Plaid Cymru’s stance on this issue is clear: in order to protect our citizens from the actions of the Conservatives at their worst, we must start to devolve the administration of welfare to Wales. We can then put an end to the culture of delay and sanction, and also ensure that individuals rather than homes receive payments, in order to ensure that this new system won’t have a disproportionate impact on women.

We are suggesting starting by devolving the administration that would allow us in Wales to be more flexible in terms of payments, and to vary the payment method for housing benefit. This is already happening in Scotland. There, the SNP Government have changed the regularity of the payments from monthly to fortnightly. And in Scotland the housing elements are paid directly to landlords according to the wishes of the tenant.

Let’s turn to the issue of cost. Scotland has negotiated a financial framework with Westminster, which means that the funding for the administration of some elements of universal credit is transferred to Scotland as part of the block grant. In my view, the Welsh Government is using the cost as an excuse not to take action in this area. I will explain it in another way, just to make it entirely clear so that everyone understands this: the administration of welfare doesn't cost anything to the Scottish Government because the block grant was adapted so that there was an additional sum available to Scotland for those administrative costs, including any start-up costs too. The Welsh Government is in a position to come to an agreement on a similar framework to that negotiated for Scotland, and I cannot understand why the Government wouldn’t wish to start those negotiations. The UK Labour Party has been calling on the Government to make changes to the universal credit policy. Labour Assembly Members often stand in this Chamber and condemn the policy.

So, I am proposing a pragmatic approach in dealing with this problem, and I extend the proposal to you as Government to do something to change some of the worst aspects of universal credit. That would be greatly appreciated by the people who are affected by it. And it would also show the value of devolution, and show the value of our own national Parliament in introducing alternative ideas and a fairer way of doing things for the benefit of our citizens and our communities.