Siân Gwenllian, whose ministerial role includes local government, housing and planning, took her first question from Reform’s Paul Marr.
Pressing the minister on houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) and asylum seekers, Mr Marr asked Ms Gwenllian if she knew the total number of HMOs in Wales, and what proportion are occupied by current and former asylum seekers.
The Ceredigion Penfro MS spoke of meeting a 70-year-old veteran in his constituency who had spent several years living in an abandoned camper van because he was unable to secure accommodation.
Mr Marr called on Ms Gwenllian to provide ‘assurances’ that Welsh people facing homelessness will not be ‘treated less favourably’ in the allocation of housing or housing support than those that have been granted asylum status.
Warning the Reform MS to avoid creating divisions by ‘trying to point the finger at one specific group in our society,’ Ms Gwenllian confirmed that 14,954 homes in Wales were HMOs as of March 31, 2025.
She added that data is not collected on residents, and as such there is no data on what percentage are occupied by asylum seekers.
