The Arbed Scheme

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:28 pm on 11 June 2024.

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Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 2:28, 11 June 2024

It's worth just reflecting on the history and the reality of what the affected group of people have gone through. This was funding on the Arbed 2 scheme in 2014-15. Of course, Arbed 1 was introduced in the One Wales Government, so this was building on the work that was done, and most homes under that scheme have seen a real benefit. However, where the work is not done appropriately, it does have a very real impact on conditions in the home.

The external wall insulation that was installed in Caerau was funded by the UK Government's community energy saving programme. The real issue at the time was that there was no requirement for guarantees for the quality of the work. That has meant that the people haven't had an individual remedy to go back to the installer; it's why the council, through its own resources and with a Welsh Government grant, is now undertaking the remedial work. That was agreed previously by the then Minister for Climate Change, Julie James, who still retains responsibility for housing, and the work is now being undertaken.

It is important that the work is done and done to high standards, and we then need to see if there is a future remedy for the individual home owners. The challenge always is that if either the council or the Government provide additional resource for the people affected, that's resource that can't go into other areas. But I recognise that it's a very real injustice for those people, so I'd want to keep an open conversation with residents, the council and, indeed, our own housing department. But the priority must be to make sure that the work is done to a proper standard and people receive the benefit they thought they were signing up to.

Minister

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