There are two parts to this motion before us today: first of all, the potential of a vacant land tax, and then, secondly, the deficiencies of the protocol. On the first element, I think there are strong arguments in favour of considering the introduction of a vacant land tax. It would, of course, help to tackle scenarios where large developers abuse the system in order to inflate profits at the expense of communities. Peter Fox said that we need to focus on improving people's lives and not obsess with process. Well, if so, give the Welsh Government the powers to proceed with that work, because this practice of land banking is immoral and wrong, and it's quite right that this Senedd should seek powers to address that issue effectively. There's a similar tax already in place in the Republic of Ireland, which is a levy on vacant plots, and we need similar powers in this place in order to help to tackle the housing crisis in Wales. 

Having said that, there are questions remaining of course that need to be answered before such a tax could be introduced. We'd need to ensure that the tax targets developments that have been deliberately delayed and doesn't impact on those that have failed to make progress for entirely valid reasons. There are pros and there are cons, but it's a matter for this Senedd to discuss and refine those arguments, because they are operational considerations—considerations that come after the high level inter-governmental debate on the principle of devolving or not devolving. And this brings us to the second part of the motion.