, Committee for the Scrutiny of the First Minister
Cost of living
Well, first of all, strongly to agree with the basic proposition that Wales's contribution to energy security lies primarily in accelerating our ability to produce renewable energy here in Wales. Could we do more? Yes, I think we certainly could. I am hopeful…
, Committee for the Scrutiny of the First Minister
Cost of living
I think that second point, Chair, is particularly important, and it's a lesson we learnt during the pandemic as well, where supply chains that had served us reasonably well in calm times turned out to be very fragile, or to break down under the impact of a…
, Committee for the Scrutiny of the First Minister
Cost of living
I don't think, Russell, that we have had sufficient advice in from the sectors themselves as to the type of help that they would find most useful. Given the rapidly changing nature of the circumstances and the fact that they do fall differentially on…
, Committee for the Scrutiny of the First Minister
Cost of living
Well, Llywydd, Russell George is absolutely right that the Welsh Government has mobilised huge sums of money to help support Welsh businesses during the pandemic, and we are just at the very end of the last of those packages—£330 million-worth of additional…
, Committee for the Scrutiny of the First Minister
Cost of living
More in relation to rail. Ticket prices are going up, Chair, but, actually, they're going up below the rate of inflation—significantly below the rate of inflation, given the way that inflation has gathered pace—and we are continuing to do the things that we…
, Committee for the Scrutiny of the First Minister
Cost of living
Thank you, Chair. In relation to off-grid households, I was able to answer a question on this from Jane Dodds on Tuesday this week. The market is, I think, clearly not operating as it was intended to operate. We're collecting evidence through our fuel poverty…
, Committee for the Scrutiny of the First Minister
Cost of living
I suppose I would say the first thing is that time is on our side this time in a way that it wasn't in the last financial year because we were responding to an emerging crisis. We found money relatively late on in the year, and the capacity of the system to…
, Committee for the Scrutiny of the First Minister
Cost of living
Thank you, Chair. I think there are three ways in which we will amend our approach to the payment that we hope to make later this year. First of all, we will introduce applications earlier in the year than we were able to do in the financial year that's just…
, Committee for the Scrutiny of the First Minister
Cost of living
[Inaudible.]—very likely indeed that Ofgem will raise the cap again in October. The Chair said in opening that the position is volatile, so I think it's hard to know the extent to which the cap will be lifted, but it's very hard to see a position in which the…
, Committee for the Scrutiny of the First Minister
Cost of living
I absolutely agree that not all households in Wales get the help that's already available to them, and there's more that could and should be done to help with that. There are a range of ways in which that could be done, Chair. One is by some of the efforts we…
, Committee for the Scrutiny of the First Minister
Cost of living
Well, Llywydd, I thank Delyth Jewell for the question. The spring statement offered nothing to households in relation to energy prices. The Chancellor had previously announced measures, but there was nothing additional in the area of energy in the statement…
, Committee for the Scrutiny of the First Minister
Cost of living
Yes, thank you, Chair. So, the strategy can only be understood, of course, in the context, and the most recent context of what is, as you said, a very fluid situation was set out in the spring statement last week and the report of the Office for Budget…
, Committee for the Scrutiny of the First Minister
Cost of living
Thank you very much, Chair. So, joining me this afternoon I have Andrew Jeffreys, who is the director of the Treasury here at the Welsh Government.
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Dirprwy Lywydd, I thank Russell George for those questions. I needed to travel through the Member's constituency in just a few days after the flooding of 20 February and was able to see for myself the scale of it and the impact that it had had on communities…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Llywydd, on 15 March, the Deputy Minister for Climate Change announced our largest ever flood programme, totalling £71 million in the next financial year alone. That investment includes specific provision for schemes in mid Wales.
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
What I think the response tells you, Llywydd, is that it's the Conservative party that will never work for Wales, because here is a Conservative Chancellor who went about the spring statement on the basis of trying to burnish his own credentials as a…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I thank Delyth Jewell for that, Dirprwy Lywydd. In Wales, we have already provided a support package worth more than double the consequential funding we have received, as we seek to play our part in helping people who need that help the most. We will continue…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, Dirprwy Lywydd, they are certainly out of touch with those people, particularly in rural areas. We know that 28 per cent of households in rural areas in parts of Wales are reliant on heating oil to heat their homes and to have access to hot water. The…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, Llywydd, good afternoon to Jane Dodds. The Welsh Government continues to press the UK Government to support households who, through no fault of their own, are facing an energy and cost-of-living crisis. The cost of heating oil was last discussed with UK…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, I thank Cefin Campbell for that question. I agree with him, of course, on the possibilities that exist in west Wales. I remember being in Pembrey with the leader of the county council when we worked together to open the Tour of Britain, back in 2018…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I thank Cefin Campbell for that question. West Wales is already well placed to be one of the key cycling destinations in Wales for visitors from Wales and further afield. The Welsh Government continues to support the actions of local authorities and others in…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, of course. There is huge interest in this issue in Wales, and there is a responsibility on Ministers in Westminster to take this to the courts and to pursue the company that has broken the law. But, in addition to that, Dirprwy Lywydd, we know that the…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, Dirprwy Lywydd, Jack Sargeant has made those points very powerfully indeed. The UK Government, this UK Government, promised in a Queen's Speech in 2019 that it would bring an employment Bill in front of the House of Commons. Where has that Bill been?…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, I thank Jack Sargeant for that important question, Dirprwy Lywydd. The decision by P&O Ferries to fire its loyal workforce without consultation and with immediate effect is unacceptable and illegal. We have made it clear to the UK Government that they…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, there's no greater right, Llywydd, it seems to me, than to make sure that the system is not putting you at risk and causing you harm, and what some people describe as restrictions I think are more fairly described as protections, because that's what we…
