Welfare system partly to blame for poverty in Wales, MPs told...
THE UK’s welfare system is partly to blame for levels of poverty in Wales, MPs heard yesterday as the Welsh Government made the case for taking over responsibility for benefits.
The Welsh Affairs Committee in the House of Commons held a meeting to discuss the devolution of benefits as part of its wider inquiry into the welfare system in Wales.
Wales’ Social Justice Minister Jane Hutt told the session the Welsh Labour Government is pushing for the further devolution of benefit powers, saying it would allow it to better “deliver a welfare system of benefit to people in Wales”.
Asked about the high levels of poverty in Wales, currently the highest in the UK, Ms Hutt said there is “joint responsibility”.
Further control over the administration of benefits also forms part of the aims of the recent co-operation agreement deal the Welsh Government signed with Plaid Cymru, Ms Hutt said.
The Welsh Government already has a number of its own benefit schemes in place, such as free school meals – which were extended across the holidays during the pandemic, the council tax reduction scheme, winter fuel support package, and a discretionary assistance fund to give grants to people in need.
Ms Hutt, who is MS for Vale of Glamorgan, said ministers are now working with the Bevan Foundation to help create a benefit charter that outlines the design and delivery of a Welsh benefits system.
She said she is interested in creating a “true social security” for Wales, built on the principle of “compassion”.
Responding to a question from Rob Roberts, MP for Delyn, about the ability of the Welsh Government to practically deliver a devolved benefits system, Ms Hutt said papers such as Benefits In Wales: Options For Better Delivery have already looked at the matter in detail.
Evidence was also given to MPs by a number of Welsh charities and organisations, including Citizens Advice Cymru and Disability Wales, who said many people have great difficulty accessing benefits due to the complexity of the system, particularly Universal Credit, and, if granted, the benefits received are not enough to cover essential needs.
Megan Thomas, policy and research officer for Disability Wales, said: “From our perspective, people aren’t given enough. People are struggling, reporting difficulties affording food, rent and other basic needs, let alone anything else they may want to improve their quality of life.”
Disabled people or people with longterm illnesses were also said to be “traumatised” by having to be reassessed for eligibility every couple of years despite their situation not changing or being likely never to change in the case of people with permanent, progressive, or terminal disabilities.
Alison Corriea, welfare adviser at Cartrefi Conwy Housing Association, called for “long-term awards to be given to people who are never going to get better”.
Cordelia Deady, a welfare rights supervisor at Wrexham County Borough Council, said thousands of people may be living in poverty unaware they are entitled to benefits.
Gwennan Hardy from Citizens Advice Cymru said a survey the organisation had carried out found one in four people in Wales has delayed or decided not to claim benefits because of either negative perceptions or difficulty accessing them.
Ms Hardy urged the Department for Work and Pensions to simplify the system, and praised the Welsh Government for its commitment to develop a benefits charter.
The inquiry’s fifth and final evidence session will be held next Wednesday when it will hear from UK Government ministers including David Rutley of the Department for Work and Pensions and David TC Davies MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales.
They will be quizzed on a number of topics including the lessons learned during the pandemic, the complexity of different benefits on offer, and the levels of communication between the two governments.