Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:50 pm on 14 November 2017.
Can I start by congratulating Julie James on her appointment as Leader of the House and Chief Whip? And can I say how delighted I am to have had the first opportunity since I was elected to this Assembly in 1999 to actually ask a question? So, I was determined I was going to get straight off the mark.
Can I ask you, leader of the house, if you could respond to the latest Trussell Trust figures that show an increase of 13 per cent in the use of foodbanks between April and September of this year—2017—compared with the same period last year? The Vale of Glamorgan foodbank has reported on the plight of a mother they helped recently, with five children, and no food left on a Friday. The Department for Work and Pensions said they couldn't help until the following week. Can we have an update from the Welsh Government on representations being made to stall the roll-out of universal credit, given that foodbanks in areas of full universal credit roll-out have seen a 30 per cent average increase in demand?