Firstly, I should declare an interest in so far as I've spent over 30 years working in the commercial property market.
I fully understand that a decision needs to be made on the future of Tŷ Hywel, and that during the sixth Senedd, under the previous Welsh Government, the current proposal for Bay 32 was agreed by the Commission to be significantly cheaper than the only other alternative. Doing nothing is not an option and, unfortunately, it looks like it will fall on Members of this Senedd to deal with the issues around Tŷ Hywel's lease expiring. Therefore, I think that it is important that every Member recognises the potential disruption coming next summer, based on the current programme, as our offices are moved offsite for the rest of the Senedd term.
So, before the final decision is made, can more detailed proposals be presented to Members on the temporary relocation plan, especially on how our new offices will be arranged, and how they will link with this Siambr, so that the implications for our work here can be fully understood?
Contributions
19 contributions on record. Newest first, by sitting day. Page 1 of 1. Counted by Siambr
- on the clip
- Not timed: the Record publishes no broadcast time for this contribution, so Siambr cannot place it on the stage.
- on the clip
Cabinet Minister, last Friday evening, residents of Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf in Nantgarw and Taff's Well, as well as communities in Tongwynlais and Gwaelod-y-garth, alerted NRW to a pollution incident in the River Taff, following a toxic leak from GE Aerosapce Wales's engine maintenance plant. We have been told that up to 25,000 litres of kerosene spilled into the river. The impact on people's health and the environmental damage, at least 2 miles downstream, was immediate. Members of the community we have met have spoken of unbearable conditions, which cause headaches, sickness and drowsiness. And then there has been the deadly impact on wildlife and the natural environment all along the river. We have spoken to South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, who were called by NRW, and were first on the scene. They suggested that an incident occurred on the site sometime before they arrived. Finally, we have met with GE Aerospace, who have confirmed that they were the source of the leak and have assured us that the fuel lines have now been isolated to prevent any further spillage. We welcome the ongoing work being undertaken by Natural Resources Wales, Public Health Wales and the emergency services to assess and respond to this extremely serious incident, but many questions remain to be answered. What assurance have you received regarding the volume and chemical make-up of the fuel released, and what further risk is there given that this is an area prone to flooding? What discussions have you had with Natural Resources Wales regarding the next steps being taken around the clean-up operation and habitat restoration, and how long this is likely to last? When can we expect a full and transparent review to identify how, why and when exactly this incident occurred, what safeguards are in place, and what is being done to ensure that this won't happen again? Diolch.
- on the clip
Cabinet Minister, I welcome this Government's commitment to review the land transaction tax and a wider ambition to encourage empty buildings back into use. With Wales barely building half the homes it needs, every empty house counts. One of my constituents in Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf, a small local property developer, has highlighted to me how the tax rules treat uninhabitable properties as residential because they can, in theory, be repaired. But these tumbledown houses, with no services, broken roofs and creeping damp are exactly the ones that we need to become homes. Yet developers pay higher rate land transaction tax on them, discouraging investment and regeneration. Although the empty homes grant helps individual home owners, developers can't use it, and the higher rates refund available for landlords leasing back to councils also doesn't apply. So, as you examine reform, would the Cabinet Minister consider a time-limited tax refund for local developers turning derelict properties into homes? Diolch.
- on the clip
Diolch am eich datganiad heddiw.
Official English translation
Thank you for your statement today.
- on the clip
I'm looking forward to a new development framework for Wales so that it better serves our people, communities and businesses. Simplifying the planning process will be very welcome and will play a crucial role in increasing economic development and improving productivity. Wales is increasingly being recognised as a strategic location for the infrastructure needed to support the digital economy, but it is essential that the benefits of any investment are felt in the communities affected. Energy and resource consumption is a critical requirement for data centres, and the lack of grid capacity means these developments are often little more than power stations generating electricity from fossil fuels, with industrial-scale diesel generators as backup. In my own constituency of Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf, a 47 MW gas-fired power station is proposed on the Cardiff east park-and-ride site, in an entirely unsuitable urban location close to schools, care homes and the new Maple Fields housing development. Therefore, the holding directive to give time for Planning and Environment Decisions Wales to consider whether to call in this application is welcome, but communities across Wales are seeking reassurance that we will avoid an unsustainable proliferation of data centres. Please can you provide an update on a specific data centre strategy for Wales as part of the national development framework? Diolch.
- Not timed: the Record publishes no broadcast time for this contribution, so Siambr cannot place it on the stage.
- on the clip
A high number of schools across my constituency of Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf are facing a maintenance backlog. Scaffolding has surrounded Roath Park primary since 2021, Marlborough Road primary since 2022 and Albany primary since 2023. The condition of a number of comprehensives is substandard and very close to being further downgraded, including the second-hand Welsh-medium comprehensives ysgol Bro Edern and ysgol Plasmawr. Most worryingly, parents at Albany Primary School were advised the week before this term started that their children would be sent out to three different schools because of dry rot. This late notice was despite Estyn warning in October 2025 that the site management arrangements at Albany Primary School, and I quote, 'give cause for concern and have been brought to the attention of the local authority.' What discussions has the Cabinet Minister had with Cardiff Council regarding the condition of their school estate, and the council's response to Estyn in particular, and whether earlier intervention could have avoided Albany primary's closure and the severe disruption caused to pupils' education?
- on the clip
Diolch, Weinidog, am eich datganiad heddiw.
Official English translation
Thank you, Minister, for your statement today.
- on the clip
I appreciate the update and that this Government is taking this work seriously to better support impacted residents. For years now, residents have been afraid in their own homes and have felt that this issue has not been given the attention it deserves. Despite receiving assurances that their property was safe when they moved in, one resident in Cardiff has shared that they face a £3,000 cost for a waking watch, which costs £15,000 a week between 96 flats, and the management company are having to find £150,000 to install fire-detecting equipment. Without the necessary improvements, residents have faced the possibility of being made homeless as their homes aren't safe to live in. I welcome the Minister introducing financial support as an interim measure while remediation works are carried out. How will the Minister make sure tenants don't have to pay out of pocket for remediation work again? Diolch.
- on the clip
As we know, high streets are at the heart of our communities, and the Cabinet Minister's announcement today to cut business rates by 30 per cent for hospitality and leisure businesses across Wales is a very welcome step to rebalance the non-domestic rate system. In addition to today's announcement, can you confirm whether any consideration has also been given to the small business rates relief threshold and, as Sam has already mentioned and you've touched upon, business rates holidays for new businesses, both of which would be a boost for our local entrepreneurs? Whilst there would be a cost to such measures, one way to cover this, perhaps, would be to consider different valuation methods or multipliers for certain types of property, for example, data centres, which do not currently have their own classification. This way, some of the extractive profit generated from these properties could be retained and instead used to benefit local communities. I look forward to working with the Cabinet Minister on longer term reforms that fall outside today's scope of this announcement.
- on the clip
Diolch, Weinidog, for your commitment to championing a community-centred planning system and strengthening the voice of local people. Cymru is emerging as a significant location for data-centre development, with two designated UK Government AI growth zones. However, they have no dedicated use class and no mention in 'Planning Policy Wales', even though their scale and energy and water demands raise important questions for our environment and our planning system beyond their immediate locality. As you know, in my own constituency of Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf, a data centre is proposed in Llanrumney, replacing the Cardiff east park and ride, which serves the University Hospital of Wales, and this has given rise to a controversy beyond the immediate locality. The proposed 150 MW facility, only a short distance from primary schools and local homes, will rely on fossil-fuelled gas turbines as well as polluting standby diesel generators. Will the Minister, therefore, set out what plans the Government has to review the planning requirements for data centres, and in particular look into the Cardiff east park-and-ride application, so that communities like Llanrumney don't end up paying the social and environmental price while the profit goes elsewhere? Diolch.
- on the clip
For nearly 50 years, successive UK Governments, Conservatives and Labour, have followed Margaret Thatcher's broken neoliberal ideology—[Interruption.]—which puts profit before people. Our national utilities have been sold off at a fraction of their value—[Interruption.]—and tens of billions of pounds of dividends have been extracted.
- on the clip
For nearly 50 years, successive UK Governments, Conservative and Labour, have followed Margaret Thatcher's broken neoliberal ideology that puts profit before people. Our national utilities have been sold off at a fraction of their value, and tens of billions of pounds of dividends have been extracted. The French Government now owns our nuclear power industry. A Czech billionaire owns the Royal Mail. Here in Cymru, our heavy industry and the communities it supported have been abandoned, while Westminster is spending £100 billion on HS2 for half a railway that costs more than NASA's mission to the moon. Then there are the scandals: PFI, PPE, the sale of MOD homes, not to mention an illegal war in Iraq, 20 wasted years in Afghanistan, and now complicity in Israel's genocide in Gaza. So, on the contrary, Cabinet Minister, what assessment is being made into the benefit to Wales of not being part of the United Kingdom? Diolch.
- on the clip
As a new Member, the most sobering meeting I had in my first week was with the Senedd's security team—perhaps like many others here—and to hear their advice on dealing with potential threats in the future and the possible impact on our families, who, after all, didn't choose to be elected. Language is important and words have consequences. Things said in here do have the potential to have a wider impact outside. Given the increase in contributions in the Siambr over recent weeks that some might find inflammatory, can the Commission confirm whether these have been associated with heightened safety concerns for Members or a need to improve security in this seventh Senedd?
- Not timed: the Record publishes no broadcast time for this contribution, so Siambr cannot place it on the stage.
- on the clip
Diolch. One in two people in Wales will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives, and this is something that affects us all. Therefore, the proposal of our new Government to develop a 10-year cancer plan is both well overdue and very welcome. One area often overlooked and highlighted to me by a constituent is metastatic breast cancer and incurable stage 4 cancer in general. In particular, there is no data on how many people are living with metastatic cancer in Wales, even though collection of this data became mandatory over 12 years ago. Without clear information on diagnosis, recurrence, treatment pathways and outcomes, we can't identify variations between health boards or ensure that every patient receives timely, equitable support. Please can the Minister prioritise the consistent implementation of the metastatic breast cancer pathway signed off by the Wales cancer network in 2023 and ensure that metastatic cancer is not overlooked in the new national cancer plan? Diolch.
- on the clip
Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Private renters are under growing pressure, with rents in Wales rising faster than anywhere else in the UK, up nearly 9 per cent in the past year, and even higher in parts of Cardiff. Rent is expected to be around 30 per cent of income, yet only 42 per cent of tenants in Wales now consider it affordable, a figure that has continued to fall each year. At the same time, protections under the previous Government have been among the weakest in the UK, and, as we have heard, Wales remains the only nation still permitting no-fault evictions with no cap on rent bidding. Therefore, I'd like to ask the Cabinet Minister for assurance that progress is under way to strengthen protections for renters and explain how rent reforms will be implemented across Wales. Diolch.
- on the clip
Rhun ap Iorwerth.
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Sources
The Record of Proceedings for each sitting day, quoted verbatim.