Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Social Justice – in the Senedd at 1:45 pm on 20 October 2021.
Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, following on from the previous question, you may remember that I wrote to you earlier this summer when the news first emerged of the rises in fuel tariffs. I warned then of the impacts this would have on household budgets, especially in light of the Tory Government's decision to plough ahead with the removal of the universal credit uplift, despite knowing the harm that it would cause. The reason we are in this position is partly down to the incompetency of the Tory Government in Westminster in failing to invest in gas storage capacity, making the UK especially vulnerable to external shocks. For me, this underlines Plaid Cymru's plans to establish a home-grown energy company that would increase our resilience and reduce our reliance on external forces. The last few months have surely told us that we cannot rely on Westminster when it comes to energy supply. Is increasing our energy independence under active consideration in order to tackle fuel poverty and exorbitant prices? And, if not, why not?