 Thank you for joining me this morning. So I want to talk to you today about the choices we make as government for the people we serve. We are in the midst of an unprecedented cost of living crisis and on the brink of a recession. And here in Wales we have chosen to support people through this crisis by providing targeted help to those who need it most and by supporting everyone through programmes which put money back in their pockets. Fy enw'r cyfnodau i'r ddysgu i ddeudio gyda'r Government Unedig. Mae'n leirio'r rhan o bod i'r ffordd, y profiad o'r cyfnodau, a oedlau'r cyfeiriaid cyflwyfus honno. Mae'n gwneud i ddysgu'r prospesio eich cyfnod o'r cyflwyfus cyflwyfus, cyflwyfysau cyflwyfus, ac ymddangosol y gyrfa yn ysgrifennu. Mae ysgrifennu'r cyflwyfus ymlaen i fynd ar y ddenon i'r ddych chi'n tynnu cefnod a'r gwasanaeth. Ond y gallwn teidio yn eich bibbwysgau y cyfir o bwysigol ym Mhen Lindig i'n blynedd yma, i'r hoffydd yr Ymddangas Lŷ yma. Roedd ymddangos i'n ei wleidiau, y scwer iaol, y ddenyddまでid, a'r gwaran ardal yn sempio mae eu ddysgu, oherwydd mae'r ei ei ddweud o'r ffordd wedi'i ddweud. Ymddangos eich bibbwysgau rhaentau o'r ffordd ar y ffradeg Cwrs yn y llwyddiad Llywodraedd Fyrddol ac yn ffordd leidio o'r ffordd rhaid yw. ymdillu a'r syniadol yn ymdillwyr mewn mwyaf. Yn dweud y gyfyrdd y gweithiau llwyaf, yn ymdillwyr â'r ddylch yn ymdillwyr, yr wych yn ymdillwyr yn ymdillwyr mewn mwyaf, sy'n ei ddweud yn ymdillwyr i chi am ysbyt. Rhaid i'n hyn o'r gwneud am hyn o'r Gwfyrdd UK i ddaf yn gweithio'r dyfu weithio i ymdillwy, amgylcheddodd yn ymdillwyr, i bobl yn yn ymdillwyr i'r hynod. Dyw'r cwisio'r cael ei welwnau iawn.. ..n amlwg ychydig iawn. Dwi'n ffordd i'ch gael darai'r rhai... ..en byddai gwybod a'r gweithio'n gwybod. Rwy'n gweithio'r gweithio sydd honno'n 183,000,000... ..rhyw hwnna'n cymdeithas Bibliotech yn bau. Ac mae'n ganbain i'w cael gwir mewn bain. Mae'r eich gweithio'n 15 miliwn... ..o'u ffyrdd inwyddoedd dimuol.. ..a ffyrdd fidebau gwybod mewn ladach oerydd... when they need it. A national fuel voucher and heat fund scheme for households on pre-payment metres or not on mains gas. Almost £4 million to help reduce and tackle the causes of food poverty and to support community food organisations. Last week we opened the second round of the Welsh Government winter fuel support scheme, which will provide some 400,000 households with a non-repayable £200 payment towards their energy bills. This winter we've expanded the criteria to support more households across Wales. We've doubled the number of households eligible for the winter fuel support scheme. This cash payment is on top of the support available from the UK Government, but I do urge everyone to check their local authorities web page for more information about how to claim the winter fuel support payment. We've also heard alarming calls of scam callers claiming to be issuing payments on behalf of local authorities, so please be careful and ensure that your local authority web page that you access it for the correct information. Last week the First Minister confirmed we'd set up a new cabinet cost of living committee which will meet weekly. We'll work closely with local authorities, with social partners and the third sector as we continue to respond to this crisis. We'll be running a third claim what's yours campaign this autumn to ensure people are claiming all the benefits they're entitled to, and we'll be providing an extra £1 million to fund direct food support for food banks in Wales. This is in addition to the £500,000 we've already invested in this area. This funding will help to treat some of the symptoms of this cost of living crisis, but they will not and cannot attempt to solve the underlying causes. To do that we need to see concerted action from the UK Government. But as I said at the start this is about choices. We will continue to do all that we can with the limited resources we have, prioritising support for those who need it most, while continuing to help everyone through the universal programmes we provide, like universal free school meals and free prescriptions which put money back into people's pockets. We will continue to take a fairer more equal approach to supporting people through this crisis. We've made our choice. I'm calling on the UK Government today to think again to prioritise those most in need instead of the richest, to introduce a lower price cap for lower income households, to ensure they are able to meet the cost of their energy needs now and in the future, to introduce a significant increase in the rebate paid through schemes such as the warm homes discount and winter fuel schemes, additional funding to increase benefits in line with inflation to support low income households and a £25 per week uplift for universal credit and legacy benefits to remove the benefit cap and the two child limit to support families and give children a better start in life. These are all practical solutions which would ease the burden on households and more importantly prevent tens of thousands more people and children sliding into poverty. Diolch yn fawr. Thank you. I'll now take questions from journalists and I start with Dan Davis, BBC Wales. Thanks Minister. If you want to ease the burden on households, why haven't you frozen rents? Well clearly we are doing a lot in partnership with local authorities to help people who are renters whether it's social or private rented sector and I think it is important to recognise in practice over the last two years that we've assisted local authorities and it's part of the homelessness prevention strategy that we've got. We've given extra money to help them for example help people who are struggling with rent arrears but also we must remember that there's a lot of other ways in which we're supporting people who are renters social or in the private rented sector. The private rented sector lease hold scheme which has just been announced rolling out to make sure that we can help people in the private rented sector but also I have to say you know in terms of our council tax reduction scheme putting a lot more money into council tax reduction scheme which actually results with thousands of people not actually having to pay council tax at all. These are all the bills that people are faced with but we are the Minister for Climate Change is bringing forward a white paper to look at all of the issues concerning affordable rents in those sectors. Perhaps you could tell us when that white paper would be available but my second question is on the COVID inquiry the bereaved families from Wales are asking for core participant status to properly scrutinise the Welsh Government. If they don't get that will the Welsh Government reconsider having a Welsh inquiry? Well obviously we are determined to ensure that our actions and decisions and those of other public services in Wales are fully and properly scrutinised and of course the UK wide inquiry is best placed to oversee this very interconnected nature of the decisions that have been made across the four nations. Thank you Dan and I'll turn now to Caitlin Parr, LBC. Thank you Minister. You said that you've been repeatedly asking the UK Government for help and that it's been going unanswered. Are you concerned about any sort of further ramifications of another Prime Minister that's come in that seems to be ignoring Wales? Well extremely concerned I do I don't believe there has been a call to the First Minister yet by this Prime Minister. The First Minister recalled only last week in the chamber that he'd had calls from actually both previous predecessor Prime Ministers on the day that they were appointed elected Boris Johnson and Theresa May no call. Perhaps he'll have a call from the next Prime Minister but who might take this current Prime Minister's place. The situation is so serious in terms of the impact of policies in Wales and I can I just say again that Liz Truss today has refused to rule out real-term cuts in welfare benefits. Now you know we're in the worst situation for welfare benefits for 50 years and the poorest are going to lose out the budget even you know the U-turn they're doing U-turns every day so will we have a U-turn on the fact and just we've had a U-turn 45B but we've also had a U-turn in terms of bringing forward that information for transparency. We have got to have clarity that benefit cuts are not ruled out by the Prime Minister that is the most important thing for the most vulnerable people in Wales and let's remember public services. The messages from local government last week from Councillor Andrew Morgan the leader are real fear about public services because also those public services actually reach all universally all their constituents and their people not just education housing social services you know everything that local authorities do so there's a real concern Liz Truss has got to speak to our first minister and engage with her. I'm certainly also asking to meet with ministers with my responsibilities thank you. Thank you minister and of course we've all been hearing about people struggling between heating and eating through the cost of living crisis but even with the measures that you've announced today how worried are you about potentially approaching a point where people can't afford either? Well we're doing everything that we can to avoid that so I mean one of the most important things for me as minister for social justice is that I meet with the people who are actually providing those frontline services to hear from them what is it that we need to do that's why we went into partnership with the fuel foundation nothing like that exists in England. The fuel foundation actually gives vouchers for prepayment meters some of the most vulnerable people in terms of their energy costs but also really important for off grid in Wales where obviously we've already been helping with discretionary assistance payments but now with the heat fund from the fuel foundation but you know last week I met in Cardiff and Tlanedin at a meeting chaired by Jenny Rathbone with local providers local churches health visitors Cardiff council to hear from them what it is like for them at the sharp end. They all want to help they and the key message I want to get over today is please make sure please publicise claim what's yours people are entitled to money into their pockets and we will help them get that money but 400,000 people in Wales are entitled to the next round of winter fuel which I announced last Monday so you know we've got we have got to play our part to reach those who need it those services most. Andy? In the Bevan Foundation's most recent snapshot of poverty there were significant gaps identified in terms of people's awareness of the various UK and Welsh government cost of living schemes that were available. Have you done any work as a government to look at how many people are actually failing to access the support that they're eligible for and what are you doing to address that? Well this is where we need to reach out and get the message over to everybody at the sharp end frontline workers I have to say our food banks our network of food banks are actually the places sadly where people who are very vulnerable and that includes people in work now where people are very vulnerable go so as food banks have now started operating now they are a place in the community so you know food banks have also got their links with citizens advice so people are now coming in to sit alongside food banks in food banks to then provide advice on benefit take up you know we did get 166,000 people took up the last winter fuel support scheme we've got we've got a target for 400,000 people on pension credit carers allowance child tax credit disability benefits all are going to be available for 200 pounds into their account so you know we're doing everything that we can we're funding single advice fund it's the only one of its kind all our citizens advice services and their partners so yes I mean and it's crucial that we get the claim claim what's yours for cost of living but actually as Bevan we're working with Bevan foundation all those trust or trust sharp end you know that it's important that also we we learn what else we can have take up pension credit is not it's a UK government benefit not all our pensioners are taking up pension credit healthy start vouchers UK government and Enegal is pressing that campaign but we were told by health visitors last week that actually it's quite complex provide applying for healthy start vouchers but those help people with the youngest children and you know a start of of childhood so I've also called with the minister Scottish government minister and the Northern Ireland executive ministers we've written today this week to Chloe Smith and to say that we would like them to work with us on a UK wide benefits take up campaign it's not just our campaign it's it's theirs as well I'm just on that theme are you worried that you know what you're offering in terms of cost of living is is too complex I mean if you look at what national energy action Cymru have said that the problem can be that there are too many one-off discretionary payments and that there needs to be a longer term solution rather than a lot of one-off payments well you know the longer term solution lies with the UK UK government in terms of of benefits and their responsibility for benefits and to make sure I mean the key point is that we we're going to face a horrendous winter if we don't anyway but if we don't have that operating in line with inflation which was promised by Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson you know the the scenario ahead is is of huge huge concern but you know we do need to make sure that we passport our benefits that's what we've got a charter now a benefits charter which Bevan Foundation of has engaged with we need to all those on the front line are helping us with it we need to passport our benefits local government I'm meeting local government on Thursday all the leaders have we got cost of living on the agenda we've now got a cabinet committee we're making sure that we do get those benefits up some of them can go straight into accounts local government is now playing a really important role because when they've already got council tax accounts the money can go straight in the £150 cost of living payment last earlier this year that went straight into accounts is the one of the issues we have to address is people who are not online so digital access is crucially important but also we have to help some of those get online but also to help them with applications these are things that we can do Andy to get this right to get the money into people's pockets but then of course it is going to be very important that people are getting those free school meals across all our primary schools because that does mean you know that that that helps with the the cost that we've got free school meals going forward into the summer into the school holidays as well so you know we still stand by our free prescriptions our free breakfasts I mean we are helping people with that kind of social socially a social wage of support in and many other areas that's that's universal services which people don't have to apply for so can I go to Alan Evans on screen thank you minister your partner has implied coming so you're dragging your heels and fiddling rather than taking urgent action to address the cost of living crisis they also believe that independence is a cure for all Wales is ails are they right well I think the announcements that we made the fact that the first minister made a statement um well the first day that we're back on tackling the cost of living crisis was crucially important showed our government's commitment to tackling and we obviously this builds on all the work that we've been doing and I've been doing as minister for social justice the 1.6 billion that he announced I mean we're actually responding to what people say they need and I and I'm sure I hope very much that clinically online will help us with our claim what's yours campaign because you know you you have a role to play all media have a role to play in actually getting the information across but I hope you're also welcome the statement I've made today about further support to tackle food poverty which I know is a is a big issue and and also the first minister made an announcement about warm hubs I mean we we already knew churches chapels mosques community centres local authorities met them all last in the last two weeks they're already wanting to do this so we're putting money into that a million pounds but actually these initiatives are based on what people tell us that they need to tackle the the cost of living crisis and that's our priority at the moment Alan thank you the gap between the wage of a minister and a carer is a significant wealth labour promise to address inequality yet we see so many hardworking people in Wales struggling to put food on the table would the minister agree that the gaps need adjusting possibly with a reassessment of wages by local authorities if we're to keep the quality and numbers of these essential workers given the hardships they'll be suffering as a result of the cost of living crisis well of course we have a commitment to fair work working very closely with our social partners whilst you see a part of our social partnership developing as we move forward with legislation on social partnership but I think it was a real it was in our manifesto and we've delivered it the real living wage for social care workers was a clear indication that we wanted to ensure that we did support our lowest paid and social care workers you know who are so vital as you as you say in terms of what they did through the pandemic but also they also have to face the cost of living crisis so I think the fact that Julie Morgan our Deputy Minister for Social Services announced an extra 96 million pounds to make extra payments and you'll be aware of those Alan 10 million for local authorities to support domiciliary care workers so you know our local authorities are also doing everything that they can we would we're very committed to working with the real living wage foundation many authorities despite the pressures that they're all under are working towards real real living wage and of course this is my job I'm Minister for Social Justice to tackle inequalities and I have to say I would like to also mention the fact that that's the basis of our anti-racist Wales action plan and the work that we're doing with our disability task force. Thank you Alan I turn to Will Haywood. Thanks Minister. I'd like to just follow up Dan's question please. Can you just explain why you haven't frozen rents because you could do you haven't frozen rents because you could do this? Well I mean this is obviously I've already mentioned quite a few issues about what we're doing in terms of helping people who are our renters and what it is about working with local authorities I've mentioned the fact that we we're giving an extra six million to local authorities for discretionary homelessness prevention and relief measures now this can be used to help both social and private tenants and and includes helping to pay rent areas I'll perhaps give a bit more detail about the leasing scheme for Wales that's 30 million of funding over the next five years it's going to improve access to longer term affordable housing in the private rented sector so I mean obviously you know this is about what what are the sort of practical and operational ways we can help tenants that's the that's the reason for you know the call and obviously we need to we need to respond and explain what we're doing when anyone raises a question such as the rent freeze but I think also just this is so this is what is already in train in terms of helping people now I think there was a question um from Dan about the uh white paper um I think this the thing about the white paper is it is about trying to have new approaches to uh for affordable rents for local people on local incomes and a right to adequate housing and and actually that does form part of the corporation agreement with Plaid Cymru obviously that's a lot of detail on what you are doing but I just specifically what is it about freezing rents that's putting you off that policy obviously it's been adopted in Scotland um with the following calls from Scottish Labour so what is it specifically about that policy is that you you don't like well the minister for climate change obviously uh is responsible for housing and I've outlined um some of the issues that uh that some of the areas of work and policies that we're already taking forward um I mean there are issues about a rent freeze in terms of what it does to the the market um and and also I think it's very important that we actually did uh you know we did during the pandemic and up until March have a rent freeze in terms of um social housing we have we have to look at this in terms of you know what is affordable what are the best mechanisms in terms of supporting our tenants in the private rented sector and also in the social housing sector and also to consult basically um you know we are a government that consults with our providers and I think that would be really important in terms of of consulting with our registered social landlords as well as the private rented landlords association I don't know whether in fact in in Scotland they've got uh the leasing scheme that we've developed in Wales which is actually quite pioneering uh in terms of longer term affordable housing it's 30 million pounds of funding so I think thank you it's Tom yes Tom Lageriswell live good morning minister can I ask you about a fundamental nature of society type issue as your ministerial portfolio covers armed forces and veterans affairs to what extent do you believe that the passing of a late majesty queen as a second has restored wider respect for those who serve their country and specifically given their lives in war well I mean clearly we have a huge commitment to our services and or to our veterans it's actually responsibility of my deputy Hannah Blythen and we do we do a great deal of work we've got an armed force services services branch in the Welsh government but you know this is something which is also local authorities in the third sector as you will know Tom take on a lot of interest and responsibility and and also funding for that to support particularly those veterans and the arms and but also we many of us were involved as constituents in armed forces day and we will be of course engaging in remembrance events next month and thank you for that and can I enjoy your attention to an issue that's recently come to our attention on care as well live and I've been sitting your first thoughts on this on past remembrance Sundays the authorities have refused to stop the Sunday shopping traffic on the main road feet from the war memorial for the two-minute silence in the village of Troy de Buch yet in the village is on either side the traffic is stopped would you agree with me that this shows no respect for those who gave their lives to their country from that village well that's where local democracy is so important isn't it so that you know it's the local authority who's got that responsibility the planning authority and I'm sure councillors work there will know that this is something that they should sort out thank you very much Tom thank you