The benefits system in Wales: UK Parliament report

The UK Parliament’s Welsh Affairs Select Committee has published its report on the benefits system in Wales, extensively quoting the Bevan Foundation’s evidence.

In 2021 the Bevan Foundation submitted written and oral evidence to the Welsh Affairs Select Committee’s inquiry into the benefits system in Wales.  The report published by the Committee on 17th March 2022 extensively quotes the foundation’s evidence. 

It mentions our research on how households are coping with rising costs, cites our findings on the limitations of Local Housing Allowance, refers to our work on the importance of devolved grants and allowances and our views on the potential to devolve the parts of the benefits system that interface with other devolved responsibilities. 

Although not all members of the Committee agreed, it nevertheless made some vitally important recommendations. They are:

• That the £20 cut to Universal Credit should be reversed and extended to people on legacy benefits
• That statutory sick pay should be increased
• That benefits should be uprated in line with inflation
• To explore the devolution of the administration of benefits.

These are all in line with the Bevan Foundation’s recommendations and we are delighted that the  majority of the Committee supports them.