The first part of my legislative proposal is for the Welsh Government, via local authorities, to undertake a nationwide, up-to-date inventory of war memorials in Wales. I know that some work has been done by Cadw on this front via the Cymru'n Cofio Wales Remembers programme, but it's so important that up-to-date data is recorded and regularly monitored to confirm the number and locations of war memorials in Wales. I believe that this could be best done via local authorities, who should be better placed to identify and draw up a list of the war memorials in each of their areas. As I've said in previous debates, there will be occasions where some 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 the owner of that land. However, key to protecting Wales's war memorials is knowing exactly where they are and what condition they are in. 

Secondly, the Deputy Minister will not be surprised to hear that I believe there should be a statutory duty on local authorities to protect war memorials in their own areas, which would mean that there is a legal duty to ensure that war memorials in their areas are maintained. I've long called for legislation to place a statutory duty on local authorities to protect war memorials in their areas, and whilst the Welsh Government continues to consider the idea, no strong commitment to legislation has yet been given. Of course, we know that the War Memorials (Local Authorities' Powers) Act 1923 permits local authorities to use public money for the maintenance of memorials, but councils are under no obligation to do so. Placing a statutory duty on local authorities would ensure that every public war memorial is safeguarded and preserved. This would involve ensuring that each local authority had a specific custodian whose job it would be to identify and preserve war memorials in their areas. In this capacity, that individual would work closely with community groups and organisations to gather as much information as possible about the memorials and the people whose names are on them. Sadly, in many local authorities there isn't a point of contact for people to find out more about the memorials in the area, and that is something that I believe really needs to change. 

To my mind, 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. Some war memorials may be of special architectural or historic interest, and could also be representative of a particular type of work, and so often local communities are able to tell you facts about memorials that aren't always public knowledge. Therefore it's vital that there is a genuine partnership between local authorities and community groups so that local culture and history can be fully explored and appreciated for the future. Of course, some community groups already do a fantastic job of protecting war memorials, and they should be encouraged to continue to do so. However, the support of someone within the local authority would help strengthen the work already done by many community groups and offer them practical advice and assistance on everything from historical tracking to maintenance and conservation. 

As I've said in previous debates, there's also an opportunity for this role to include some outreach educational work, for example, by visiting schools and talking to children and young people. This is so important in educating our children and young people about previous conflicts and the sacrifices made by people in their local community. I seriously believe that the creation of this role would send a strong message that the Welsh Government is doing what it can to honour its heroes and preserve its military heritage. At the same time, it also shows the Welsh Government is committed to ensuring that our future generations never forget the sacrifices that were made by so many for our freedoms. Appointing a conservation custodian or a war memorial officer in communities would be the best way to establish a point of contact for the public, develop partnerships with local community groups, and build stronger community links with schools to educate children and young people about the importance of war memorials and to tell the stories of our fallen heroes.

I'm sure the Deputy Minister will agree that the maintenance and preservation of war memorials is no easy feat. Each memorial is different and, as such, it should be repaired and preserved in response to its individual needs. Many memorials will require professional specialist advice to correctly assess the memorial's condition and establish the right way to repair or preserve the memorial, and that costs money. A conservation custodian or war memorial officer could support community groups in their bid to attract grant funding for particular projects, and make the case to a council for them to intervene and support a project. 

Finally, I believe it's crucial that the Welsh Government works with local authorities to ascertain where our war memorials are located and under whose stewardship. It's so important that the Welsh Government ensures that councils have adequate support and funding to address incidents of vandalism, and to also combat those who target war memorials for scrap metal. I cannot make it any clearer: these are not victimless crimes at all. They are crimes against society, and we should leave no stone unturned in identifying ways to stop those who attempt to remove war memorials.

The Deputy Minister will, of course, be aware of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013, which was brought in to strengthen the regulations around scrap metal dealers, and to tighten up the current regime. That legislation, which was brought in in 2013, means that all individuals and businesses must complete a rigorous application process to obtain a scrap metal dealer licence, and also gives local authorities the power to reject unsuitable applicants and revoke licences. It's really a positive step forward, but there's always more that can be done.

I'm also campaigning for the Welsh Government to provide local authorities with the state-of-the-art SmartWater signature. SmartWater is a crime prevention fluid that makes war memorials uniquely identifiable, and offers robust traceability should a theft occur. It's only visible under ultraviolet light, which can help police to trace stolen memorials, and, once applied, it's virtually impossible to remove, withstanding burning, sand blasting and long-term exposure to ultraviolet light. This is one way of protecting war memorials, and I hope the Welsh Government would agree to developing a wider partnership with the SmartWater Foundation and, indeed, the War Memorials Trust to use this powerful deterrent and ensure our local authorities have access to it.

That's not to say that some work hasn't been done to protect memorials in Wales, and I'm very grateful to those at Cadw who've worked with local communities and individuals to create conservation maintenance plans. However, the reality is that there are many war memorials without custodians, and those memorials deserve our time and respect too. And so, above all else today, I sincerely hope the Deputy Minister will confirm that she will review the legislation around the protection of war memorials, and work with stakeholders like the War Memorials Trust and Cadw to tighten up that legislation and bring it into the twenty-first century.

Llywydd, in closing I sincerely hope the Welsh Government will give these proposals the time and attention that they deserve, and I'd be happy to work with any Member in this Chamber to better protect Wales's war memorials. This debate is titled 'We will remember them', and protecting and preserving war memorials is one way to honour our fallen heroes. And it's more than that. It's also about creating 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 prioritise the protection of our military heritage in this Parliament, and commit to doing more to protect war memorials here in Wales. Thank you.