The Social Housing Sector

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:32 pm on 3 May 2022.

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Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour 2:32, 3 May 2022

(Translated)

Llywydd, I'd like to thank Mabon ap Gwynfor for those important points. What he said is true. We have an ambitious target as a Government to build more social housing for rent here in Wales. And I do acknowledge that the sector is facing a number of challenges at the moment. Officials do meet with the sector on a three-weekly basis to monitor the pressures on the supply chains. In terms of the organisations that we're working with, they include the Construction Leadership Council. The last meeting was held on 13 April, and it came to the conclusion that supply chain pressures had stabilised earlier this year. 

Since then, of course, Brexit, as the Member said, and inflation, shortage of labour and the impact of the war in Ukraine, continue to create real pressures in social housing construction. In the last financial year, the Government found more money—£24 million, I believe—in order to assist the sector to cope with the problems arising in those areas. And the Welsh Government is working with partners to mitigate these impacts to the extent that they are within our control or our sphere of influence.