Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:41 pm on 12 July 2022.
I'd like to ask for a written statement on the steps that the Welsh Government is considering to take to help care workers in the wake of a big increase in fuel costs. I discussed the issue with officials in Unison yesterday. Care workers in rural areas, in particular, have to drive distances between the houses of the people they care for, and the money they receive is not enough to pay for the fuel in their cars and maintenance costs. The truth is that they are subsidising their employers, and have to cut funding from their family budgets to do that. I know that the main levers are in the hands of the UK Government in terms of reducing prices and allowing greater claims on a tax-free basis, but I'd like to ask what the Welsh Government is considering as actions, from direct payments to trying to encourage paying these workers on a weekly basis, or allowing investment from employers in pool cars, electric cars perhaps. We're talking about a situation here where austerity is really biting, and we're talking about workers who are caring and very key.