This inquiry is being undertaken by the Assembly Committee on Peoples and Cultures (Committee D).
It was initially launched in June 2023.
In June 2023 the Assembly’s Committee D (Environmental and Social) launched an inquiry into rural housing. The inquiry had a particular focus on regulation of second home ownership and the availability of housing in tourism hotspots. The Committee has also been interested in the distinct needs of certain communities such as island and coastal communities and linguistic communities.
In October 2025 the new Committee on Peoples and Cultures agreed to continue the inquiry launched by its predecessor.
Background to the inquiry
Committee D (Environmental and Social) decided at its meeting on 19 June 2023 to begin an inquiry into rural housing in the BIPA jurisdictions. This follows its previous inquiry into indigenous and minority languages, where provision for housing, sustainable development, and the impacts of second homes and holiday homes on local communities emerged as important themes. Following the reorganisation of BIPA Committee structures, at the Plenary meeting at Weybridge in 2025 the new Committee decided to complete the inquiry with a renewed focus on second home ownership, housing in tourism hotspots, young people in rural areas, and minority language communities.
Scope of the inquiry
Rural housing is a topic that is relevant across the BIPA jurisdictions, and the inquiry is a valuable opportunity to consider common challenges and shared learnings to take from the experiences of the respective jurisdictions. The Committee has taken oral evidence in Kildare, Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Derry/Londonderry, and it has accepted written submissions from these jurisdictions. It intends to take evidence in England before completing its report later this year.
Some of the issues the Committee is considering in this inquiry include the factors impacting on the availability of housing in rural areas, and the inquiry is examining issues such as regulation of second home ownership and holiday lets, the impacts of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union (and the assumption that it would lead to increased demand for second home ownership) and Covid-19 (leading to changing work patterns and increased home-working). The Committee has also been interested in the distinct needs of certain communities such as island and coastal communities and linguistic communities, and the needs of older people.