Tag Archives: Senedd

MORE SUPPORT NEEDED FOR PEOPLE LIVING IN FUEL POVERTY

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Rhun ap Iorwerth calls for more action to help those most vulnerable with rising fuel and energy costs

Today in the Senedd, Rhun ap Iorwerth, Member of the Senedd for Ynys Môn, asked Welsh Government’s Minister for Social Justice what steps are being considered to provide additional support to those living in fuel poverty ahead of the anticipated rise in the energy price cap later this year.

Up to 45% of all Welsh households could be in fuel poverty following the price cap increase of April 2022, using the Welsh fuel poverty measure. The last estimates collected for Ynys Môn in 2018 estimated a rate of fuel poverty higher than the Welsh national average at the time.

In his question to the Minister, Rhun ap Iorwerth MS said:

“The level of people in fuel poverty is astonishing, and we see how the cost in terms of energy and fuel as part of the cost-of-living crisis more broadly is deepening from day to day, nearly, and the financial hardship that some of our most vulnerable constituents are seeing.

“There is an expectation for fuel prices to rise again, as the cap rises further later in the year. And my question is: what steps are the Welsh Government taking now to consider the options for providing additional support to our most vulnerable constituents when that heavier blow arrives later in the year?”

In response, Jane Hutt, the Minister for Social Justice agreed with the comments, and whilst noting some of the further measures being taken by Welsh Government – including starting to pay the next iteration of the fuel support scheme earlier, she also called on the UK Government’s responsibility to address the energy price rises.

Mr ap Iorwerth also referred to the impact the cost of living is having in Ynys Môn and the rise in demand for foodbanks. He congratulated the new joint partnership of Anglesey Council and Wild Elements announced this week, an innovative local project to supply Anglesey food banks with fresh produce.

Rhun ap Iorwerth MS added:

“The work being done locally to support those most in need and feeling the pinch of the cost of living crisis is so very appreciated – but it is shameful that we need these measures.

“There is much more that can be done to tackle this crisis. UK Government must also take action to lower the price cap for lower income households to ensure they can meet costs of their energy needs amongst other crucial measures.”

ENDS

“It’s disgraceful that it has taken until now to start seeing things from the perspective of women and girls in healthcare” says Ynys Môn MS

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Rhun ap Iorwerth welcomes Welsh Government’s ten-year women’s health plan but insists that it must bring real change

On Tuesday 5 July 2022, Rhun ap Iorwerth MS responded to the Minister for Health and Social Services, Eluned Morgan’s quality statement on women and girls’ health. In that statement, Welsh Government also announced plans for an autumn publication of a ten-year women’s health plan. This comes two months after Plaid Cymru tabled a motion to the Senedd emphasising the importance of addressing issues around women and girls’ health.

Whilst welcoming the statement, Rhun ap Iorwerth, Member of the Senedd for Ynys Môn asked for an assurance that adequate resources would be set aside to implement the plan, emphasising the need for it to make a real difference to women and girls’ lives.

The British Heart Foundation estimates that the deaths of 8,000 women over a 10-year period could have been prevented if they had received cardiac care suited to their needs.

In his response to the plans, Rhun ap Iorwerth, Member of the Senedd for Ynys Mon said:

“It is astonishing and disgraceful, if truth be told, that it has taken us until now to start seeing things from the perspective of women and girls in healthcare.”

Mr ap Iorwerth, a member of the Senedd’s Health and Social Care Committee and Plaid Cymru spokesperson on Health and Care, not only questioned how the plan would be financed but also how progress would be measured, stressing the need to ensure that a real change is made to the care that women and girls receive.

Rhun ap Iorwerth MS added:

“It is crucial that women feel a difference, and that we as parliamentarians see that the plan announced by Welsh Government makes a difference.

“I therefore asked the Minister how women will be able to witness and get a feeling that there has been a change and that that change is having a clear impact on the care that they receive within our health and care services.”

The Minister, Eluned Morgan MS, announced that health boards would have to meet the plan within their own resources but that in its development £160,000 of additional finance has been set aside.

ENDS