MIKE HEDGES AM ASKS
MINISTER WHAT WELSH GOVERNMENT IS DOING TO IMPROVE ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN HOUSING
Speaking after
Questions to Housing Minister, Julie James, Swansea East AM Mike Hedges AM
said…. ‘I have many people in my constituency living in very poor housing
conditions and energy efficiency is one area where a lot of work still needs to
be done. Many of the properties in my constituency are old terrace type
properties which have not had energy efficiency work done on them. I was
interested to know what the Welsh government is doing to do to encourage
landlords to improve the energy efficiency of their properties and improve the
lives of tenants. I am pleased that the Welsh Government is going to take
action but I would urge that these measures are implemented through a tight
time frame so as to improve the lives of my constituents as quickly as
possible.’
Mike Hedges AM - We have
too many poor-quality houses in Wales, many with very poor energy efficiency,
meaning those who are poorest end up either cold or paying more for heating
their homes than you and I do. What is the Welsh Government doing to improve
energy efficiency, especially in the private rented sector and the very
low-cost part of the private rented sector?88
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So, at the moment, we've
concentrated on the Welsh housing quality standard for publicly provided
housing. Mike Hedges knows very well that the Welsh housing quality standard
asks social landlords to get to a standard assessment procedure rating of 65 or
higher, or an energy performance certificate D rating equivalent. About 97 per
cent of our stock so far is up at that standard and we've got a small amount
more to do before we meet the entire Welsh housing quality standard. What we've
been trying to do in the private rented sector is change the relationship
between landlords and tenants and ensure that tenants have a better deal all
round in terms of the way that properties are let, the sorts of property that
are available and the regulation through Rent Smart Wales. We haven't at this
point in time got any particular energy efficiency indications there, but as I
just said in answer to Helen Mary Jones, we are expecting the decarbonisation
working group report imminently, and they were asked to look across the piece
in Wales, and I am expecting a set of recommendations around what we should do
across every tenure in Wales to improve energy efficiency and indeed insulation
and standards to go with it.
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