Diolch. And I wish to remind Members of my own declaration of interest in terms of property ownership—second homes, holiday let. Owning your own home is one of the major bulwarks of individual freedom and choice. Home ownership provides you with the security and confidence to develop local roots, to become part of your local community, safe in the knowledge that your home is your own. For many years, it has been a main aspiration for the many across our society, an ambition that, sadly, this Labour Government has failed to recognise or support; rather, their efforts have been focused on creating a generation of rent. They would rather see our constituents paying rent out and not having the opportunity to invest their hard-earned funds to build equity in the property they call home. I have to say that there is also the fact too, though, that owning your own home isn't for everyone, and we as Welsh Conservatives recognise that.

But it is absolutely shocking in this day and age to see the number of our families and children who are living in temporary accommodation such as hotel rooms, bed and breakfasts or homes on temporary bases, with no security of tenure, leaving many living a life in limbo, with no foreseeable prospect and, as many described to me, a feeling of helplessness and despair. Therefore, we seek to address this crisis on a whole-scale approach, using a varied and wide selection of policies and initiatives.

Now, let us look at the last 22 years of devolution, with Welsh Labour propped up by Plaid Cymru and the Lib Dems. Over the past two years, new dwellings commenced have fallen by 30 per cent; new dwellings completed down by 23 per cent. Last year, we needed 12,000 new dwellings, yet the Welsh Government oversaw a shortfall of 7,384. Now, since Holmans' report was published in 2015, the lack of delivery here has deprived our nation of 30,074 new homes. These are so badly needed by our young people and families in communities right across Wales, and you cannot blame the pandemic.