Now, as the Minister will be aware, this is not the first time I've called on the Welsh Government to protect war memorials in Wales. Back in 2012, I put forward many of the same arguments that I will today to the then Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage, Huw Lewis. I have to say, the Minister's response was sincere, and at that time he committed to bringing forward proposals that would strengthen the protection of war memorials across the country. Sadly, whilst his sentiments were very much welcome, in reality, very little was done. And so I say, with the greatest of respect to the Deputy Minister, that I hope that the Welsh Government will start to take this matter very seriously. The then Minister said, and I quote:

'In terms of a statutory duty to protect, we now have an open process in the development of the heritage Bill in order to take a good, long look at that, although we must remember the complexity of the patterns of responsibility that Paul has already outlined.'

However, the subsequent Historic Environment (Wales) Act 2016 did not include any measure specifically to protect war memorials. Therefore, it remains a great source of regret that, in Wales, the only legislation specific to war memorials is the War Memorials (Local Authorities' Powers) Act 1923, and subsequent amendments. And so, above all else today, I sincerely hope the Deputy Minister will commit to reviewing the legislation around the protection of war memorials, and work with stakeholders to tighten up that legislation, and bring it into the twenty-first century. I'm sure the Deputy Minister will agree with me that this is the very least that our fallen heroes deserve.

Therefore, the first commitment that I ask of the Welsh Government today is to begin to undertake a nationwide, up-to-date inventory of war memorials in Wales. I appreciate that this is no small feat, but it's so important that data is recorded that details the number and locations of all war memorials here in Wales. This could be done via local authorities, who may be better placed to identify and draw up a list of the war memorials in their respective areas. Of course, I accept that, in some cases, memorials may be on private land, or, for example, located at a school or church, and, as such, the responsibility for maintaining those memorials would lie with them. And even today, I received correspondence regarding the vulnerability of unofficial war memorials, and the need for greater protection for them. Therefore, it's crucial that the Welsh Government works with local authorities to ascertain where our war memorials are located, and under whose stewardship.

Now, I accept that, as part of Cymru'n Cofio Wales Remembers 1914-1918, the centenary programme of commemoration of the first world war, Cadw launched the grants for war memorials in Wales scheme. As I understand it, it was developed in partnership with the War Memorials Trust, and aimed to provide funding for the repair and conservation of memorials across Wales, and that initiative is very, very much welcome. But funding is only one piece of the puzzle, and so it's vital that, moving forward, the Welsh Government works with organisations like Cadw and the War Memorials Trust, and also local stakeholders and authorities, to ensure that those memorials most in need of repair are identified, and, indeed, prioritised.

Therefore, I'd like to once again put it to the Welsh Government that there should be a statutory duty on local authorities to protect our war memorials. As I said back in 2012, this would mean that the legal duty would require local authorities across Wales to ensure that war memorials in their areas are maintained. We know that the war memorials Act 1923 permits local authorities to use public money for the maintenance of memorials, but councils are under no obligation to do so. This would involve ensuring that each local authority, working closely with community groups and organisations, have a specific custodian whose job it would be to identify and preserve war memorials in their areas. There's also an opportunity with the role to include some outreach educational work, to promote war memorials in local areas, for example, by visiting schools, and talking to children and young people. The creation of this role would send a clear statement that the Welsh Government is honouring its heroes by breathing new life. into their stories and ensuring that our future generations fully understand their significance in our history. It's a great shame that there are a number of local authorities across Wales where there is not a point of contact for the local community to find out more about memorials in their areas, and that is something that desperately needs to change.

It's only through collaboration between the Welsh Government, local authorities and local communities that we can ensure that war memorials are being protected properly. Therefore, it's my view that a statutory duty on local authorities to provide a conservation custodian or war memorials officer would be the best way to establish a point of contact for the public, develop partnerships with local community groups and organisations, which have already established responsibility for some memorials in the area, and, indeed, to forge links with local schools to educate children and young people about the importance of war memorials and to tell the stories of the great sacrifices made for us.

Of course, some community groups already do a fantastic job of protecting war memorials and they should be encouraged to continue to do so. Those groups must be allowed to continue their work and we must support the efforts of community groups, which have established responsibility for memorials in Wales. However, a strong, working relationship with a point of contact at a local authority would strengthen the level of protection offered to their war memorials and may be a way of better safeguarding them at a time when thefts and damage to memorials are actually on the rise.

And my final proposals, Dirprwy Lywydd, is to call on the Welsh Government to ensure that local authorities have the very best resources possible to combat those who are targeting war memorials for scrap metal. It's beyond comprehension why someone would choose to steal a memorial, or parts of it, but, sadly, this does happen. And we must remember that these are not victimless crimes at all—they are crimes against society and have far-reaching consequences for our communities. Therefore, I'm pleased that in 2013, the UK Government brought in the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 to strengthen the regulations around scrap metal dealers and to tighten up the current regime.

The legislation now requires all individuals and businesses to complete an enhanced application process to obtain a scrap metal dealer licence, giving local authorities the power to reject unsuitable applicants and revoke licences. That legislation has had a huge impact, in fact, and it's estimated that metal theft had fallen by more than three-quarters in the first four years of the legislation coming into existence. However, there's always more that can be done. I'm sure that the Deputy Minister is already aware of the state-of-the-art SmartWater signature that is visible only under ultraviolet light, which will help police to trace stolen memorials. Once applied, SmartWater is virtually impossible to remove and can withstand burning, sandblasting and long-term exposure to UV. This is one way of protecting war memorials, and I hope that the Welsh Government would agree to developing a wider partnership with the SmartWater Foundation and the War Memorials Trust to use this powerful deterrent and ensure that our local authorities have access to it.

In closing, we have an opportunity to extend our scope of remembrance and show our armed forces community our utmost respect by pledging to protect war memorials in Wales. I for one am proud of Wales's military heritage and I believe that the Welsh Government should do everything within its power to work with others to help protect and promote our war memorials. This is about honouring our heroes and providing opportunities for our children and young people to learn more about them and the ultimate price they paid for our freedom. Therefore, I do call on the Welsh Government to genuinely commit to doing more to protect war memorials in Wales. We owe our fallen heroes nothing less.