Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. It's midsummer, and when the clouds rise, it is a time to wear light clothes, T-shirts, to open the windows, sit in the garden, hang the clothes on the line, enjoy a barbecue and to know, usually, that the energy bills won’t be as high as usual, and that the meter won’t spin quite as quickly as the heat of the sun warms our skins and our homes. But this year, the sky is full of black clouds and the long summer days lead not to a feeling of liberation and relaxation, but rather to a period of sadness for too many people. Because the economic storm of the past few months has not eased, and the worst is yet to come.

The impact of the cost-of-living crisis is truly terrifying. The cost of filling the car with petrol or diesel is well over £100 by now. The cost of everyday foods such as pasta is 50 per cent higher, and bread is 17 per cent higher. And energy bills, which are already incredibly high and unaffordable, and which have caused so much anxiety for so many people in Wales, even now in the summer months, are going to climb higher still in the autumn. We need to ensure that any measures to support people who will be living in fuel poverty or who are at risk of fuel poverty are fully effective, fully accessible to those who are or who will be in need, and that they mitigate the serious pressure and the impossible choices that will face too many Welsh households when the storm is raging during the winter months.

We have, of course, welcomed the Government's plans to try to support people who are in the eye of the storm. But our research supports the calls of campaigners who believe that we could review the winter fuel support scheme in order to ensure adequate support for those who need it most, and some of the suggestions to improve the scheme have been outlined in the Conservatives’ amendments.

I would recommend that the Welsh Government ensure that this is a scheme that is available all year round, rather than being a seasonal scheme, to ensure that no-one goes without heat or power during the coldest months. And as I mentioned previously, even though it's summer, there are people now who can't afford to turn on the oven or run a hot bath. We should expand the number of people who are eligible for support, so that everyone who needs support under the scheme can get it, such as those on pension credits, for example. We also need to build a mechanism into the scheme to ensure that it reaches low-income households who pay for their fuel as part of their rental payments, for example. An element of discretion could be introduced into the scheme, so that people who might be on the borderline of eligibility and might miss out, or who find themselves in new or critical situations that push them into poverty, can apply for help.

The Minister has suggested that she agrees that it is necessary to ensure that payments are made before the Ofgem cap is increased in October, and we need a review, therefore, and an evaluation of the previous scheme to ensure that improvements are made before then, to make absolutely sure that payments reach as many eligible households as possible. We need action to improve and harmonise how local authorities engage with needy households and process the claims, alongside an awareness-raising and promotional campaign by the Government. While the Welsh Government has taken positive steps to help people through this cost-of-living crisis, especially compared to the disgraceful and heartless behaviour of the Westminster Government, we must ensure that those steps are thoroughly robust, in order to prevent suffering, the likes of which none of us has seen before. That's the aim of our motion. I encourage Members to support it.