Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:01 pm on 11 January 2022.
And I think it’s perfectly reasonable, First Minister, for you to raise the issue of the implications, in terms of revenue, for both Transport for Wales and for the housing sector. I suppose the point is whether, in these particular circumstances, given the nature of the cost-of-living emergency, there should be, in the short term, a greater emphasis put on that than other considerations.
I welcome, of course, the agreement last month in supporting our motion to begin talks with local authorities on debt bonfires for those with council tax arrears, and the additional winter fuel support scheme investment that you referred to. You could go further again, in agreeing with the Equality and Social Justice Committee recommendation to set out plans to accelerate the retrofitting of social housing and, indeed, as National Energy Action have urged, bring forward your target of abolishing fuel poverty from 2035 to 2028, and place that target on a statutory footing. It would be naïve to think that these actions in Wales would shame Boris Johnson into action in Westminster, as the man has no shame, but they would be a beacon of hope, as well as a source of practical help, to many people in Wales at a very dark and difficult time.