I think that this week is gearing up to be a very bad week for social care services across the United Kingdom. We await to see what happens on Thursday, but any piece of informed leaking from the Treasury is suggesting that the Conservatives are going to abandon their commitment to introduce their version of the Dilnot review. You will have seen the absolutely scathing comments of Sir Andrew Dilnot himself at this latest—well, I think 'betrayal' is the word that he uses—of the work that he did on behalf of a Conservative Government. And if that is the case, it has direct impacts on social care services here in Wales, as we know.

It has always been one of the great conundrums of trying to move forward on social care, and I'm very grateful for the work of the expert group that was established as a result of the co-operation agreement in this area. But the report does tell you that the interweaving of decisions made by a UK Government and the decisions that can be made here in Wales is very real. I'm afraid that, if the solution that the UK Government has to the real difficulties in social care is to say that council tax can be put up in England, it really is a desperate solution to what is a very serious problem indeed.

I have answered the question a number of times, Llywydd, about the powers that we have as a Government in relation to Welsh rates of income tax, and it's the same answer: we will make those decisions when we have the full facts, and in an orderly way, as part of the budget-setting process that we have set out for colleagues here in the Chamber. Let me say this, though, Llywydd: nobody should believe that putting up the basic rate of tax is an easy decision here in Wales. We are talking about taking money out of the pockets of people who earn £12,000 a year. I've already said this afternoon that I think that one of the great mistakes that is about to be made is that the recession we're already in is about to be made worse by taking purchasing power out of the pockets of people. That person earning £12,000 here in Wales is facing all the Bills that we've talked about here in the Chamber—the energy bills, the food bills, the rent bills, all of those things. Nobody should think that a decision to take more money out of the pocket of that person is one that we would enter into lightly.