siân Gwenllian, for those questions. I'm aware of the issues that the Member refers to and also her correspondence with Lesley Griffiths on behalf of her constituents. She will know that the conclusion of the recent independent report of the work undertaken previously on Arbed in Arfon was that it wasn't failures of the scheme that were responsible for some of the things they have complained about. I have read that independent report personally to order to see exactly what it said. Now, I know that some of the things that people complained about did not fall within the scope of the independent review that we've held at present, and officials are now considering whether some other issues will require independent advice. So, thank you for raising those points; we're still in the process of considering this within Government.