In slightly more detail, Dirprwy Lywydd, in the regulations in front of the Assembly this afternoon, the financial figures relating to working-age people, disabled people and carers for 2018-19 are increased in line with the consumer price index, that is to say, by 3 per cent. This contrasts with the UK Government's policy of freezing working-age benefits until 2019-20. Figures relating to pensioner households in the regulations are proposed to be increased in line with the UK Government's standard minimum income guarantee and mirror the uprating of housing benefit. The UK Government has introduced new restrictions on housing benefit for families with two or more children, and a child born on or after 1 April 2017. This is in addition to restrictions introduced from April 2016, which remove the family premium for new births and new claims for housing benefit. I do not propose to adopt these changes in respect of council tax reductions in Wales. The Welsh Government is committed to protecting families on low incomes who have been affected by welfare reforms from further cuts in their income.

In making these regulations, the opportunity has also been included to include minor technical changes and to make additional amendments to reflect other changes to related benefits and welfare payments. For example, from April 2018, there are a number of additional funds and payments that, if these regulations are approved, will be disregarded for the purposes of calculating council tax reductions. These include the new bereavement support payments, the infected blood scheme, and the thalidomide health grant amongst others. Recipients of such assistance in Wales will not be disadvantaged in obtaining help with their council tax.

These regulations, Dirprwy Lywydd, therefore maintain the entitlements to reductions in council tax bills for households in Wales. Provision of £244 million have been made in the budget for 2018-19 for these purposes. As a result of the scheme, some 220,000 of the most hard-pressed households in Wales will continue to pay no council tax in 2018-19. I know that the scheme has been strongly supported by Members in different parts of this Chamber since it was introduced in 2013, and I hope that this support will extend to approval of the regulations before you this afternoon.