English: I would like to put on record my thanks to the committee clerks and all those who took part in our inquiry into empty properties. I was not on the committee at the beginning of the inquiry and did not get the opportunity to question the majority of the witnesses, but I am grateful to all those who took time to inform us. We have a housing crisis in Wales, with over 60,000 households on a waiting list, yet only a handful of new social housing is being built each year. Shelter Cymru yesterday unveiled shocking figures that show that around 1,600 children will spend Christmas in temporary accommodation due to homelessness, which has risen by almost half in four years. Data uncovered by ITV Cymru last month showed that there were just over 43,000 empty properties in Wales, and as our committee discovered, there are around 27,000 private properties that have been empty for more than six months. With so many families in desperate need of housing, it is awful to see empty homes in such huge numbers, and it can often be a blight on the landscape, encouraging vandalism. However, we also have to be mindful that there can be a multitude of reasons for a property to be empty. The property could be in probate, which can take many years to resolve. Once out of probate, the new owners may struggle to sell and be unable to foot the inheritance tax bill. Landlords can often struggle to find tenants, meaning that their properties can lay empty for months. Properties can be left derelict because the owner simply can't afford the repair bill to make the property habitable. And I accept that there can be an issue with holiday homes, but these are a smaller part of the whole picture, and with advances such as Airbnb, these properties have become less empty. The largest numbers of empty properties are in Rhondda Cynon Taf and not on the beach, so there are so many causes to empty properties that we can't take a one-size-fits-all approach. We also have to use the carrot more than the stick, and Governments often talk about enforcement action and penalising the owner of empty properties via stringent property taxes, and this approach doesn't help those struggling with property they cannot use or cannot sell and the lack of legal support regarding enforcement does make the enforcement officer's life more difficult. This is why I support the committee's third recommendation: a specific officer with responsibility for empty properties can get in touch with the owner of a property and establish the reasons as to why it is empty. Together, they can work out solutions, whether that is assistance to make the property habitable or allowing a council or registered social landlord to purchase the property to use as social rent. Council discretion on empty homes varies from council to council, which causes uncertainty to both owner and council employee, but the knee-jerk reaction is often to say that these properties will solve our housing crisis, and it would be wonderful if it would, but being realistic, it will help address the housing need if we can bring these properties into use, but that does not absolve successive governments from their abject failure to provide sufficient affordable housing. The committee's recommendations will go some way to address the problem of empty homes. No-one wants to see empty properties, least of all the owners of those properties. I urge Members to support the committee's recommendations. Thank you.
Welsh: Hoffwn gofnodi fy niolch i glercod y pwyllgor a phawb a gymerodd ran yn ein hymchwiliad i eiddo gwag. Nid oeddwn ar y pwyllgor ar ddechrau'r ymchwiliad ac ni chefais gyfle i holi'r rhan fwyaf o'r tystion, ond rwy'n ddiolchgar i bawb a roddodd o'u hamser i'n goleuo. Mae gennym argyfwng tai yng Nghymru, ac mae dros 60,000 o aelwydydd ar restr aros, ond llond dwrn yn unig o dai cymdeithasol newydd sy'n cael eu hadeiladu bob blwyddyn. Cyhoeddodd Shelter Cymru ffigurau brawychus ddoe sy'n dangos y bydd tua 1,600 o blant yn treulio'r Nadolig mewn llety dros dro oherwydd digartrefedd, nifer sydd wedi codi bron i hanner mewn pedair blynedd. Dangosodd data a ddatgelwyd gan ITV Cymru fis diwethaf fod ychydig dros 43,000 eiddo gwag yng Nghymru, ac fel y canfu ein pwyllgor, mae tua 27,000 eiddo preifat wedi bod yn wag ers dros chwe mis. Gyda chymaint o deuluoedd angen cartref yn ddybryd, mae'n ofnadwy gweld cynifer o gartrefi gwag, ac yn aml gall fod yn falltod ar y dirwedd, gan annog fandaliaeth. Fodd bynnag, rhaid inni gofio hefyd y gall fod llu o resymau pam y mae eiddo'n wag. Gallai'r eiddo fod mewn profiant, sy'n gallu cymryd blynyddoedd lawer i'w ddatrys. Pan ddaw allan o brofiant, efallai y bydd y perchnogion newydd yn cael trafferth gwerthu ac yn methu talu'r bil treth etifeddiant. Yn aml, gall landlordiaid ei chael hi'n anodd dod o hyd i denantiaid, sy'n golygu y gall eu heiddo fod yn wag am fisoedd. Gall eiddo gael ei adael yn wag am na all y perchennog fforddio'r bil atgyweirio i bobl allu byw yn yr eiddo. Ac rwy'n derbyn y gall fod problem gyda chartrefi gwyliau, ond mae'r rhain yn rhan lai o'r darlun cyfan, a gyda datblygiadau megis Airbnb, mae eiddo o'r fath wedi dod yn llai gwag. Yn Rhondda Cynon Taf y mae'r nifer fwyaf o gartrefi gwag, nid ar y traeth, felly mae cynifer o achosion pam fod eiddo'n wag fel na allwn fynd ati i chwilio am un ateb i bawb. Rhaid inni hefyd ddefnyddio'r abwyd yn fwy na'r ffon, ac mae Llywodraethau'n sôn yn aml am gamau gorfodi a chosbi perchennog eiddo gwag drwy drethi eiddo caeth, ac nid yw dull o'r fath yn helpu'r rhai sy'n cael trafferth gydag eiddo na allant ei ddefnyddio neu na allant ei werthu ac mae diffyg cymorth cyfreithiol o ran gorfodaeth yn gwneud bywyd y swyddog gorfodi'n anos. Dyna pam rwy'n cefnogi trydydd argymhelliad y pwyllgor: gall swyddog penodol sydd â chyfrifoldeb dros eiddo gwag gysylltu â pherchennog eiddo a chanfod y rhesymau pam ei fod yn wag. Gyda'i gilydd, gallant ddod o hyd i atebion, boed yn gymorth i wneud yr eiddo'n addas i bobl fyw ynddo neu ganiatáu i gyngor neu landlord cymdeithasol cofrestredig brynu'r eiddo i'w ddefnyddio fel eiddo rhent cymdeithasol. Mae disgresiwn cyngor ar gartrefi gwag yn amrywio o gyngor i gyngor, sy'n peri ansicrwydd i'r perchennog ac i weithiwr cyngor, ond yr ymateb difeddwl yn aml yw dweud y bydd yr eiddo hwn yn datrys ein hargyfwng tai, a byddai'n wych pe bai'n gwneud hynny, ond a bod yn realistig, bydd yn helpu i fynd i'r afael â'r angen am dai os gallwn ddefnyddio'r eiddo, ond nid yw hynny'n rhyddhau llywodraethau olynol o'u methiant truenus i ddarparu digon o dai fforddiadwy. Bydd argymhellion y pwyllgor yn mynd beth o'r ffordd tuag at fynd i'r afael â phroblem cartrefi gwag. Nid oes neb am weld eiddo gwag, yn enwedig perchnogion y cyfryw eiddo. Rwy'n annog yr Aelodau i gefnogi argymhellion y pwyllgor. Diolch.