James Evans says the UK Government’s “callous” decision to take the winter fuel allowance away from most pensioners is “nothing short of shameful”.
The Brecon and Radnorshire MS asked at the Senedd what the Welsh Government is doing to support pensioners who will lose the payments worth up to £300.
He told Social Justice Secretary, Jane Hutt: “Putting political differences aside, I think no-one in this Chamber can question your commitment to improving social justice in Wales.
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“However, the callous act by the UK Labour Government to remove winter fuel support for an estimated 500,000 pensioners is nothing short of shameful.
“You have said yourself that it will push people into fuel poverty, and your own party stated that 4,000 pensioners could die because of this decision.
“You may blame the previous UK Government, but this is a political choice made by the UK Labour Government. This policy is the single biggest attack on our pensioners in a generation.
“Will the Welsh Government look to implement its own version of the winter fuel support to make sure that those people who helped build the communities that we all live in are supported this winter?”
Ms Hutt said: “We are ensuring that people in Wales, including pensioners, claim every pound to which they are entitled.
“Our ‘Claim what's yours’ Advicelink Cymru helpline is helping pensioners to find out and access financial support, including pension credit.”
“No, we can't put politics aside after 14 years of austerity,” she added.
Ms Hutt said she was “committed” to ensuring they do everything they can to help.
“We have had some good exchanges already about ways in which we can provide emergency support to households, particularly our pensioners. I will refer again to our Welsh benefits charter. We launched it in January. It does actually tell us how we can deliver benefits, governed by the Welsh Government, as a key part of our work to help people.
“All 22 local authorities have signed up to this, and I believe that we are working towards a coherent and simplified Welsh benefits system as a result of the launch of that charter.”