Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru

We are working with local authorities to review and strengthen the approach to assessing local housing need through local housing market assessments. A £50.41 million social housing grant has been allocated for north Wales in 2021-22 to provide more homes for rent in the social sector.

To kick-start decarbonisation of Wales’s 1.4 million homes, I am investing £150 million in the optimised retrofit programme over the next three years to learn how to decarbonise social homes efficiently and effectively. What we learn from social housing will amplify and accelerate efforts to reduce carbon emissions for all homes.  

Following the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s agreement to the quashing of the previous decision, the council must prepare a new report on the application. I will consider whether to call in the application when we receive the new report from the council.

Bringing our metro programmes to life is ambitious and complex. Significant construction work is already under way on the south Wales metro through the £738 million core Valleys lines transformation, and the Swansea bay & west Wales metro is spearheading pilots on hydrogen powered busses and integrated ticketing.

In recognition of the pressures facing families, on 14 March I announced an additional one off payment of £100 to every child or young person eligible for PDG Access for the upcoming school year.

Countering the effects of poverty on children and young people’s attainment is central to our flagship pupil development grant. Year on year we have extended the PDG to reflect the increase for children eligible for free school meals with funding for 2022-23 now over £130 million.

We have provided substantial financial support to help higher education institutions deal with the impact of the pandemic.  This year's total allocation of funding to HEFCW amounts to over £274 million. This funding, together with our student support system, provides a good foundation for maintaining the sustainability of Welsh higher education.