October in the Senedd

A round up of our extensive influencing and impact in the Senedd in October. 

Poverty: debt

The highlight of the Bevan Foundation’s impact in the Senedd in October was the start of the Equality and Social Justice Committee’s inquiry into debt.  In their session on 4^th October, as well as our policy expert Steffan Evans giving oral evidence to the committee, our findings on Debt in the Pandemic were mentioned by other expert witnesses as well as by Senedd Members from all parties.  Sarah Murphy MS said:

Thank you, Steffan, and to the Bevan Foundation, really—a lot of the people that we’ve met with today have quoted a lot of your research, and it’s really invaluable when it comes to looking at this topic

Later in the discussion, Sioned Williams MS said:

The work that you’ve been doing on this issue of debt within the Bevan Foundation is invaluable and very important indeed.

As the inquiry drew to a conclusion on 20^th October,  Altaf Hussein MS and Sioned Williams MS questioned the Minister on the Bevan Foundation’s recommendations.

Poverty: Universal Credit

The date that the cut to Universal Credit took place was marked by a debate in plenary on 6^th October, Sioned Williams MS cited the Bevan Foundation’s analysis of the cut to Universal Credit in Topical Questions to the Minister for Social Justice.

Health inequalities

We are pleased that a report we worked on before the pandemic continues to be relevant today. In the Plaid Cymru debate on NHS winter pressures on 6^th October, Rhun ap Iorwerth MS mentioned the Bevan Foundation report for Age Alliance Wales on access to GPs by older people. He said:

I also think that ensuring access for older people to primary care is vital, and I do refer the Minister to the new report by the Bevan Foundation in collaboration with Age Alliance Wales, ‘Access to GP services by older people‘. That’s a very important document.