Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:09 pm on 4 October 2022.
First of all, house prices in Wales are less expensive than in most other parts of the United Kingdom, not more expensive as Mr Giffard appeared to believe. There are a series of reasons why there are new obstacles in the path of building the number of houses that we need to see here in Wales, both houses for social renting and houses that are built for commercial sale. Brexit means—[Interruption.] Yes, I know. It's such a sigh, isn't it, because every time you tell these people the truth, they want to roll their eyes around their head as though the truth means nothing to them at all. It is a simple truth that, for the people we rely upon in construction, the tap on those people coming into the United Kingdom was turned off by Brexit. That's why your Government—your Government, another u-turn—[Interruption.] I know. Listen carefully; I know it's hard to keep up with them. Another u-turn on behalf of your Government is to reverse what they've said on controlling immigration into this country. Why are they having to do that? Because the decisions that flowed from the Brexit decision mean that we have a labour shortage in the construction industry.
We have supply-side constraints in the construction industry. Eighty per cent of timber that is used in constructing Welsh homes comes from Europe. As a result of your policies, there are new barriers in getting those things, and there are supply-chain problems that builders face. And they are about to face the biggest blow of all. House builders borrow money in order to construct their homes. They're now going to be spending 6 per cent to borrow that money, where, a year ago, they were able to borrow it for 1 per cent. I agree with what Mr Giffard said at the beginning: we need a greater supply of homes here in Wales. Why then would people think kindly of a Government that erects barrier after barrier after barrier to achieving that end?