Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Social Justice – in the Senedd at 2:01 pm on 12 January 2022.
Minister, as you say, many of our constituents throughout the whole of Wales are now really experiencing a day-to-day cost-of-living crisis. They're making choices—genuinely—between heating and eating, either feeding themselves or feeding the prepayment meters. We've had COVID-19 and post-Brexit impacts on supply chains; we've had shipping delays; factories in lockdown or slowdown globally; staff absences affecting things particularly like raw materials; food prices have risen due to those supply chain disruptions and we've had increased HGV driver wages after thousands left the UK for their home countries in the EU. And all of this, Minister, is before the soaring energy prices and the national insurance hike that comes into force in April. The energy bills are expected to soar as the Government's price cap is revised in February and implemented in April, and that's not to even mention the cruel universal credit cut. Yet, for some reason, the Prime Minister and UK Chancellor seem impotent or unaware, their attentions seemingly distracted by other more pressing matters such as clinging on to the keys of No. 10 at all costs. So, this fuel poverty intervention by Welsh Government is really welcome, particularly given that real, immediate cost-of-living crisis. How can we ensure, Minister, that as many eligible people as possible are able to access this fund and get hold of this welcome help?