Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Wales Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Nick Smith Excerpts
Wednesday 9th February 2022

(2 years, 8 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Beth Winter Portrait Beth Winter (Cynon Valley) (Lab)
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1. What recent steps the Government have taken to tackle the impact of inflation on households and businesses in Wales.

Nick Smith Portrait Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)
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2. What recent steps the Government have taken to tackle the impact of inflation on households and businesses in Wales.

Nia Griffith Portrait Nia Griffith (Llanelli) (Lab)
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8. What recent steps the Government have taken to tackle the impact of inflation on households and businesses in Wales.

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Simon Hart Portrait Simon Hart
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The hon. Lady has constituents, as we all do, who are of course concerned about the cost of living challenges ahead, but I hope I can reassure her by naming, as I have already done, a few of the measures we are putting in place. They include the substantial additional money via the Barnett formula for the Welsh Government, but also the universal credit taper is worth £1,000 per household, the increase in the living wage is also worth £1,000 a year for those in receipt of it and there are the warm home discounts. Of course, the main thrust of what we are trying to do is create the right circumstances for a jobs-led recovery.

Nick Smith Portrait Nick Smith
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Tesco’s boss says that food inflation will hit 5%. Families across Wales will struggle to cope, so how will the Secretary of State help people in food poverty?

Simon Hart Portrait Simon Hart
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I can only refer the hon. Member to my earlier comments. We want to be extremely sure, just like him, because Conservative Members have a similar dynamic in our own constituencies, that we are putting in place everything we can, whether that is the universal credit taper, the increase in the living wage, an increase in the tax threshold, or indeed the jobs-led recovery I have mentioned. The fact is that the economic prospects for the UK, including Wales, are actually growing at a reasonable pace, although it can always be faster and greater. I am hoping I can reassure his constituents, just as I am attempting to reassure mine, that we have their best interests at heart when it comes to food poverty.