And since this report was published, unfortunately the situation has worsened. Many Members have highlighted the appalling reality for far too many families, and just to return to one of the points Jenny Rathbone made, for those people that are helping, there will be real challenges, and I think it is true that help for the hungry will be stopped to be better able to help the starving. That will be the truth in far too many of our communities.

And the instability in the UK Government has undeniably led to more uncertainty over the interventions to support families and businesses, in Wales and across the UK. The previous mini-budget that led to the collapse of the pound, the chaos in financial markets, had real consequences, not just the near-collapse of UK pension funds and the intervention of the Bank of England—it led to soaring borrowing costs and further pressure on inflation and interest rates, and that hits businesses, families, and of course all of those people with a mortgage, including the many thousands of people who every month come off a fixed price deal and go onto a standard rate that will now be much more than they expected.

Now, some help was made available. The £2,500 energy price cap—that’s the average energy price, of course; we know that it wasn’t a hard cap—that was for two years, and then backtracked to have a six-month period of time. But, even with that support, the average household energy bill has almost doubled compared to April 2021. And the energy bill relief scheme should relieve some of the pressures on businesses, but the UK Government really do need to pass the necessary legislation swiftly, to make sure payments get into the accounts of businesses so they don’t go under before the help is provided, and that they’re passed on to non-domestic customers, and that’s not just businesses, of course; lots of our key public services, including schools, are in that category, and really do need the help that has been signalled.

Now, whilst I do welcome the support that has been signalled, it may not be sufficient for some of our small and medium-sized businesses who are still facing up to sixfold increases in energy costs. A high proportion of those businesses were struggling with the pace of the recovery post pandemic. The Bank of England predicts a historic drop of 14 per cent in UK GDP this year, as well of course as a long-lasting recession that we may already be into.

I have responded formally to the recommendations, and, as has been noted, the Government agrees with the great majority of them, either in full or in principle. The Government has already established a Cabinet sub-committee specifically to discuss and address the support that we are able to provide, and we’re doing that with our partners in the third sector, in local government, and indeed a range of others. The recommendations made are part of the work that we’re taking forward, and that includes the work on warm hubs that Sarah Murphy highlighted. And we’re concerned about the need to do this. It’s extraordinary that, in a country like ours, we’re having to consider how to do it, but to do it in a way where there isn’t stigma around the provision but it does provide friendship and companionship. I certainly do recognise the point that Sarah Murphy made about making sure there’s decent Wi-Fi access—a good reason for people to go there. A range of the hubs already have that, but we will of course look, and it’s a good thing that the social justice Minister is here, at how we can ensure that those hubs do have decent Wi-Fi access.

We’re working with analysts across Government, as indeed has been mentioned, on the collection, analysis and publication of data on the cost-of-living realities, and ensuring that helps to shape Government interventions. The chief statistician will shortly provide information on how to access cost-of-living data. We’ll carry on working closely with the Office for National Statistics and Data Cymru on other user-friendly ways to access that data. The development bank continues to support Welsh businesses. We’ve also committed to invest more than £20 million a year into the Business Wales service from April 2023 to March 2025. That demonstrates our commitment to entrepreneurs, micro and SME businesses, to help provide them with the information, support and guidance they need to survive the very real challenges that we face.

We also continue to invest in our skills programme to support employers. We’ll continue with a budget of £30 million that has been allocated towards improving domestic energy efficiency in low-income households, including off-grid properties, through a range of Welsh Government programmes. And in the next financial year, we want to continue to support SMEs, and we'll continue to look at what will be available to us on non-domestic rates, but, of course, we'll have to wait to see what happens tomorrow to understand what that does to the reality of Welsh Government resources. We will do everything that we can to support people through this cost-of-living crisis in targeting help and support, but we'll have to be honest about the range of measures that are available to us, as we do, I'm afraid, expect there to be a further squeeze on the financial capability of this Government following tomorrow's statement, and potentially in the years ahead.

Many businesses in Wales are supporting their customers, and, indeed, their staff. Iceland, for example, have provided a range of services to assist their customers, including 10 per cent discounts on a Tuesday for people aged over 60, and interest-free loans for some of their customers. And Valero, an example of a different employer in Pembrokeshire, well, they're also providing extra support for Pembrokeshire foodbanks and looking at a hygiene drive to help provide goods to families and children.

As I mentioned at the start, a lot has happened since this report was published: different Prime Ministers—plural—and now we're on to our fourth Chancellor this year. The uncertainty and the lack of clarity means we don't really know what our budget position will be next year, and it affects our ability to plan for the future, as indeed it does for families, public services and businesses. We'll continue to press the UK Government to use all the levers as its disposal, including a meaningful windfall tax on energy companies, who themselves say that they should pay more to support people through the cost-of-living crisis.

We've been clear about our priorities to support people and businesses. The mini-budget 2, tomorrow, will make a huge difference. It could help, but it could well make matters even worse. The next few days will be difficult, but the next year, I'm afraid, could be even more difficult for far too many citizens and businesses in Wales and across the UK.