Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:54 pm on 2 March 2021.
Thank you, Paul. I certainly welcomed the report that was published by the committee in April, and I've accepted all 21 of their recommendations. And I think the evidence that the committee took really chimed with the evidence that was taken as we developed the draft plan. And I think the plan that I published today illustrates where we've amended our actions so that we can take into account the recommendations from the committee.
You're quite right about rural areas. Obviously, many homes are off the grid, and they obviously rely on different forms of heating. So, the provision to provide additional financial support for households who are off grid and in rural areas is made within the existing Warm Homes programme. Households with a lower EPC rating who are situated in off-grid areas can be granted funding of up to £12,000 to help improve their home energy efficiency, and we know that communities who live in rural areas experience different challenges to those who live in more urbanised areas in Wales, so on that basis, the rationale for the different approach for rural areas will be set out in the consultation that I referred to, which is planned on the next iteration for the Warm Homes programme. We've also got emergency payments, I should stress, also, through our discretionary assistance fund and they've been made available for people to people to buy liquid gas and oil during this winter, and this pilot's supported more than 43 households who've received payments for more than £6,400 this winter.