Meetings
NDM8070 Plaid Cymru Debate - Cost of living
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Meeting: 21/09/2022 - Plenary (Item 11)
Plaid Cymru Debate - Cost of living - Postponed from 14 September
NDM8073 Sian
Gwenllian (Arfon)
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Believes that the current increases in energy
bills are unsustainable and that they will cause financial strain and hardship
on households, businesses, and community groups, whilst fossil fuel companies
are making record profits.
2. Calls on the Welsh Government to
immediately implement broader cost-of-living emergency measures, such as:
a. halving rail fares and cap bus fares;
b. working with local authorities to clear
some of the significant council tax arrears that have been built up over the
course of the pandemic;
c. a rent freeze;
d. reinstating measures to ban winter
evictions;
e. expanding the free school meals scheme
to secondary school children;
f. increasing the
educational maintenance allowance to £45.
The following amendments have been tabled:
Amendment 1 Darren
Millar (Clwyd West)
Delete all and replace with:
Notes that the UK Government has introduced
an energy profits levy.
Welcomes the action taken by the UK
Government to tackle the cost of living, including:
a) an energy price guarantee, capping
energy costs;
b) cost of living payments for those on low
income benefits and tax credits worth £650;
c) a disability cost of living payment
worth £150;
d) monthly reductions in fuel bills from
October worth £400;
e) an increase in the National Living Wage
to £9.50 an hour;
f) a reduction in the universal credit
taper rate;
g) a freeze on fuel duty;
h) a two year freeze on the TV licence fee;
i) extra winter fuel payments.
Calls on the Welsh Government to work with
the UK Government to support people, businesses and the third sector to meet
the challenges ahead.
[If amendment 1 is agreed, amendment 2 will
be de-selected]
Amendment 2 Lesley
Griffiths (Wrexham)
Delete all after point 1 and replace with:
Believes the UK Government is failing to
grasp the severity of this crisis and that it would allow working people to
cover the cost of an energy cap instead of taxing the record profits of gas and
oil producers.
Welcomes the £1.6bn invested in targeted
cost-of-living support and universal programmes which put money back in
people’s pockets provided by the Welsh Government this financial year,
including:
a) extending the £200 Winter Fuel Support
Payment to 400,000 households this winter;
b) rolling out universal primary free
school meals from September 2022;
c) investing £51.6m in the Discretionary
Assistance Fund to provide an emergency lifeline for people in severe financial
crisis;
d) £4m to fund fuel
vouchers to help people on pre-payment meters and a fuel bank for people not on
mains gas.
Minutes:
The
item started at 16.32
Voting on the motion and amendments under this item was deferred
until Voting Time.
A vote was taken on the motion without amendment:
NDM8073 Sian
Gwenllian (Arfon)
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Believes that the current increases in energy bills are
unsustainable and that they will cause financial strain and hardship on
households, businesses, and community groups, whilst fossil fuel companies are
making record profits.
2. Calls on the Welsh Government to immediately implement broader
cost-of-living emergency measures, such as:
a. halving rail fares and cap bus fares;
b. working with local authorities to clear some of the significant
council tax arrears that have been built up over the course of the
pandemic;
c. a rent freeze;
d. reinstating measures to ban winter evictions;
e. expanding the free school meals scheme to secondary school
children;
f. increasing the educational maintenance allowance to £45.
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
13 |
0 |
39 |
52 |
The motion without amendment was not agreed.
The following amendments were tabled:
Amendment 1 Darren
Millar (Clwyd West)
Delete all and replace with:
Notes that the UK Government has introduced
an energy profits levy.
Welcomes the action taken by the UK
Government to tackle the cost of living, including:
a) an energy price guarantee, capping
energy costs;
b) cost of living payments for those on low
income benefits and tax credits worth £650;
c) a disability cost of living payment
worth £150;
d) monthly reductions in fuel bills from
October worth £400;
e) an increase in the National Living Wage
to £9.50 an hour;
f) a reduction in the universal credit taper
rate;
g) a freeze on fuel duty;
h) a two year freeze on the TV licence fee;
i) extra winter fuel payments.
Calls on the Welsh Government to work with
the UK Government to support people, businesses and the third sector to meet
the challenges ahead.
A vote
was taken on amendment 1:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
13 |
0 |
39 |
52 |
Amendment 1 was not agreed.
Amendment 2 Lesley
Griffiths (Wrexham)
Delete all after point 1 and replace with:
Believes the UK Government is failing to
grasp the severity of this crisis and that it would allow working people to
cover the cost of an energy cap instead of taxing the record profits of gas and
oil producers.
Welcomes the £1.6bn invested in targeted
cost-of-living support and universal programmes which put money back in
people’s pockets provided by the Welsh Government this financial year,
including:
a) extending the £200 Winter Fuel Support
Payment to 400,000 households this winter;
b) rolling out universal primary free
school meals from September 2022;
c) investing £51.6m in the Discretionary
Assistance Fund to provide an emergency lifeline for people in severe financial
crisis;
d) £4m to fund fuel
vouchers to help people on pre-payment meters and a fuel bank for people not on
mains gas.
A vote
was taken on amendment 2:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
27 |
0 |
25 |
52 |
Amendment 2 was agreed.
A vote was taken on the motion as amended:
NDM8073 Sian
Gwenllian (Arfon)
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Believes that the current increases in energy bills are
unsustainable and that they will cause financial strain and hardship on
households, businesses, and community groups, whilst fossil fuel companies are
making record profits.
2. Believes the UK Government is failing to
grasp the severity of this crisis and that it would allow working people to
cover the cost of an energy cap instead of taxing the record profits of gas and
oil producers.
3. Welcomes the £1.6bn invested in targeted
cost-of-living support and universal programmes which put money back in
people’s pockets provided by the Welsh Government this financial year,
including:
a) extending the £200 Winter Fuel Support
Payment to 400,000 households this winter;
b) rolling out universal primary free
school meals from September 2022;
c) investing £51.6m in the Discretionary
Assistance Fund to provide an emergency lifeline for people in severe financial
crisis;
d) £4m to fund fuel
vouchers to help people on pre-payment meters and a fuel bank for people not on
mains gas.
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
27 |
0 |
25 |
52 |
The motion as amended was agreed.