Before the half-term break, I called on the Welsh Government to help pensioners struggling with the cold because of the decision by Ministers in London to cut the Winter Fuel Allowance.

There was a rally recently on the Senedd steps about this issue organised by the trade union Unite.

Westminster’s decision to cut the Winter Fuel Allowance will lead to hardship and misery for thousands of pensioners across Wales.

As I've said in the Senedd, what makes the decision all the more cruel is that it is a political choice to make this cut – a choice made by a UK government obsessed by the idea of growth as an abstract concept, whilst apparently being oblivious and uncaring about the reality of poverty in people’s lives.

Scotland and Northern Ireland have been able to lessen the blow of this cut. They have more powers in this area and can either restore the Winter Fuel Allowance or make one-off payments. I pressed the government here on what the legal situation would be for us in Wales – that is, what further powers could the Welsh Government call for to enable us to lighten this burden placed on pensioners?

As Unite in Wales have said: “A failure to act will be long remembered and unlikely to be forgiven.”

When I asked the Welsh Government about this in the Senedd, the Cabinet Secretary Jane Hutt pointed out that the Welsh Government does not have the power to legislate for any form of winter fuel payment scheme.

This is another example of how the lack of powers for the Welsh Government and the Senedd compared with Scotland and Northern Ireland stops us providing solutions to some of the most pressing issues we face, like pensioner poverty.

The Welsh Government’s fuel voucher and discretionary assistance schemes do help people in crisis with fuel costs, but it is not enough.

Until we have those further powers, we will remain forever at the whims of Westminster, whose governments seem so increasingly removed from our lives. On this issue, Unite in Wales are right - a failure to act will be unlikely to be forgotten, or forgiven.