Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what support is being provided to households in Wales to help with essential living costs.

The UK Government is taking action to support households in Wales with essential living costs by boosting incomes and reducing household bills.

From April, we increased the Universal Credit Standard Allowance by over 6%, benefiting 320,000 households in Wales, increased the basic and new State Pension by 4.8%, benefiting 700,000 pensioners, and increased the National Minimum and Living Wages, benefiting up to 170,000 workers in Wales.

We have also cut VAT on household electricity bills from 5% to zero from 1 October 2026 until 31 March 2027, helping households across Wales with energy costs this winter.

We will continue to work with the Welsh Government to ensure households across Wales can access the support they need.