Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Today, I'm launching the formal consultation for the proposed Welsh housing quality standard 2023. The original WHQS, as it's colloquially known, was introduced in 2002 to boost the quality of social housing in Wales. Together with our social landlord delivery partners, we have invested billions of pounds over two decades to significantly improve and maintain the quality of social homes across Wales through the WHQS, and it has really worked. By the end of 2020, 99 per cent of social housing in Wales met the original WHQS, a standard that is much more demanding than in any of the other home nations. 

WHQS has always been an anti-poverty standard, ensuring high-quality housing to some of our most vulnerable households and communities. Spanning six administrations, WHQS is an example of how Governments can, indeed, take the long view, investing in long-term policies and programmes, with long-term funding models. We've enabled social landlords to confidently invest over the long term in assets and communities, and this has resulted in driving up the standard of social housing in Wales.

Everyone accepts that living in a quality home brings benefits to both the physical and mental well-being of those who live in them. Indeed, the pandemic has fundamentally shifted how people live, how they feel about their homes and what they expect from them. Now is the right time for the standard to be reviewed, acknowledging this shift, as well as the unprecedented cost-of-living crisis facing the people of Wales. And in doing so, we must raise the bar again, going further to ensure social homes meet not just refreshed expectations, but, of course, respond to the climate change emergency by reducing the carbon emissions from social housing.

The proposed standard for WHQS 2023 builds on the excellent achievements of its predecessor. The new standard keeps anti-poverty requirements at its heart, introducing the requirement to provide flooring throughout the home at each new tenancy, improve energy efficiency and minimise exposure to noise, with the aim of putting more money in tenants' pockets and supporting their comfort and well-being. It also introduces water efficiency standards and encourages landlords to consider biodiversity opportunities.

The proposed standard aims to be bold, but ultimately achievable. We aim with our consultation to ensure that the voice of the sector is taken into account in finalising these standards, and getting them just right. I make no apology for proposing what some will see as a bold approach; I'm determined the standards bar should be raised again. In the face of the cost-of-living crisis and climate change emergency, we cannot stand still. We must continue to push progress and set standards to address decarbonisation through a variety of measures in existing social housing. 

The technical elements of the standard have been supported by experts who have looked at what else is happening across the UK and wider afield, and helped to develop a proposed standard that keeps Wales at the front line of decarbonising social housing. The voices of over 900 tenants have been heard to formulate a new standard that reflects their needs, wants and aspirations for their homes. And we have worked very closely with a wide range of stakeholders, listening and taking into account their concerns and challenges during the drafting of the proposed new standard. This collaborative approach has underpinned the development of the WHQS 2023 so far, and will continue to underpin our approach to consulting on and refining the standards moving forward.

The proposed WHQS 2023 standards will be published for consultation from 11 May and will be open for stakeholders to respond for 12 weeks. Our social housing tenants deserve these standards to be the very best we can make them. Meeting our Net Zero Wales targets requires us to make determined progress and I believe these standards will help drive this progress. My firm hope is that these standards will not only be brought to bear for social housing, but that in future other tenures may consider how they too might meet and exceed these expectations, and I encourage views through the consultation on how this standard can work for everyone. Diolch.