Written question WQ83540
- Asked by
- Joel JamesConservative
- To be answered by
- Minister for Climate Change
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 10 days
Question
Will the Minister make a statement on the impact of higher global timber prices on the rate of social houses building in Wales?
Answer
Answered by Minister for Climate Change
Higher global timber prices are affecting the whole of the construction sector, but our commitment to deliver 20,000 new low carbon social rented homes remains unchanged. That commitment will mean that the social house building sector has certainty of a pipeline of work once the current market pressures ease.
Our Welsh Government Woodland Estate (WGWE), managed by Natural Resources Wales, continues to play an important role in the domestic timber sector by providing security of supply of domestic timber certified to international standards of sustainability. For further information please see Natural Resources Wales Timber sales and marketing plan 2021- 2026 (TSMP).
Meeting net zero, particularly in the construction sector, will require the use of much more home-grown timber in Wales. We are developing a timber industrial strategy to identify the steps which need to be taken across the supply chain, which will include increasing the proportion of Welsh timber processed to construction grade for long life uses.