, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Decarbonisation of Housing - evidence session 3
So, if there were to be some sort of low or zero-rated loan scheme, private landlords would take that up, would they, if they got enough clarity on the technical detail?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Decarbonisation of Housing - evidence session 3
Okay. Do your members understand that they too have responsibilities? They can't just leave it to local authorities, or just leave it to Welsh Government; they own these properties, and therefore they have responsibilities to ensure that they're much more…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Decarbonisation of Housing - evidence session 3
Okay. What is the role of Rent Smart Wales is transmitting the message that we can't hand around on this one any longer, that we absolutely have to get on with it for all the energy security and fuel poverty issues that we don't need to rehearse?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Decarbonisation of Housing - evidence session 3
No.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Decarbonisation of Housing - evidence session 3
Yes, but D is just very, very cold and people are spending ridiculous sums of money and it still doesn't make the property warm. So, there's got to be something much greater that's got to happen in the context of the rise and rise of energy prices.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Decarbonisation of Housing - evidence session 3
Okay. Well, let's just focus on fabric first. So many of the properties in my constituency in Cardiff Central, and it would be very similar in Swansea—the landlord wouldn't live in these conditions, so we have to move now, before the next winter. What are we…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Decarbonisation of Housing - evidence session 3
Okay. Just going back, the private rented sector is where the highest number of fuel-poor households now are, because obviously the social housing sector has made a lot more progress in this regard. So, what are the carrots and sticks that will get the…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Decarbonisation of Housing - evidence session 3
Chair, I'm in your hands. I've got a series of questions, particularly on the private rented sector, but I'm happy to ask them now or later.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Decarbonisation of Housing - evidence session 2
Thank you.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Decarbonisation of Housing - evidence session 2
Yes, because at the moment the problems are in the private landlord and the owner-occupier sector, where people are just not paying attention.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Decarbonisation of Housing - evidence session 2
How do we actually have a level playing field so that all tenures realise they've got to meet these targets? Is it some sort of independent quality assurance scheme that everybody's got to meet by a certain date?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Decarbonisation of Housing - evidence session 2
Yes, if there's time. Just briefly, just to ask how you think the next two phases of the optimised retrofit programme should differ in the approach to the earlier phases, bearing in mind that we've got to really raise our game across all tenures. Neil.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Decarbonisation of Housing - evidence session 2
Thank you very much. I just wanted to highlight something that was in your written evidence, which is that, as soon as you start having a community energy scheme, you then have a whole load of Government tariffs and network transport costs that you don't get…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Decarbonisation of Housing - evidence session 2
Okay, thank you. Unless anybody else has something to add, I'll hand back to the Chair.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Decarbonisation of Housing - evidence session 2
Okay. So, are you saying that WHQS needs to be less clunky and revised to enable providers to make rational decisions in terms of individual properties and all the other things they have to take into account about fuel poverty and the need to change the…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Decarbonisation of Housing - evidence session 2
Well, we'll have to scrutinise some of the other organisations.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Decarbonisation of Housing - evidence session 2
Okay. Just because we're short of time, I'll just move on to asking you whether the current approach under the ORP sufficiently focuses on maximising the life of existing components. One of you made a very important point about not needing to replace kitchens…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Decarbonisation of Housing - evidence session 2
Fine, okay. But if these building renovation passports are, obviously, easy to read—Daily Mirror style—where is the information being captured as to how we replicate the excellent projects you've delivered elsewhere?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Decarbonisation of Housing - evidence session 2
Okay. As somebody who never reads technical manuals, I completely agree that it's got to be jargon-free, and I think that's been picked up by other witnesses. However, there is another audience, which is obviously the construction industry, that needs to…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Decarbonisation of Housing - evidence session 2
You're no longer frozen. Happy days.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Decarbonisation of Housing - evidence session 2
We can hear you, yes.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Decarbonisation of Housing - evidence session 2
Oh, Louise. But I think she's frozen.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Decarbonisation of Housing - evidence session 2
What role do these building renovation passports play, do you think, in educating the private sector, whether landlords or owner-occupiers? Who wants to go on that one because at the moment everybody seems to be frozen?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Decarbonisation of Housing - evidence session 2
Okay. I beg your pardon. Tom.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Decarbonisation of Housing - evidence session 2
Neil. Neil was unmuted.
