English: During the cross-party group on housing last week, Shelter Cymru officials present agreed that the tackling of second homes will not solve the issue of housing affordability. The simple fact here is that we need to be building more homes - well, rather, you as a Government need to be building more homes. Around 7,400 new homes are needed annually to meet the demand in Wales, and whilst every electoral term comes, or Senedd term comes, we get promises of what's going to happen, but it doesn't happen. In 2019 registrations of new homes were down by 12 per cent. This is incredibly disappointing given that there are 67,000 households currently on housing waiting lists in Wales, and some of those, a large number, are in the constituency of Aberconwy. So, Minister, will you confirm what other progress has been made to convert empty public sector land into sites ready for development? You know in the groups that we've had cross-party, you are fully aware that I have pointed this out, that our public bodies have lots and lots of land available, and, in fact, buildings available that would make safe and comfortable homes for those wishing to get on the housing ladder. I haven't seen anything like that coming forward, but have heard the rhetoric by Plaid Cymru many times about how second homes and holiday lets are so bad for us that I feel you're going down that road a bit too quickly. It was highlighted to me only last week that as many as 10,000 homes - 1,000 of these affordable - cannot now be progressed due to Natural Resources Wales guidance on phosphorus. I asked for a statement, in the business statement earlier, from you and James Evans my colleague did also, because we met with leaders, we met with cabinet members, and we met with planning officers of many councils across Wales last week, and they were all saying the same thing: you're asking for more houses to be built, but you're stopping them with these planning regulations on phosphorus. So, you need to plunge this block by either asking NRW to suspend its guidance or through implementing exceptions and phosphate-stripping capability in our drainage systems. Affordability needs to be addressed by removing the cap on aspiration by cutting land transaction tax. So, whilst I welcome the announcement from the Minister for finance that new legislation will allow taxpayers to claim a refund of the higher rates of LTT where they are replacing their main residence, so as to make Wales their home and economically contribute to our communities, will you be able to confirm the timeline for bringing forward such legislation? And we do need to confront the issue of empty properties, and, as I say, some of your initiatives are good, but this has got to be done on a far more fair and balanced proportionality. There were 25,725 long-term empty properties in Wales, and four years later - shockingly - this figure has only reduced by 24. The National Residential Landlords Association have proposed removing the second home land transaction tax premium and separating buy-to-let properties from second homes - because, again, I would ask you to tell us today, Minister, what you consider to be a second home - as they are defined in current discourse, encouraging landlords to help address the empty property issue. As a representative said during my recent round-table, held in conjunction with Propertymark, 'Why are we not incentivising the renovation of empty space above empty shops?' I've heard that for 11 years: 'We're going to bring back all those empty office spaces above shops in our high streets.' I don't know of too many where that has happened. As regards empty shops and taking those shops back, in some instances, if you knock buildings down, you get your value added tax back; if you renovate, you do not. Will you commit to working with UK Government to review this specific situation as a means to help encourage the renovation of affordable central properties and rejuvenate our high street? To conclude, I look forward to your responses to these most pressing questions and hope that they will give pause for thought over your policy's direction of travel. We want to work with you, Minister. We believe there is an issue, there aren't enough homes in Wales, but there has to be a far more balanced and proportionate response, and this should not be part of any coalition deal with another political party.
Welsh: Yn ystod y grŵp trawsbleidiol ar dai yr wythnos diwethaf, cytunodd swyddogion Shelter Cymru a oedd yn bresennol na fydd mynd i'r afael ag ail gartrefi yn datrys y broblem o fforddiadwyedd tai. Y ffaith syml yma yw bod angen i ni fod yn adeiladu mwy o gartrefi - wel, yn hytrach, mae angen i chi fel Llywodraeth fod yn adeiladu mwy o gartrefi. Mae angen tua 7,400 o gartrefi newydd bob blwyddyn i ateb y galw yng Nghymru, ac er bod pob tymor etholiadol yn dod, neu dymor y Senedd yn dod, cawn addewidion o'r hyn sy'n mynd i ddigwydd, ond nid yw'n digwydd. Yn 2019 roedd nifer y cofrestriadau ar gyfer cartrefi newydd wedi gostwng 12 y cant. Mae hyn yn hynod siomedig o gofio bod 67,000 o aelwydydd ar restrau aros am dai yng Nghymru ar hyn o bryd, ac mae rhai o'r rheini, nifer fawr, yn etholaeth Aberconwy. Felly, Gweinidog, a wnewch chi gadarnhau pa gynnydd arall sydd wedi'i wneud i droi tir gwag yn y sector cyhoeddus yn safleoedd sy'n barod i'w datblygu? Wyddoch chi yn y grwpiau yr ydym wedi'u cael yn drawsbleidiol, rydych chi'n gwbl ymwybodol fy mod wedi tynnu sylw at hyn, bod gan ein cyrff cyhoeddus lawer o dir ar gael, ac, mewn gwirionedd, adeiladau ar gael a fyddai'n sicrhau cartrefi diogel a chyfforddus i'r rhai sy'n dymuno mynd ar yr ysgol dai. Nid wyf wedi gweld dim byd tebyg i hynny'n cael ei gyflwyno, ond rwyf wedi clywed y rhethreg gan Blaid Cymru droeon am sut mae ail gartrefi ac eiddo a osodir ar gyfer gwyliau mor ddrwg i ni fel fy mod yn teimlo eich bod yn mynd i lawr y ffordd honno ychydig yn rhy gyflym. Yr wythnos diwethaf yn unig, tynnwyd fy sylw at y ffaith na ellir symud ymlaen gyda chynifer â 10,000 o gartrefi - 1,000 o'r rhain yn fforddiadwy - nawr oherwydd canllawiau Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru ar ffosfforws. Gofynnais am ddatganiad, yn y datganiad busnes yn gynharach, gennych chi a James Evans, fe wnaeth fy nghyd-Aelod hefyd, oherwydd fe wnaethom gyfarfod arweinwyr, fe wnaethom gyfarfod aelodau'r cabinet, ac fe wnaethom gyfarfod swyddogion cynllunio llawer o gynghorau ledled Cymru yr wythnos diwethaf, ac roedden nhw i gyd yn dweud yr un peth: rydych chi'n gofyn am adeiladu mwy o dai, ond rydych chi'n eu hatal gyda'r rheoliadau cynllunio hyn ar ffosfforws. Felly, mae angen i chi gael gwared ar y rhwystr hwn naill ai drwy ofyn i CNC atal ei ganllawiau neu drwy weithredu eithriadau a galluogi tynnu ffosffad yn ein systemau draenio. Mae angen mynd i'r afael â fforddiadwyedd drwy ddileu'r cap ar ddyhead drwy dorri'r dreth trafodiadau tir. Felly, er fy mod yn croesawu'r cyhoeddiad gan y Gweinidog cyllid y bydd deddfwriaeth newydd yn caniatáu i drethdalwyr hawlio ad-daliad o gyfraddau uwch LTT lle maen nhw'n disodli eu prif breswylfa, er mwyn gwneud Cymru yn gartref iddynt a chyfrannu'n economaidd at ein cymunedau, a fyddwch chi'n gallu cadarnhau'r amserlen ar gyfer cyflwyno deddfwriaeth o'r fath? Ac mae angen i ni wynebu mater eiddo gwag, ac, fel y dywedais, mae rhai o'ch mentrau'n dda, ond rhaid gwneud hyn ar gymesuredd llawer mwy teg a chytbwys. Roedd 25,725 o eiddo gwag hirdymor yng Nghymru, a phedair blynedd yn ddiweddarach - yn frawychus - dim ond o 24 mae'r ffigur hwn wedi gostwng. Mae'r Gymdeithas Landlordiaid Preswyl Cenedlaethol wedi cynnig dileu'r premiwm treth trafodiadau tir ail gartref a gwahanu eiddo prynu-i-osod oddi wrth ail gartrefi - oherwydd, unwaith eto, byddwn yn gofyn i chi ddweud wrthym heddiw, Gweinidog, yr hyn a ystyriwch yn ail gartref - fel maen nhw wedi'u diffinio yn y drafodaeth bresennol, gan annog landlordiaid i helpu i fynd i'r afael â mater eiddo gwag. Fel y dywedodd cynrychiolydd yn ystod fy nghyfarfod bord gron diweddar, a gynhaliwyd ar y cyd â Propertymark, 'Pam nad ydym yn cymell adnewyddu gofod gwag uwchben siopau gwag?' Rwyf wedi clywed hynny ers 11 mlynedd: 'Rydym yn mynd i ddod â'r holl fannau swyddfa gwag hynny yn ôl uwchben siopau yn ein strydoedd mawr.' Nid wyf yn gwybod am lawer o achosion lle mae hynny wedi digwydd. O ran siopau gwag a chymryd y siopau hynny'n ôl, mewn rhai achosion, os byddwch yn chwalu adeiladau, byddwch yn cael eich treth ar werth yn ôl; os ydych chi'n adnewyddu, nid ydych chi'n ei gael. A wnewch chi ymrwymo i weithio gyda Llywodraeth y DU i adolygu'r sefyllfa benodol hon fel modd i helpu i annog adnewyddu eiddo canolog fforddiadwy ac adfywio ein stryd fawr? I gloi, edrychaf ymlaen at eich ymatebion i'r cwestiynau pwysicaf hyn a gobeithiaf y byddant yn peri i chi oedi i feddwl am gyfeiriad teithio eich polisi. Rydym eisiau gweithio gyda chi, Gweinidog. Credwn fod problem, nid oes digon o gartrefi yng Nghymru, ond rhaid cael ymateb llawer mwy cytbwys a chymesur, ac ni ddylai hyn fod yn rhan o unrhyw gytundeb clymblaid â phlaid wleidyddol arall.