Janet Finch-Saunders:

Many home builders, in written evidence on the barriers to home building in Wales, complain about excessive building regulations, utilities costings and delays, planning system delays and excessive costings, and, in one instance, there is a reference to Ministers passing judgment on an industry that they do not understand. Minister, for 13 years your Welsh Government has failed to provide an adequate supply of homes. What are you doing now to overcome the barriers that I have mentioned and to really get behind the housing industry and support it?

Carl Sargeant

I thank the Member for her question. I have been in post in the Welsh Government for six months. I have established a working group to look at the barriers to home building, I have met with individual businesses, and we are looking at how we can enable them better to create an environment in Wales that is positive for the construction industry. However, I must say to the Member that it does not help the situation when you are consistently talking down Wales. Actually, Wales is a great place in which to do business, and a great place in which to build homes.