English: I want to raise some issues that have already been touched upon by you, Minister, and, indeed, other contributors, and that's around private sector high-rise residential buildings. Just last week, the equality committee received correspondence from a leaseholder raising very significant concerns about basic quality and fire safety measures and the lack of them, and this followed a level 4 survey, which found defects around compartmentation with no effective fire stopping in the compartment wall between each flat and the common corridor. I know this issue has been raised before in Plenary and we're writing to you now, in fact, regarding this case, with more detail on the specific complex involved. But I believe it also links to broader concerns about the private sector and these high-rise residential blocks. We know, for example, that a previous level 4 survey found similar issues with fire safety in another building in south Wales, and this was something that we explored in our report on fire safety in high-rise private sector buildings late last year. So, we think it's very concerning, really, that, of the two buildings surveyed to the extent of a level 4 survey, very basic fire safety measures were lacking. And I think it begs the question, really, for you and for all of us, as to how confident we can be with regard to other private sector high-rise residential buildings in Wales in terms of those issues and the lack of those basic standards. In our report on fire safety, Minister, we recommended that Welsh Government explore the feasibility of ensuring level 4 surveys for all high-rise residential buildings, and we made this recommendation because we were concerned that people could be living unknowingly in buildings with these basic fire safety defects. So, we were pleased that Welsh Government accepted the recommendation in principle, stating that, as part of the response to the Hackitt review, you would be addressing these issues and you would consider the need for invasive building surveys and who is best-placed to undertake them. However, when the road map was published, it didn't address the issue directly, although the road map did note that there was little in law to require meaningful improvements to the fire safety of existing buildings over the course of their life cycle. It also said that Welsh Government needs to consider how it will ensure all buildings could progressively be brought up to the highest standards now recommended. So, I'd be grateful, really, Minister if you could outline what further consideration is being given to mandating the use of level 4 invasive surveys for all existing high-rise residential buildings in the private sector in Wales.
Welsh: Mae arnaf i eisiau codi rhai materion a grybwyllwyd eisoes gennych chi, Gweinidog, ac, yn wir, cyfranwyr eraill, ac mae hynny'n ymwneud ag adeiladau preswyl uchel iawn yn y sector preifat. Dim ond yr wythnos diwethaf, derbyniodd y pwyllgor cydraddoldeb ohebiaeth gan lesddeiliad yn codi pryderon sylweddol iawn am fesurau ansawdd sylfaenol a diogelwch rhag tân a'u diffyg, ac roedd hyn yn dilyn arolwg lefel 4, a ddaeth o hyd i ddiffygion yn ymwneud â chompartmentau heb unrhyw rwystr tân effeithiol yn wal y compartment rhwng pob fflat a'r coridor cyffredin. Rwy'n gwybod bod y mater hwn wedi'i godi o'r blaen yn y cyfarfod llawn ac rydym ni'n ysgrifennu atoch chi ar hyn o bryd, mewn gwirionedd, ynghylch yr achos hwn, gyda mwy o fanylion am y cyfadeilad penodol dan sylw. Ond rwy'n credu ei fod hefyd yn gysylltiedig â phryderon ehangach am y sector preifat a'r blociau preswyl uchel iawn hyn. Rydym ni'n gwybod, er enghraifft, fod arolwg blaenorol ar lefel 4 wedi dod o hyd i broblemau tebyg gyda diogelwch tân mewn adeilad arall yn ne Cymru, ac roedd hyn yn rhywbeth roeddem ni wedi ymchwilio iddo yn ein hadroddiad ar ddiogelwch tân mewn adeiladau sector preifat uchel iawn ddiwedd y llynedd. Felly, rydym ni'n credu ei fod yn destun pryder mawr, mewn gwirionedd, o'r ddau adeilad a arolygwyd hyd at raddau lefel 4, roedd camau sylfaenol iawn ar goll o ran diogelwch tân. Ac rwy'n credu ei fod yn codi'r cwestiwn, mewn gwirionedd, i chi ac i bob un ohonom ni, o ran pa mor hyderus y gallwn fod ynghylch adeiladau preswyl uchel iawn eraill y sector preifat yng Nghymru o ran y materion hynny a diffyg y safonau sylfaenol hynny. Yn ein hadroddiad ar ddiogelwch tân, Weinidog, fe wnaethom ni argymell y dylai Llywodraeth Cymru ymchwilio i ddichonoldeb sicrhau arolygon lefel 4 ar gyfer pob adeilad preswyl uchel iawn, ac fe wnaethom ni'r argymhelliad hwn am ein bod yn pryderu y gallai pobl fod yn byw yn ddiarwybod mewn adeiladau sydd â'r diffygion diogelwch tân sylfaenol hyn. Felly, roeddem ni'n falch bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi derbyn yr argymhelliad mewn egwyddor, gan nodi, fel rhan o'r ymateb i adolygiad Hackitt, y byddech chi'n mynd i'r afael â'r materion hyn ac y byddech chi'n ystyried yr angen am arolygon dwys o adeiladau a phwy sydd yn y sefyllfa orau i'w cynnal. Fodd bynnag, pan gyhoeddwyd y map ffyrdd, nid oedd yn mynd i'r afael â'r mater yn uniongyrchol, er bod y map ffyrdd yn nodi nad oedd llawer yn y gyfraith i fynnu gwelliannau ystyrlon i ddiogelwch tân yr adeiladau presennol yn ystod eu cylch bywyd. Dywedodd hefyd fod angen i Lywodraeth Cymru ystyried sut y bydd yn sicrhau y cai pob adeilad ei wella'n raddol i'r safonau uchaf a argymhellir erbyn hyn. Felly, byddwn i'n ddiolchgar, mewn gwirionedd, Gweinidog, pe gallech chi amlinellu pa ystyriaeth bellach sy'n cael ei rhoi i'w gwneud hi'n ofynnol defnyddio arolygon dwys lefel 4 ar gyfer yr holl adeiladau preswyl uchel iawn presennol yn y sector preifat yng Nghymru.