7. Plaid Cymru Debate: Welsh Independent Living Grant

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:43 pm on 13 February 2019.

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Photo of Leanne Wood Leanne Wood Plaid Cymru 5:43, 13 February 2019

I thank Members for their contributions, and I'll be brief in my closing remarks. When Plaid Cymru tabled this debate, we'd had years of intransigence from this Government on this question. So, I am glad that that intransigence has finally ended. Now, we've heard this afternoon how many people have already had their support cut, and it's good that those people will have the opportunity to have their cases reviewed on a voluntary basis, but I very much hope that those people who have lost out on their support will have it fully reinstated. Otherwise, you're going to risk putting people through an extremely stressful process again for nothing at all.

Helen Mary Jones pointed to the understandable lack of confidence on the part of the recipients with this process. She also made an excellent point about Tory hypocrisy on the question of welfare benefits. Listening to them, it's like they've never spoken to somebody who's been knocked off PIP: so out of touch. So many people have been put through hell. Just yesterday, we heard the UK Government admit that the rise in food bank usage is down to universal credit. Surely that says all we need to know.

Thanks to Mike Hedges for reminding us of Labour Party policy—grateful to you for that. He also pointed out the campaigners' concerns about cuts to this provision from cash-strapped, austerity-hit local authorities. While guarantees may have been there now in the current financial year, the fear is what would have happened over the longer term, and it's pretty obvious what would have happened, really. As my colleague Llyr has pointed out, our Senedd here provides us with the opportunity to do things differently, to lift people up, to enhance people's support. 'We all value our independence', he said. Well, I say, 'Amen to that.' A commission to look at the whole picture facing disabled people is an excellent call, which I'm sure most of us will be able to get behind. 

I thank the Minister for her statement and I very much welcome the announcement that she made yesterday. The Minister said that some of the people could have had their support cut for a number of different reasons. I looked at the analysis from the deep-dive review and I've seen that one of the reasons given in that review was that some recipients may have had their allowance cut because they now receive support in a day-care setting. Well, the problem with this is austerity, and cash-strapped councils are all cutting their day-care provision because they can't afford it. So, what might exist for people now may well not exist in the future. So, looking at this again was an absolute must, and the impact of other decisions taken in other places have to be considered here as well. This question can't be considered in isolation.

To everyone who's paid tribute to Nathan Davies, who I met for the first time back in 2015, it may well be an overused word, but I have to say Nathan Davies is a real inspiration on this question. I'm pretty sure that we'll see him continue to campaign on disability rights. I very much hope that we do anyway, because he is very, very effective. He's shown what is possible with political campaigning. As some of the contributors have already said, the issue of the independent living fund isn't over. There's more to do after this pause, and I'm sure Nathan will be on the case.