English: I'm also pleased to take part in this debate. I thank Mick Antoniw and others - other Members - for bringing this forward. It's encouraging, to a point, that other Members are experiencing or have got constituents that have experienced the same issues as mine; I don't feel alone. I think Dawn Bowden alluded to that as well. In my contribution, I would like to highlight the plight of one of my elderly constituents. Her only income is a state pension and she now lives in a damp 1950s property on an exposed hilltop location in Montgomeryshire. What she contends is that her home has been severely affected by damp since receiving a Welsh Government-funded grant for cavity wall insulation in 2005, which, according to her GP, is having a detrimental effect on her health. She believes that her property was one of those that was unsuitable for receiving cavity wall insulation, due to its very exposed position, located on a hilltop some 800m above sea level, which is, of course, susceptible to wind-driven rain. Two subsequent CIGA inspections found that the cavity wall insulation appeared to have been installed in compliance with system designer and British Board of Agrément specifications. As a result, and due to the lack of available evidence to the contrary, and lack of financial resource to challenge this decision further, my constituent has been unsuccessful at arbitration and is unable to seek redress. So, as you can imagine, she's greatly frustrated by this and, of course, I feel frustrated as well that I don't feel that I can give her any other further course of action as well. A Building Research Establishment report has found that the majority of Wales is in an area of very severe exposure to wind and rain, and therefore is an unsuitable location for receiving cavity wall insulation. The BRE report also identifies concerns as to the effectiveness of the insulation guarantee mechanism that is available to residents. From the evidence obtained during the completion of the report, none of the 24 sites included as part of the study were successful with claims through the insulation guarantee mechanism. But the response from CIGA in general stated that the failure was not down to the inspection but other reasons such as lack of maintenance or occupier behaviour. Now, I do have great concerns that my constituent's home - and others like it - was unsuitable to receive cavity wall insulation in the first place due to its very exposed position. From my own investigation, I've found that - I can only assume that the penetration of the wind-driven rain, which soaked through to the cavity wall insulation and to the internal walls - . It can only be assumed, I think, that the dampness affecting the cavity wall insulation has exacerbated the deterioration of the external and internal walls, which provides the reasoning that CIGA gives for contravening the 25-year guarantee. The Government-funded grant scheme to provide cavity wall insulation is aimed towards those with limited income and the most vulnerable members of the community. So, I am concerned that a Welsh Government grant scheme that my constituent received for cavity wall insulation has left her in the lurch and failed to help her in her time of need. So, I would be grateful if the Minister, in response to this debate, could perhaps give some advice to my constituent going forward: what action the Government intends to take to provide some redress with regard to compensation, and what plans the Government has to work with partners to review the effectiveness of the insulation guarantee mechanisms to strengthen consumer protection in this area.
Welsh: Rwyf innau hefyd yn falch o gymryd rhan yn y ddadl hon. Diolch i Mick Antoniw ac eraill - Aelodau eraill - am gyflwyno hyn. Mae'n galonogol, i raddau, fod Aelodau eraill yn profi, neu ag etholwyr sydd wedi dioddef yr un problemau â fy etholwr i; nid wyf yn teimlo ar fy mhen fy hun. Rwy'n credu bod Dawn Bowden wedi cyfeirio at hynny yn ogystal. Yn fy nghyfraniad, hoffwn dynnu sylw at drafferthion un o fy etholwyr oedrannus. Ei hunig incwm yw pensiwn y wladwriaeth ac mae hi bellach yn byw mewn eiddo llaith o'r 1950au ar ben bryn agored yn Sir Drefaldwyn. Mae hi'n honni bod ei chartref wedi ei effeithio'n ddifrifol gan leithder ers derbyn grant a ariennir gan Lywodraeth Cymru tuag at inswleiddio waliau ceudod yn 2005, sydd, yn ôl ei meddyg teulu, yn niweidio ei hiechyd. Mae hi'n credu bod ei heiddo yn un o'r rhai a oedd yn anaddas ar gyfer inswleiddio waliau ceudod oherwydd ei safle agored iawn ar ben bryn oddeutu 800m uwchben lefel y môr, sydd, wrth gwrs, yn agored i law a yrrir gan y gwynt. Canfu dau arolwg CIGA dilynol ei bod yn ymddangos bod gwaith ar inswleiddio waliau ceudod wedi ei wneud yn unol â manylebau cynllunydd y system a'r British Board of Agrément. O ganlyniad, ac oherwydd diffyg tystiolaeth i'r gwrthwyneb, a diffyg adnoddau ariannol i herio'r penderfyniad hwn ymhellach, ni fu fy etholwr yn llwyddiannus wrth gymrodeddu ac ni all hawlio iawn. Felly, fel y gallwch ddychmygu, mae hi'n rhwystredig iawn ynglŷn â hyn ac wrth gwrs, rwy'n teimlo'n rhwystredig hefyd am nad wyf yn teimlo y gallaf gynnig llwybr gweithredu pellach iddi ychwaith. Mae adroddiad gan y Sefydliad Ymchwil Adeiladu wedi canfod bod y rhan fwyaf o Gymru mewn ardal sy'n agored iawn i wynt a glaw, ac mewn lleoliad anaddas felly ar gyfer gwaith inswleiddio waliau ceudod. Mae'r adroddiad gan y Sefydliad Ymchwil Adeiladu hefyd yn nodi pryderon ynglŷn ag effeithiolrwydd trefniadau'r warant inswleiddio sydd ar gael i breswylwyr. O'r dystiolaeth a gafwyd wrth gwblhau'r adroddiad, ni fu'r un o'r 24 safle sydd wedi'u cynnwys yn rhan o'r astudiaeth yn llwyddiannus gyda'u hawliadau drwy drefniadau'r warant inswleiddio. Ond dywedodd yr ymateb gan CIGA yn gyffredinol nad oedd y methiant i'w briodoli i'r arolwg ond ei fod yn deillio o resymau eraill megis diffyg cynnal a chadw neu ymddygiad meddiannydd. Nawr, mae gennyf bryderon mawr fod cartref fy etholwr - ac eraill tebyg iddo - yn anaddas i gael gwaith inswleiddio waliau ceudod wedi'i wneud iddo yn y lle cyntaf oherwydd ei safle agored iawn. O fy ymchwil fy hun, rwyf wedi canfod - ni allaf ond tybio bod treiddiad y glaw a yrrir gan y gwynt, a dreiddiodd drwodd i'r gwaith inswleiddio ac i'r waliau mewnol - . Ni ellir ond tybio, rwy'n credu, fod y lleithder sy'n effeithio ar y gwaith inswleiddio wedi gwaethygu dirywiad y waliau allanol a mewnol, sy'n darparu'r sail resymegol y mae CIGA yn ei chynnig dros dorri'r warant 25 mlynedd. Mae'r cynllun grant a ariennir gan y Llywodraeth ar gyfer inswleiddio waliau ceudod wedi ei anelu at rai ag incwm cyfyngedig ac aelodau mwyaf bregus y gymuned. Felly, rwy'n pryderu bod cynllun grant gan Lywodraeth Cymru a gafodd fy etholwr tuag at inswleiddio waliau ceudod wedi ei gadael mewn twll ac wedi methu ei helpu pan oedd hi angen help. Felly, buaswn yn ddiolchgar pe gallai'r Gweinidog, wrth ymateb i'r ddadl hon, roi rhywfaint o gyngor i fy etholwr yn y dyfodol: pa gamau y mae'r Llywodraeth yn bwriadu eu cymryd i sicrhau rhywfaint o iawndal, a pha gynlluniau sydd gan y Llywodraeth i weithio gyda phartneriaid i adolygu effeithiolrwydd trefniadau'r warant inswleiddio er mwyn cryfhau amddiffyniad i ddefnyddwyr yn y maes hwn.