It is a tremendous privilege to chair this Committee and also an honour to present to Plenary the first progress report from a Subject Committee. I will do my best as Chair to represent the views of the Committee, rather than my own. As you can see from its full title, the Local Government, Environment, Planning, Housing and Transport Committee is a wide-ranging Committee. The Committee must ensure in the limited time available that it does justice to these responsibilities. To date, its main emphasis has been on contributing to the development of emerging strategies and initiatives right across the Assembly Secretary’s responsibilities.

We have had long debates in the Committee as to whether we try to concentrate on one or two topics—like the Post-16 Education and Training Committee that recently produced its report on ETAG—or whether we try to do justice to the wide ranging subject area. All those subjects—housing, transport, and the environment—are so important that we could not ignore any of them for long. The Committee has been operating at a time when there are many new strategies and initiatives taking place. We rightly decided that it was important that we gave a voice to those initiatives. I hope that Peter can listen to the input we have had. It includes the legislative proposals that the Government has put forward.

We work well as a Committee. It is a hard working Committee and I take this opportunity to thank my colleagues. It is not easy to be a member of this Committee. There is no hiding place and there is a lot of work. I thank them for tackling this agenda constructively. There are party political differences at times and sometimes there are difficulties within parties. If you are Peter Black or David Davies, you have to argue with yourself occasionally, because they are the only representatives from their parties. I recognise the co-operation that I have had from colleagues. We have tried—although there are sometimes difficulties and differences—to get a collective view. As a Committee, if we can achieve that then our views are much stronger. I also thank Peter Law, as Cabinet Secretary, who is always honest and open to ideas. It is in no short measure due to the way he operates that the Committee is constructive.

Like many Committees, we have had several outside speakers. It is good for Committees to draw in people from the outside, listen to their views and to sometimes ask them awkward questions. It has informed the way that we progress. We have had speakers from Railtrack, the Strategic Rail Authority, the Shadow SRA and regular representations from the Welsh Local Government Association. We have been fortunate in being able to draw those people into our deliberations.

In terms of priorities, we have wide-ranging responsibilities, but I will briefly mention the priorities that underlie the way that we have spent these last eight months. First is to improve the quality and availability of housing in Wales, particularly social housing, to help combat social exclusion and poverty. Secondly is the protection and improvement of the Welsh environment, including the development of a waste strategy. Thirdly is to promote the delivery of high quality and cost-effective local government services within a framework of greater local accountability. Fourthly is the development and implementation of an integrated transport policy—there will be a debate on that tomorrow afternoon—and finally, the operation of a fair and efficient land use planning system. These priorities reflect the Assembly’s priorities and I hope that they will help us to play our part in a better Wales.

I will briefly discuss some of these priorities, explain our work, and alert you to some of the difficulties that exist. First, housing. One main priority is to try to secure improvement in the quality and availability of housing in Wales. We have had many debates on housing and we recognise the role that housing plays, alongside health policies and other policies in combating social exclusion. This is an important message. We feel that housing has been treated as a sort of Cinderella. It must be given more political priority and more money in the future, because we all recognise that people need a safe and secure home. As many people will realise, because Peter recently presented the housing strategy and the work that is being carried out on that, we are fortunate to have a range of professionals in the housing field that give up their time to develop this housing strategy. They develop it in taskgroups. We have had the discussion relating to them and the Committee. I thank the Chartered Institute of Housing because we have an effective all-party group that meets monthly with some good presentations. That has also helped us in our deliberations as a Committee. Housing is an important issue.

Secondly, the environment. That is a huge subject in itself. As a Committee, we relate to the Environment Agency. We have had joint meetings on Cardiff Bay with the Economic Development Committee. It has prime responsibility for Cardiff Bay, nevertheless our Committee has had concerns and responsibilities on the environment. We have had joint discussions to consider the future of the Bay and the barrage.

Another important area, to which I must alert you, concerns the development of a new waste strategy for Wales. As many of you realise, we are under-performing on waste targets. It is a major issue because we have relied so much on landfills in the past. We will not be allowed to do that in the future. The waste strategy is important, and following Peter’s brief, it supports the sustainable development scheme, on which the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee takes the lead.

In local government, times are changing. The Local Government Bill is going through Parliament, the modernising agenda is coming to the fore, and we have the whole process of Best Value over the next two years. Relationship with local government is important to all of us. It must work. We are dependent on local government delivering. Developing Best Value in partnership with local government and the Audit Commission is important in ensuring our success in that partnership arrangement. In the light of the modernisation agenda and the structures available to local government under this heading, as a Committee we are of the opinion that with the Local Government Bill going through Parliament, there is a possibility of more models being put forward. We must recognise—as a Committee we have recognised it—that perhaps there is a different dimension in Wales. We have, as has just been stated, a large rural area and a different configuration and, perhaps, there is an opportunity for further models to be developed. Perhaps the model that we have here in the Assembly could be developed, with the Cabinet and the Committees, where the Committees have a policy development role as well as a scrutiny role. It could also reflect some of the discussions that Edwina, as Finance Secretary, has had on re-examining the standard spending assessment and responding to need.

We have devoted more time to transport than to any other issue. It relates to the economic development of Wales and also to the environment and sustainable development. During those discussions, the Committee has been aware of the lack of direct powers that the Assembly has over transport. I am pleased that we have put forward some sensible proposals in response to the transport bills. These form the basis of our response as an Assembly. One productive thing that this Committee has achieved is to try to pull together those arguments and respond to London. We have supported Peter Law’s efforts, and efforts made by others, to improve the north-south Wales rail link. That is one of the Committee’s fundamental ambitions in addition to promoting good, new initiatives such as the safe routes to school scheme, which is implemented in the community.

On land use planning, the Committee supports the principal policy guidance. Planning underpins the way we must work on the ground. In considering the national economic development strategy, we felt that there was a need for a stronger, strategic way forward, for Wales as a whole and at regional level.

In our future work programme, the Committee will seek to develop a more strategic approach. It is difficult, given the range of subjects with which we deal, and the pressure on us to present our views as we progress, but we would like to be more strategic over the next six months. Perhaps we can do that now, having used the first period to cover most of the ground work.

We will also put two policy reviews in place: one on public transport—an issue dear to everyone’s heart—and the other on housing stock transfer and the options that might be available, which is a big issue for every local authority in Wales. I am working with tenants’ associations and others to try to evaluate proposals. We may, in the longer term, have a more fundamental review of housing, perhaps in relation to the national housing strategy.

In conclusion, I have a few pointers on issues that we as a Committee—as well as other Committees—face. We have had our own performance appraisal. We sat in a room late one night and considered where we were going. As a result, the following week, we actually finished on time, so some benefit came from that. We also examined how we deal with the content and how we go forward. I will make a few key points on that.

First, this Committee has a capacity problem. The Planning Decision Panel also falls to us. We want to ensure that we incorporate study visits—we will visit north Wales at the beginning of March. There is a fundamental issue here about the time that Committees have to do justice to the subjects that they must consider. It is important that we reach out to the whole of Wales. Matters such as local government and the environment are important for everyone in Wales, and we somehow need to have extra capacity to do that outreach work.

We also need more capacity to take a more detailed look at the budget, particularly the local government budget. That is crucial in how we deliver. We also need to examine legislation in more detail. I am aware that we have secondary legislative powers and that we have not yet looked at them in detail. We need to develop those.

On the cross-cutting agenda, we have had two meetings with the Economic Development Committee. We would like more meetings with other Committees, such as the Health and Social Services Committee, as well as meetings with the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee on sustainable development, perhaps. However, it is difficult for us to do that, given our timetable and framework. That is probably true of all Committees. How do we work in this cross-cutting way? We need to consider whether we should have task and finish groups set up within Committees.

Last but not least, I thank the Committee members. They work very hard, with good humour for the most part. Peter Law also plays an excellent role and has a constructive approach. Particular thanks go to the Committee Secretariat, and to Martin Stevenson, our Committee Clerk, who is first class. He is quietly efficient and comprehensive and is a huge support to the Committee and to me. I thank him.

I thank Sue for her introduction and for the way that she has chaired the Environment and Local Government Committee through its first few months. I, and the other Plaid Cymru Committee members, appreciate how she has tackled the work.

There is much work involved in the Environment and Local Government Committee. Of all the Committees it has, perhaps, the most potential for affecting people’s everyday lives. That may be heresy to those on the education Committees or on the Health and Social Services Committee, but the matters dealt with by the Environment and Local Government Committee touch the basis of everyday lives.

For example, are people’s bins being emptied? That is part of a waste management strategy. Are the buses running on time, or in some areas, are there any buses or trains to catch? Are the holes in the roads being filled? Why are there so many cars going past my front door? Do we know that the foundations of people’s houses are being affected by increasingly heavy lorries that are going past their front door? All that is part of an integrated transport system. When will people get a council house? Do we know how long they have been on the council waiting list? Do we know that their windows need replacing, or that they need a handrail fitted so that they can cross their front step? That is all part of a housing strategy. Why is the council allowing that new factory or that new housing estate or that new road to be built? That is all part of a planning framework for Wales. Why are council taxes increasing so much? That is pertinent to last week’s debate and is all part of this Committee’s work. There is a great deal of work, but it is all in areas that are inter-related and are dependent upon each other.

A housing strategy, a waste strategy and an integrated transport strategy all need to be underpinned by a national planning framework for Wales. In tandem with the review of the planning policy guidelines we would like to see the Committee, during the coming year, working on developing a national structure plan. That would facilitate sustainable development while blocking other development in certain areas. A national structure plan would create the framework for developing a housing strategy, an integrated transport system and a waste management strategy. As part of this we would like to see a controlled third party right of appeal against certain planning permissions. We would also like to see the health implications of development given higher weighting in the planning process, with the health sector becoming a statutory consultee on planning.

An integrated transport system will be debated tomorrow. Together with a waste management strategy, it will form the basis for any sustainable development scheme, and is therefore very important. As part of the waste management strategy we would like to see the waste hierarchy redefined to prioritise waste minimisation rather than incineration. As part of that we would like to see a moratorium on the construction of new incinerators while that strategy is being put in place. We must place a heavier emphasis on reuse and recycling. We must take this opportunity to develop a strategy that is unique to Wales. We can take the lead on this, and I hope that we will be allowed to set a strategy that will meet European standards and regulations, even if other parts of the United Kingdom have time delays in meeting those standards.

We agree with Sue that a housing strategy is, perhaps, the most important strategy on which we are working. As that develops, we would like targets and timescales to be set as part of the strategy and some form of monitoring mechanism to be put in place to monitor our achievement on the housing strategy. We are concerned that only stock transfer is offered to cure the backlog of necessary repairs. Stock transfer will not be suitable for all areas, and may not be chosen by all areas. We must propose an alternative for those areas that do not choose stock transfer.

In order to deliver all those strategies we need a well-developed working relationship with local government. We must work together to implement shared policies, but we must also develop a well and adequately funded local government. As part of the Committee’s work in the coming year, as Sue said, we would like to see the new funding formula for local government being developed. The formula should be worked out between local government and ourselves. As part of that formula we need to consider the restrictions that have been placed on local government on how it sets its budget. That has caused a problem this year. We must re-empower local government and enable it to deliver services and invest in communities as appropriate to local needs. To achieve that investment in local communities we need to concentrate on the funding mechanism. That mechanism would mean a fairer distribution of resources based on need and would acknowledge social deprivation as well as rural issues. The formula should be sensitive enough to recognise pockets of potential need within otherwise affluent areas. I was pleased, therefore, to hear Sue’s comments on local government in general, on the structures that might be developed in local government and on the funding mechanisms that we need to consider.

I thank Sue again for the way that she has chaired the Committee. It has been a great credit to her. It has been a pleasure to be a member of this Committee and what we have said has been taken on board. I thank Sue Essex and Peter Law for their openness in dealing with this Committee. I look forward, with the other members of Plaid Cymru, to working with you in the future.

I echo the thanks of previous speakers for the chairmanship of Sue Essex and to Peter Law, the Secretary for the Environment and Local Government. Sue Essex has chaired the Committee competently over the last few months since I joined in September. Although I have strong political disagreements with Peter Law, he has always been willing to listen to Members’ concerns. That is important and he deserves credit for that.

I would like to sound a few notes of caution. When I became a member of the Environment and Local Government Committee, due to unfortunate circumstances last September, I looked forward to an opportunity—coming from the closed confines of the Business Committee—to scrutinise the Executive and the Secretary for the Environment and Local Government about their policies. I believed, perhaps naively, that Assembly Subject Committees would work on similar lines to Select Committees in the Houses of Parliament. In that other place, members of Select Committees—and I am sure that the Llywydd would agree having spent many years there—put aside party allegiances and act as one to scrutinise the actions of the Executive. In this new era of spin doctors and control freakery those Committees act as a vital guardian of democracy. Therefore, it was disappointing that in the first meeting that I attended I was reminded by the Chair that the Environment and Local Government Committee is a Subject Committee, scrutiny was not within our remit and our duty was merely to help the Executive to implement its policies.

It seems to have escaped the attention of those who drew up the Standing Orders that the majority of Members elected in this Chamber were not elected to help the Labour Party to implement its policy objectives. They were elected because they disagreed with them and had put other policies forward. An effective system of scrutiny is a right, not a privilege of those Committees.

I am afraid that a glance through the report would bring into question the raison d’être for spending thousands of pounds and many hours on this Assembly. The Committee supports improvements in housing in Wales, good transport links, and a fair and efficient planning system. They are all worthy but these are policies that are already being pursued by the Cabinet, just as they were previously by the Welsh Office under this administration and the one before it. I would go so far as to say that all of us would support these worthy objectives. None of us would have gone into politics if we did not believe that housing should be improved, that we should have better transport links and fairer planning systems.

If the Executive is already pursuing these objectives, then the relevant Committees should be holding it accountable for the progress it has made so far, or not, as the case may be. Instead of proper scrutiny we seem to be having a surfeit of sugary language with not enough substance. For example, the Committee is apparently keen to promote the delivery of high quality, cost-effective local government services. As the previous speaker mentioned, last week we discussed a budget that would lead to huge council tax rises for people, particularly in those rural areas.

Some, though not all, of that rise is due to the four local authorities that have for some reason—and I will not state the reason here—spent over and above their standard spending assessments. I will be absent from this Chamber tomorrow as I will be discussing this matter with the Secretary of State for Wales in Westminster.

The Committee, which has in the past received representations from various public bodies on different matters, could have examined this matter and flexed its muscles to call the relevant council leaders to account for themselves and their actions, and explain how they found themselves in such a situation. If it was not their own fault, as many in this Chamber would have us believe, they would no doubt be pleased to come forward and publicly announce how this situation arose. We have chosen not to do that.

Other speakers have referred to the integrated transport policy. It is essential that the Committee recognises that car drivers, particularly in rural areas, are already paying penal rates of taxation to the Treasury in the form of fuel tax. We are considering proposals that would allow the implementation of road tolls, not only in urban areas, but in rural areas and national parks, where there is a possibility of congestion at certain times of the year.

I am saddened that you are knocking what is a very successful Committee. It has a long way to go but is also achieving a great deal. Without being disrespectful, you have not attended the Committee often and perhaps you were absent when the Committee was at its most constructive.

I have been absent on occasion and can assure you that it was always with good reason. On one occasion I was opening a farmers’ market in Monmouth, which I considered to be a good thing to do. On another occasion I was absent for a short while to meet a delegation from the Countryside Alliance. I was absent on another occasion to take part in the Countryside Alliance march, which was important to me as I come from a rural area where many jobs are provided through field sports. My absence has been for the best possible reasons. I have always put my constituency above other interests because I believe that representing the people of Monmouthshire should be my number one priority in this place.

I am not knocking the Committee and do not wish my remarks to be misinterpreted. I have paid tribute to the Committee’s Chair. I am supplying constructive criticisms that I hope will help the Committee. I also hope that the Committee notes my comments and progresses in this new millennium by flexing more of its muscles and by showing more willingness to scrutinise what is happening in the Executive, and that it will therefore improve as a Committee. I am not saying that the situation is bad at the moment but we all want things to improve.

I agree that we have discussed the integrated transport policy. However, when the Chancellor of the Exchequer builds a budget surplus from the revenue he receives from fuel taxes, is it not right that the Committee should be able to challenge the Chancellor directly on that? We should be able to ask him why, for example, we cannot have more money for the rural bus subsidy. If the Assembly is being taken seriously by central Government, and I assume that that is the case because it was responsible for establishing the Assembly, why should we not be able to question the Chancellor directly about this issue? Why should the Committee not consider visiting 11 Downing Street to ask the Chancellor why he has such a surplus and why it cannot be spent throughout Wales, and specifically in our rural areas? I would like the answer to that question, along with many hard-pressed motorists. The Committee should therefore ask the question.

We still do not have enough scrutiny and action in the forward work programme. There are allegations that numerous complaints were made in Anglesey about officials suspended from their posts for alleged wrongdoing, who subsequently provided sick notes in order to receive pay and other benefits before retiring on health grounds. That is the kind of issue that the Committee could justifiably examine. Local government modernisation was mentioned by previous speakers—

We heard earlier that the Committee will take a far more strategic approach. Bearing that in mind, would it not be right for the Committee to examine local government expenditure, particularly on education? Vast sums of money are spent on administration and little seems to get through to the chalk face of education delivery. Will you call in councillor Russell Goodwage—sorry, Goodway—to see whether he will accept the Assembly’s report on councillors’ allowances and the sensible recommendations that are found therein?

You will not be surprised to hear that I agree with every word of that. Why can we not call in councillor Russell Goodway—I think that is his name although he is beginning to be known by a different surname—to ask him whether he will accept the report on councillors’ expenditure? Why can we not demand that he justifies the £60,000 that he pays himself for a three-day week when there are millions of pounds of uncollected council tax in Cardiff? Why do we not ask him how many chartered accountants would pay someone with so many outstanding debts a salary? I fully agree with your point, Jonathan.

You mentioned an area from which I come. I did not realise how serious an issue it is for your Committee, but it is a real problem in north Wales. There are council officials who have allegedly been suspended because of misdeeds. They then go on the sick, or take early retirement, and never face charges. This is a problem for local authorities because of the money involved. These people were fit and well when they committed the alleged offences, and they should answer the charges against them and not use sick notes in this way.

I agree with what David said about Anglesey officials. As a member of the North Wales Police Authority, I am aware that a certain official took sick leave and a large pension.

I am glad that the Member agrees that it is important that the Committee looks into these and other related matters. I will briefly mention the local government modernisation agenda, because I have spoken to many backbench councillors from many different parties who have expressed concern at the new structures. I believe that the Chair of the Committee mentioned the possibility of using this Assembly model as a possible template for some local authorities.

Do you support the views of one of your leading councillors who, in the Local Government Association journal this week, credited the Government for the wonderful job that it had done in getting rid of all these committees and putting in their place elected mayors and secretive cabinet structures. Do you agree with that Conservative point of view?

I would like to know who the Conservative was. I agree that local authorities should be able to put forward a model of their own choosing. They should not have a model forced upon them. Powers should reside with local authorities and the Assembly should not tell local authorities how to get on with things. There may be an argument for restructuring some local authorities and there may also be an argument for leaving others alone. It depends how they are working in different areas. I have always believed that you should not have one template for every area. I am convinced that the structure that we have in the Assembly is flawed. Members from other parties would be the first to agree that we should not try to force this on all local authorities in Wales. We should be willing to take evidence as a Committee from backbench councillors who have concerns about this.

I welcome the First Secretary’s statement that there must be a fresh start in the Assembly. He implied, in his comments about robust politics, that the Committees might have more influence over policy than they do at the moment. I would welcome that. I reject this motion and the report because, although the motion calls for us to note the report, I find that there is little of note in it.

I want the Environment and Local Government Committee to have a new remit and a new mandate to be fearless in scrutinising local government policies enacted by the Executive. I want it to be willing to hold the Executive to account for policies already in place and to be ready to risk upsetting and embarrassing the Executive and the First Secretary in the pursuit of openness.

I pay tribute to Sue Essex who has acted superbly as Chair of this Committee. I am sure that she will continue to do so for as long as she is Chair and the Committee remains in its present form. I also thank Peter Law, as the Assembly Secretary for this huge subject, for always being open and honest with us, answering our questions and dealing with us patiently and understandingly. He is a credit and a useful asset to the Committee.

As the leader of the Liberal Democrat team on the Committee, I try to keep arguments with myself to a minimum. However, the brief of the Committee is huge. There are many overlaps between the different topics and they are interlinked. It is difficult to separate the five topics with which we deal. We may need to consider that in future if we are to give these matters full justice. Other Committees are able to go into more depth with their subjects. There may be need for more scrutiny, questioning and study of huge issues such as housing and transport. The Committee in its present format does not have time to consider those issues. My comments may reflect those of Sue Essex when I say that.

I will look at each of the subjects, as many issues in this report deserve to be highlighted. We face a massive problem with housing. We have a £1 billion backlog of repair and maintenance. The only solution we are offered, in terms of the public sector housing problem and council houses generally, is stock transfer. It is clear from the document that has been presented to the Assembly that stock transfer of all the council houses in Wales would leave an additional cost to the Assembly of £40 million, due to the cost of paying off the overhanging debts and rent rebates. This will have to come from other budgets, probably renovation grants. There are problems with that solution. Convincing tenants will be difficult. The solution as it stands is also a problem, because we need to invest in communities’ environments, infrastructures and jobs at the same time. This is not an easy or cheap option.

We as a Committee should be pressing for changes to the public sector borrowing requirements so that Welsh local authorities can borrow against the value of their stock and their income streams to raise finance for improvement. The Committee must address that and the problems facing the private sector, particularly the decline in finance for renovation grants, which is a matter for concern, and the need to invest in the privately rented sector in the face of an unfitness rate of 20 per cent for houses in multiple occupation. This accommodation often houses some of the most deprived and vulnerable people. The fact that there is such a high unfitness rate raises concerns about the standard and quality of life of tenants in that accommodation, as well as safety issues.

The Committee has received a huge report on rough sleeping. We must ensure that every local authority has a comprehensive homelessness strategy, someone to co-ordinate it and adequate finance to deliver it. From those points alone, you can see that the housing issue is massive, but one that we must address. I believe we are starting to do that and will continue to do so, provided we can find time to do so properly.

The key issue on the environment is the need to establish a comprehensive waste strategy as soon as possible, which Janet Ryder has already mentioned. The majority of Committee members agree that this strategy should increase the minimisation, recycling and re-use of waste and avoid incineration if possible. We should try to meet the tougher targets that have been set in the European directive, rather than the weaker targets adopted by the UK Government. This is an opportunity for the Assembly to be distinctive and to start setting the standard for the rest of the UK. It is essential that we reverse the trend where £11 million to £12 million a year of much needed local government finance goes to the Treasury in landfill tax, while recycling rates have fallen to 4 or 5 per cent in Wales. Recycling must be subsidised, at least initially, if is to be effective. This particularly applies to doorstep collection, which is one of the most effective ways of achieving waste separation. We must put pressure on the Treasury to reform the landfill tax scheme so that more of it is returned to Wales to seed corn recycling and waste minimisation strategies. Local councils could then benefit directly from this.

Air quality is another huge environmental issue, particularly in the region that I represent, which includes Port Talbot. We need to strengthen the powers of the Environment Agency and set higher air quality standards.

We have heard much on local government from David Davies. He is right to say that the modernisation agenda is a key issue that the Committee will face. The Liberal Democrats retain severe reservations about this so-called modernisation of local government. We believe that it will concentrate power in too few hands, lead to greater secrecy and disempower local people and backbench councillors. Many councils are looking at structures to try to overcome this. There is no getting away from the fact that, in most cases, the cabinet—the main decision-making body of these councils—will meet in secret and that many decisions will be taken by cabinet members. This is a significant departure from the present culture of transparency and openness in local government. We need to use the secondary powers available to us to seek the maximum openness and inclusiveness in the new structures, in partnership with councils.

Best Value also remains a concern, not least the cost of inspecting it and the number of indicators, which threaten to tie up local authorities in red tape. There must be intense scrutiny of this scheme to ensure that the Assembly is offering local councils value for money and best value on this.

Finally on local government, the reform of the funding formula is essential if we are to redress the inequities that we face at present. Any formula is simply another way of distributing the same pot of money. There will be winners and losers next year as well, unless we address the underfunding of local councils and reverse the trend of massive hikes in council tax by finding more money in future years.

The development of an integrated transport policy is fundamental to achieving sustainable development, although we are not meant to use that phrase following Rhodri’s speech. It is also fundamental in achieving better quality of life for people in rural and urban areas, tackling social disadvantage and improving the environment in which we live in Wales. We are having a debate on this tomorrow so I will not go into much detail. However, much work needs to be done on this as well. There are also huge financing issues that need to be addressed over the next few years. That has been illustrated by the report on the M4 extension around Newport, which has shown the huge amounts of money, under any particular option, which need to be addressed in the integrated transport policy.

As a Committee, we still need to get a grip on planning guidance and ensure that it reflects the sustainable policies that the Assembly wants to put in place. The Liberal Democrats want to see changes that will strengthen the presumption against out-of-town shopping centres, provide an effective buffer zone for opencast sites, look to create green belts in Wales and encourage the development of brownfield sites wherever possible. Above all, we need to develop regional planning structures and offer clear guidance to local councils on this. I hope that that is one issue that we will take up when we come to look at planning guidance.

This Committee faces a huge task in dealing with its responsibilities. There are strong arguments for splitting us into two committees. However, it is clear that those responsibilities are central to the Assembly’s work and how it is perceived. I hope, in future, that the budgets that we receive for these items will recognise that fact.

I begin by endorsing the comments that my Committee colleagues have made about Sue Essex and Peter Law. I cannot speak highly enough of their work in the Local Government, Environment, Planning, Housing and Transport Committee. The Committee’s title gives an indication of the size of its remit. I know that my colleagues on the Committee and I criticise ourselves because we do not always feel that we have enough time to devote to the issues before us.

I endorse what Janet Ryder said. Every issue that the Environment and Local Government Committee addresses touches everyone’s lives in Wales, be it local government, the environment or transport. Although the members of the Committee are not of the same political persuasion, we use our time constructively. It is not always easy. We are not constantly scoring political points. I am sorry that David has left the Chamber because I was going to say that perhaps our Committee is a model of inclusivity. David is not included in that. He has made certain comments on the Committee and I am sorry that he has chosen the Chamber as a platform to make his comments.

Our Committee works extremely well. We work hard to identify problems that were hidden under the carpet for over 18 years under the previous administration. We find that there are few statistics on housing problems in Wales. We have had to identify these in the last eight months. Not only have we had to identify them, we have had to take steps to right the wrongs of 18 years. It is not easy, especially when our remit is so huge.

We are getting on with the job and we have before us a report. I am sure that you have all read every word of it. We have a huge task in front of us. Peter Black mentioned housing and its importance in Wales. It is vitally important. That is why Committee members give their time outside Committee meetings to meet with the all-party housing group, where we have experts who talk to us and advise us. That is of great advantage to us on the Committee.

I pay tribute to the professionals and the volunteers on the four housing task groups. The Committee members have enough papers to read. Not only do they have papers to read, they have papers to write for us to read. The input of these people, who give freely of their precious time to help us on this Committee, is much appreciated.

The implementation of the Planning Decision Committees has added greatly to the work of the Environment and Local Government Committee. We have to undergo training. Planning decisions must be taken correctly and transparently. We all have some trepidation about the Planning Decision Committees but we have undertaken this.

The Environment and Local Government Committee has never set the world alight. I am sure that we all agree on that including our Chair and the Assembly Secretary. It is not like agriculture. We did not have a beef on the bone crisis. It is not like other Committees. It is a Committee that gets down to the work before it without constantly scoring political points. I thank Peter and Sue for their work for the Committee and also the Committee Secretariat. Vaughan Watkin and Martin Stevenson carry out their duties as Committee clerks with good humour, which is not an easy task on our Committee.

I was going to start by saying how much I appreciate David Davies’s kind comments, but that could be described as President Carter accepting a valedictory proposition from the ayatollah. However, I appreciate the sentiments underlying his comments about what I try to do in the Committee—although I may not be here by the end of the week after what he said.

Although I am not officially responding to this debate, I was disappointed to hear David again reject the Committee’s report in the way that he did. It was today’s helping of the pulsating negativity that we have come to expect from the Conservative benches. It was misplaced and unnecessary criticism, because the Committee offers a great example of what partnership and working together means. David talked about his reasons for not attending the Committee, which have led to him being dubbed ‘the missing presumed lost member of the Environment and Local Government Committee’. He said it was because he has been attending farming and countryside events. I would not want to foist him on my colleague Christine Gwyther; perhaps he is more suited to the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, but that would be unkind. I am told that he will not be attending again tomorrow, but the Committee will be graced with the presence of William Graham, who I am sure will make a mature contribution. I hope that was sugary enough for you.

The report reflects the wide range of issues that the Committee has looked at and the constructive way in which it has considered them. The discussions have contributed significantly to the development of the Assembly’s policies. Our proceedings have been good humoured and positive, and I pay tribute to the members in general and to Peter Rogers, who made a positive contribution when he was a member of the Committee. David Davies should reflect upon that. The Committee has an ethos of wishing to improve the quality of life of all the people of Wales, which is what we are all here for. I thank Martin Stevenson and Vaughan Watkin from the Committee Secretariat, and also thank Owen John Thomas, Brian Hancock and Alison Halford, who have not spoken this afternoon but who have contributed to the Committee’s work.

We have tackled some difficult matters. The Committee’s input during the Assembly budgetary process and the local government funding settlement has been important. In developing policy, the Committee has shown support and made valuable input to the inclusive approach taken by devising the national housing strategy, of which we will hear more in the near future. The Committee has been supportive in the shift of emphasis towards tackling the problems of rough sleeping, and the enhancement of the programme to support sustainable communities. It has also been instrumental in securing the carrying over of under-spend to boost the programmes on sustainable communities: the £5 million agreed was an important investment for the future. Other issues have included the rough sleeping initiative, of which I spoke last week, where a 75 per cent increase in the budget was agreed, and a new £1 million programme for play facilities in deprived communities. These have all been achieved through Committee discussions.

The Committee has also been helpful in developing the Best Value regime, of which we will hear more tomorrow. I am sure that the Committee will continue to contribute to future policy developments, including sustainable development and how we proceed with our waste strategy and integrated transport policy. Transport policy is to be debated tomorrow. There have been announcements of major trunk road and local authority schemes recently, which will target social exclusion.

I pay particular tribute to the effective way that Sue Essex has chaired the Committee. The Assembly is enriched by her experience and commitment, and I appreciate the positive approach that she brings to the work. She has worked untiringly to give us all a fair hearing, has restrained us gently when we have got carried away, and has repeatedly brought us to a clear consensus at the end of the day, and that is what chairmanship is all about. I therefore congratulate Sue, because she has shown the best example of working in a partnership for the good of Wales. Whatever party we represent, the Environment and Local Government Committee is a positive example of an enlightened partnership making a difference for Wales.

I will begin by thanking Janet for her comments. The Committee agrees how important are the issues that you raised such as waste strategy, respecting the hierarchy, and respecting community recycling initiatives. The way in which we implement housing strategy to have an impact on the ground, is another important issue, as is stock transfer, which Peter raised. I hope our study and expert advisor will illuminate that issue and whether there are other options so that people feel that other options are being considered.

It was a bit of a culture shock when we lost Peter Rogers and got David Davies. I have worked on him and have tried to make the Committee as inclusive as possible. David noted that I said in his first meeting that it was not the Subject Committee’s job to do x, y and z. I read out the Standing Orders to him because it is our job to scrutinise and aid in policy development. The Committee is becoming so inclusive that David cannot stop himself from suggesting things he might want to bring forward. I hope that he takes that attitude in future. I would also like to remind him that Committees have study visits and extra information sessions. We have been out and about and have seen some interesting things on the ground. There are therefore other events to which he might like to come along.

As to being fearless, I would not like to impose that on the rest of my colleagues, but we are all assiduous in the way that we scrutinise and do our job. Peter Black raised important points, which left me feeling more daunted than I did before. Janice Gregory made the important point that these issues touch everyone’s life, and it reflects Janet Ryder’s point. Members of the public write and phone me as Committee chair. They see the Committee on the television and say, ‘I am so pleased that you actually talk about real things’. This does therefore have real meaning for people.

Finally, Peter Law reminded us that we have spent much time on rough sleeping and homelessness. The Assembly can be justly proud of that and Peter has taken a great interest in it. We have allocated more money to it, but we need to consider how we can use secondary legislation to help with homelessness because there is great scope there to do that. I thank those who have sat in the Chamber and listened to the debate. It will be business as usual for the Committee tomorrow morning.