Housing is something really close to my heart, as a previous cabinet member for housing who delivered over 250 homes in Powys. It is something I'm very, very keen to talk about. So, since the election here 10 months ago, we have frequently debated housing in this Chamber. But today, I don't think we are any further forward with any practical solutions to the current housing crisis. But it's the younger generations who are suffering the most. They're the ones who are struggling to get the housing that they need. There's a lack of good-quality affordable homes, and it continues to be a major issue for this Senedd.

I will hear the Minister say that you are building more homes. Yes, but is this actually keeping up with demand? The simple answer is 'no'. It's nowhere near the huge demand for housing that there is in this country. The most recent statistics show that the dwellings built last year were 4,314. That's 30 per cent lower than last year, and that's just simply not good enough. The average house price in my constituency has risen massively to £270,000, and it's only going to get worse with the lack of supply and the mass migration of people out of cities to rural Wales.

In Brecon and Radnorshire, the figures for new builds are significantly worse than in south Wales. And why is that, you ask. Because we have the Natural Resources Wales phosphates regulations, which, as my colleague Janet Finch-Saunders said, were well intentioned, but they are having the result of stalled house building. Planning is log-jammed, applications are at a standstill. That's affecting commercial and residential applications and harming the rural economy. This over-regulation and bureaucracy, introduced by Government, is bringing development in my area and across rural Wales and others to a complete standstill, and is keeping many young people locked out of the housing market for a generation.

Housing supply is not keeping up with demand. This is not just a private sector issue. The social housing sector is suffering as well. There are millions of pounds of Welsh Government grants stuck in limbo due to the inability to get building. The local authority local development plans are no longer worth the paper they're written on. They're in disarray, and housing targets are going to be missed again and again.

We have a situation in Powys where the council are having to use B&Bs and temporary accommodation, not just in the short term, but as long-term solutions to address homelessness. This is against Welsh Government policies, but they have to do that because there simply aren't enough properties being built or available to house the homeless people and the most vulnerable people in our society.

We are seeing young people being forced out of our area, out of the communities that they call home, as they cannot afford to rent and they cannot afford to buy. If houses do come on the market, they're put on for sky-rocketing prices and then a bidding war breaks out, with houses going for thousands and thousands of pounds over the asking price. Whilst I do welcome people moving into Wales from cities such as London, seeking that better Welsh life, this cannot be at the expense of local people or the younger generations who have no way to compete with these people due to the lower wages we see here in Wales.

I know, Minister, that mid Wales is probably not the top of your priority list, but surely you have to see that there needs to be a fresh look at how to tackle our housing crisis. For a start, the phosphate regulations need to be looked at, a solution found and development allowed to occur. I would welcome the abolition of land transaction tax, to bring us in line with other areas of the United Kingdom to give young people saving for a deposit a chance. I would also like to see an increase in the rent-to-buy threshold, so that more properties would be eligible and more tenants would be able to rent a home with the end goal of purchasing that property if they want to.

We need to look at our existing housing stock in Wales. How do we upgrade these properties? How do we comply with the Welsh housing standard? How do we incentivise home owners and landlords to carry out improvement works to make these homes fit for the future when no funding is coming forward? I would like to see, as Mike Hedges, Janet and, I'm sure, other people would say, more empty dwellings being brought back into use, and this Government must launch radical schemes to bring those properties back into use and not just talk about it.

Everyone across this Chamber, including myself, is in favour of taking in Ukrainian refugees, and supporting their fight against an imperialist Russian dictator, but when these people come here, who are fleeing persecution, they must be able to go into good-quality homes. There is a chance—