7. Will the First Minister provide an update on the delivery of the Arbed scheme in South Wales Central? OAQ54213

Llywydd, over its lifetime, to date, Arbed has delivered schemes in South Wales Central to tackle fuel poverty benefiting over 3,000 properties. There are nine schemes in development for this year, in all parts of the region. 

First Minister, there's an old joke about how many people it takes to change a light bulb, but the question should be: what does it cost your Welsh Labour Government to change a light bulb in Wales? The answer is up to £245 under Labour's Arbed scheme, because that is what contractors have been encouraged to charge for 'soft' lighting measures—in effect, changing light bulbs. And for water measures, which simply involves screwing an aerator into a tap, less than a couple of minutes' work, the price is up to £124. Are you also aware that your Government, in the fight against climate change, is paying Arbed to change boilers that can basically be brand-new, and they're installing less energy-efficient boilers? And that's the contractors themselves telling me that. This is because, once an area is identified for Arbed support, every house in the area is eligible to apply, with no due diligence, regardless of circumstances. So, I would say that your due diligence on Arbed is an embarrassment. People in Wales are struggling, facing costs across the board, and yet your Government is paying £240 to change one of these—up to £240, and £124 for an aerator. Do you acknowledge these figures? How can you justify them? And will you now launch an inquiry?

Llywydd, the Arbed contract was extensively scrutinised on the floor of this Assemby. The award of the contract was challenged by Members of this Assembly. Meetings were organised and reports produced in order to giver confidence to Members of the Assembly that the contract had been properly awarded, and that it would continue to add to the 54,000 homes in Wales that, as a result of the Arbed scheme, are now prospering as a result of it, and that 6,000 more homes in Wales will benefit from Arbed 3. That is the big picture here. There are families who were living in fuel poverty that are not living in fuel poverty today. They were people who were living in unacceptable conditions. They now live in homes that are well insulated and well heated. I think that's a matter to be proud of. I understand that the Member doesn't.FootnoteLink

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