Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government – in the Senedd at 2:24 pm on 23 June 2021.
Well, of course, universal basic income is about alleviating poverty, and that is absolutely the interest of the Welsh Government. It's also about giving people more control over their lives and having a positive impact on their mental health and their well-being—all things that we would want to achieve here in Wales. We've followed pilots across the world very closely and with interest, and we think that there is the opportunity to test a version here.
Of course, we are not testing a version for the entire population. We're thinking about a cohort of people, potentially care leavers, who I think are some of the most vulnerable people and the people who are most deserving of us supporting them, and finding creative ways and innovative ways to support those individuals. So, we're looking closely at models that have been drawn up elsewhere; we're looking at the experience of Scotland and other countries across the world. But all of this work is being undertaken in the portfolio of the Minister for Social Justice, and she'll be managing this particular piece of work within her main expenditure group.