, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Climate Change: Welsh Housing Quality Standard 2
Thank you, Janet.
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Climate Change: Welsh Housing Quality Standard 2
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…
, Plenary
Debate on a Member's Legislative Proposal: Alun Davies (Blaenau Gwent)—The impact of storm overflows
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. As all Members have said, there's been a lot of media coverage recently about water quality and sewage discharges into waterways, and, as Alun pointed out in his submission, the UK Government has legislated to set targets for water…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
I'd expect Welsh Water to take into account a hierarchy of issues. The first is to prevent flooding. That's absolutely the first—loss of limb or life and to prevent flooding; that's the first thing they have to do. So, if they're looking at a building up of…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Thank you, Tom. The Welsh Government funds risk-management authorities, such as local authorities and Natural Resources Wales, to reduce flood risk. Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water are responsible for managing their own sewerage assets. We encourage all parties to work…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
I absolutely agree entirely with you there, Sam Rowlands. There are significant opportunities from optimising the social value of our natural resources, including through the generation of local clean energy. And as you rightly identify, it's not the quantity…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
I certainly recognise the substantial economic opportunity north Wales can realise from renewable energy. I'm working with the Minister for Economy and other Cabinet colleagues to capture the benefits from our energy transition, including through the regional…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Yes, we absolutely welcome the move by a large number of small and medium-sized producers right across Wales to low-carbon housing. We will also be bringing forward changes to our building regulations—my colleague Lee Waters will be bringing forward changes…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Yes, absolutely. I'm very happy to do just that, because we're very keen to unlock those green jobs. You will know that our Net Zero Wales plan highlights how we're looking to reduce emissions whilst delivering those wider benefits that you've just outlined…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Diolch, Cefin. The Welsh Government offers a wide range of support to help businesses reduce their environmental impact. This includes our Business Wales resource efficiency advisers, who, since 2016, have supported 170 Pembrokeshire businesses in improving…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
I absolutely do think that. One of the issues we've had is where we have had small construction companies that have gone out of business as a result or the guarantor scheme has gone down. So, we'll certainly be looking to explore guarantor schemes where the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Diolch, Siân. I have some sympathy with what you're saying, obviously. What we've been doing, as you know, is working with Fortem Energy Services, the scheme manager for Arbed 2, to review the position of all residents who benefited from the external wall…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
It's intermittent. I can hear it sometimes, and not—
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Diolch, Siân. Seven hundred and forty-two households in Arfon benefited from home energy efficiency improvements under the Arbed 2 scheme, estimated to have saved them on average around £300 on their domestic energy bills annually.
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Yes. I'm very tempted to just say 'yes' and sit down. [Laughter.] Absolutely, we've already done something in Wales that has not been done in the rest of the UK, and that is, through the Welsh housing quality standard, we've brought all our social housing up…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Apologies, I lost a little bit of the translation there, but I got the gist of it, I think, so, forgive me if I haven't got a nuance, especially right at the end there. I don't know why it suddenly cut out for some reason. So, we absolutely welcome the work…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Provisional Common Frameworks: Air Quality, and Chemicals and Pesticides—evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
Diolch. Diolch, Llyr.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Provisional Common Frameworks: Air Quality, and Chemicals and Pesticides—evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
We'll go over to Olwen there.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Provisional Common Frameworks: Air Quality, and Chemicals and Pesticides—evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
Again, I'll see if the officials want to add to this, but basically we can agree, if we see fit, that the United Kingdom Government, as it would be acting in that capacity, can legislate for all of us and put various frameworks in place for all of us should…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Provisional Common Frameworks: Air Quality, and Chemicals and Pesticides—evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
That's for another session, I think it's fair to say.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Provisional Common Frameworks: Air Quality, and Chemicals and Pesticides—evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
No, no. I didn't quite, I don't think. [Laughter.]
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Provisional Common Frameworks: Air Quality, and Chemicals and Pesticides—evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
No, there are no new duties as a result of the framework. I'm sure the committee will be wanting to invite Lee or myself, or both of us, back to discuss air quality in Wales, at which point we can have a discussion about our conversations with NRW about the…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Provisional Common Frameworks: Air Quality, and Chemicals and Pesticides—evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
Only in reporting terms. Olwen, do you want to come in on the technicalities of any of that?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Provisional Common Frameworks: Air Quality, and Chemicals and Pesticides—evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
Absolutely not, Huw. This isn't even a contemplation for us in terms of what we're doing on the clean air Act. Officials will keep other officials in the UK nations abreast of where we are in Wales on a no-surprises basis, and indeed, actually, feed back…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Provisional Common Frameworks: Air Quality, and Chemicals and Pesticides—evidence session with the Minister for Climate Change
Very clearly, if there is a dispute about whether something should or shouldn't happen under any of the frameworks, then you would expect it to stop the action of the particular Government that's causing the dispute while we sort out the dispute. We'd want…
