Universal Credit

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Social Justice – in the Senedd at 1:31 pm on 20 October 2021.

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Photo of Jane Hutt Jane Hutt Labour 1:31, 20 October 2021

Well, can I thank Ken Skates for his questions? You will all have heard yesterday that the First Minister provided an update on the basic income pilot in response to his First Minister’s questions. He said, and I will repeat again to clarify,

'Subject to the resolution of remaining practical matters, including the interface of our basic income payments with the benefits system, we plan to introduce the pilot in the financial year...1 April 2022.'

And I will be issuing a ministerial update soon to provide more detail. But in response to your first question, of course, this is about alleviating poverty—basic income is about alleviating poverty. But it’s also about giving people more control over their lives, having a positive effect on mental health and well-being.