The report highlighted that Wales has some of the oldest and least efficient housing in western Europe, and that around one in eight of Welsh homes is in fuel poverty. It noted further that Citizens Advice reports that more than 66,000 households in Wales have fallen behind on their energy bills since the start of the pandemic, and that disabled people are four times more likely to be in energy debt. The report also highlighted analysis by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence that vulnerable people living in a cold home have an increased chance of serious illness and bad health or death, and are at higher risk of heart attack, of stroke, of breathing problems, of flu, of depression and falls. So, the case for good energy efficiency, including retrofitting, is clear. It's compelling, it's urgent. But to have confidence in the next steps on that essential journey, we also need to give people confidence that when things go wrong, as they sometimes will, then things will be put right quickly and efficiently. This has not been the case in Caerau and in some other places in Wales and the UK affected by poor installation of internal and external wall cladding. 

There was an independent assessment published in July 2020 of just 36 sample homes in Caerau, which were part of that 2012-13 community energy savings programme/Arbed 1 energy efficiency programme. It reported that all of the sample of 36 homes surveyed—all of them—were found to have some form of defect caused by poor workmanship. Regardless of whether they were taking part in a Bridgend County Borough Council, Welsh Government, or UK Government scheme—regardless—the total cost of repairing all the homes in Caerau is estimated at anything up to £1.1 million. I've argued consistently to Ministers for some time—to this Minister and to previous Ministers in the last Senedd term—that the resolution must lie in a co-funded scheme, drawing on contributions in funds or operationally from all those who had a part to play in the 2012-13 schemes. That must include UK Government and Welsh Government, the UK regulator, as a proxy for the large energy companies that levy-funded these schemes, and local authorities involved in administering parts of the schemes too.

The Welsh Government have, indeed, recognised the problems that can arise and that did arise from some of the early schemes. In 2018, Welsh Government commissioned a report entitled 'External Wall Insulation (EWI) Project guide: Procurement guide for EWI, tailored for Local Authorities and RSLs'. To set the context, it noted that approximately a quarter of dwellings in Wales are of solid-wall construction, one in 25 are non-traditional system build, and just over one in 10 are narrow-cavity construction. It notes that

'Improving the thermal performance of dwellings with these wall types is done by applying insulation to either the internal or external façade'. 

It notes that these are a

'significantly more costly process than the more common improvement measures mentioned earlier. It can however considerably reduce energy bills and improve comfort in such dwellings.'

So far so good. But just to note that the majority of defects and damage in Caerau have involved exactly this type of installation, mainly with external wall cladding, but some with internal wall cladding too. So, I and residents note with interest that this report I refer to goes on to say, and I quote:

'Unfortunately, recent studies have identified instances of undesirable side effects when homes have been retrospectively insulated, affecting both cavity and solid wall dwellings. This has resulted in increased condensation and mould growth in dwellings and subsequent damage to the building fabric.'

It goes on to detail common underlying causes that include poor procurement, installation and maintenance. They actually include all of the factors that my constituents will be familiar with in Caerau, such as poor surveying standards from the outset; lack of a robust design system; selections of properties inappropriate for the chosen measures; poor specifications; no details employed to address the levels of exposure or the potential for thermal bridging; lack of on-site quality checking; and lack of ongoing checking and maintenance following the installation works.