1. What is the Government doing to help families in South Wales East who have fallen into debt? OQ59162

Thank you very much. Happy St David's Day to you all this afternoon.

During the first half of this financial year, 16,553 people accessed our single advice fund services in South Wales East and were helped to have debts totalling £1.1 million written off and to claim additional income of £8.1 million.

Thank you for that response, Minister.

In the recently published Bevan Foundation document, 'A snapshot of poverty in winter 2023', debt was found to be a significant problem. More than a quarter of people surveyed borrowed money between October 2022 and January 2023, with 13 per cent being in arrears on at least one bill. Furthermore, more than one in 10 were also worried about losing their home over the next three months, with mortgage holders becoming increasingly concerned. We all know who is largely to blame for this. Even the Tories in this Chamber know this deep down, but the question is: what are we going to do about it?

I'd like to know what developments have been made in the campaign to crack down on energy companies forcing households to have prepayment meters. It's obscene that families are being plunged into fuel poverty at a time when gas and electric operations are making record profits. And I'd also like to know what dialogue and progress has been made in tandem with the Enforcement Conduct Board to crack down on rogue debt collection companies since I raised it last month. Diolch.

Diolch yn fawr. We can't underestimate, can we, the financial challenges being faced by so many households across Wales. In fact, today's figures are estimating in the millions—2.5 million again into fuel poverty. What we're doing is targeting financial support to households to help maximise income and avoid falling into debt. But, I mean, clearly, there are issues that also lie very much within the responsibility of the UK Government, and I'm particularly concerned about the impact on the most vulnerable households, which, as you say, are often those who are on prepayment meters.

I think this is where the work that we've been doing yesterday—. In fact, I met with Ofgem officials, and I met with the Ofgem board only a few weeks ago, and pressed Ofgem to consider Wales's most vulnerable households when using their regulatory powers to review energy suppliers' practice. I also said, in terms—. I asked them questions about their review into British Gas. I asked them about reviews into other energy suppliers. I also said that although they are banning the installation of prepayment meters until the end of March, that should be extended. I called for it to be extended because they are undertaking some reviews on other suppliers, I understand. And I called for the social tariff.

Can I say that I'm very pleased to have met with the Enforcement Conduct Board and also raised this with Ofgem and suggested—and I'm making this clear to Ofgem and the UK Government—that debt collectors employed by energy suppliers should be accredited by the Enforcement Conduct Board?

I'd like to wish you and all of my colleagues here in the Chamber and beyond a very, very happy St David's Day. Minister, I know that you've probably heard this line from many of my colleagues over time and over many years, but it's no secret that Labour has sadly been running our NHS into the ground, with nearly 600,000 patients languishing on waiting lists. We also have more than 45,000 people waiting over two years for treatment. Many of those stuck on waiting lists can't take the pain any more and are in fact turning to private healthcare. Quite a few of my constituents, in fact, in south-east Wales are landing themselves in extremely difficult financial situations because they have no choice but to go private. One constituent had to pay privately for a laparoscopy because their mental health was suffering so much as a result of the pain that they were going through on a daily basis. The patient has said, and I quote, 'I am lucky I could do this, although it has left me in £4,000-worth of debt.' Another individual from south-east Wales took out a personal loan for private surgery and then it was discovered that she had stage 4 endometriosis. Unfortunately, she could not afford any further treatment and is still paying off her loan. So, Minister, my question is: what do you say to the patients who are falling into debt and financial difficulty as a direct result of the Welsh Government's failure to address NHS waiting times? Thank you.

Well, I find this an extraordinary question, I have to say, Natasha—an extraordinary question—when we have our national health service, which we are proud of, born in Wales, free at the point of access, and delivering day in, day out care and treatment to thousands of people across Wales, including your constituents. Yes, I'm concerned with people who are falling into debt, and falling into debt because of the UK Government's policies, I would have to say. And will you join me, Natasha Asghar, and your colleagues here, in calling for the UK Government not to increase the energy price guarantee from £2,500 to £3,000 in April, and to ensure that vulnerable householders are protected from disconnection, as happens in the water industry? This is something that your Government can do, and then, of course, it would help people, for whatever reason that they may be falling into debt.