8. What steps is the Government taking to ensure that appropriate housing is available to meet community need? OQ57882

We exceeded our previous housing commitment in Wales and we continue to build on this. Our 20,000 homes target focuses on increasing homes within the social sector. We've allocated record levels of investment in housing for the next three years to support the need for homes across Wales.

I thank the Deputy Minister for that response. I welcome the progress that's been made and the additional budget towards social housing. If we're to tackle the housing crisis, then of course we must have more social housing available, but they must also be fit for purpose. I've been to see a number of constituents recently who have to live in inappropriate accommodation. Take Claire, for example, a mother of four, two of them babies, and she lives in the uppermost flat and has to carry the pram up, leave the baby upstairs, then go back down, get the other pram and so on and so forth, and then has to go down for the third or fourth time then to get the shopping. It's totally inappropriate housing for her, and the flat is also cold and damp. Claire is one example of many in my constituency, never mind examples in every other constituency too. 

We also know that there is demand for bungalows for people with mobility needs or elderly people, and there's increasing demand for one-bedroomed housing for a particular group of people within our society. What steps are you taking as a Government, then, not only to build more homes but also to identify people's needs and ensure that those new homes either meet that need or can easily be adapted, and cheaply, to meet specific needs? 

Well, Mabon ap Gwynfor makes a number of fair points there, and he makes two essential criticisms that the social housing system has not kept up with demand for many decades, which is correct, and that the private sector housing is providing too many of the same types of houses and not catering to the range of needs, such as bungalows, and there's a complex set of problems beneath both of those issues.

We are addressing the first with a very ambitious stretch target of 20,000 low-carbon social homes, which will make a significant difference, and there's progress being made this year in Gwynedd. I'm pleased to see seven housing schemes being funded for social rent, which has the potential to provide 88 homes in the coming years, which will make some difference in those communities. In terms of the broader critique of the way the market can provide a mono approach to housing, a large-volume approach, and not the variety that an ageing population requires, then that does require further disruption to the market model. And we are, as he knows, through our co-operation agreement, trialling a range of different approaches, as well as our modern methods of construction suite of reforms, to encourage well-designed and a greater diversity of houses to replenish the housing stock.

But, ultimately, this is market failure, and we do need, through our foundational economy projects, working with registered social landlords, to stimulate local supply chains and get local small and medium-sized enterprise builders to step back into the housing market rather than doing extensions and garages, which they primarily focus on at the moment because it provides a reliable and quick return. We do need to have a different approach from the market to meet the need he rightly addresses.

I thank the Deputy Minister.