Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Social Justice – in the Senedd at 2:15 pm on 20 October 2021.
Diolch yn fawr, Luke Fletcher, for that important question. I've said this more than once standing here, I think, over the last week or so since we heard we'd got a measly, derisory £25 million. Twenty-five million. You know, this is £20 off in terms of the universal credit, £6 billion that has been wiped out, and a measly £500 million for the whole of the UK—£25 million for Wales. And one of the points that hasn't been made enough: it's a one-off. And everyone knows how difficult it is with one-off funding—£25 million—because you know that you can't sustain it into a long-term access to funding for people at the sharp end. So, that's why we're looking very carefully at how we can target this money, but also looking at ways in which we can continue, as I've said, flexibilities that we've got in terms of the discretionary assistance fund and also winter fuel systems for off-grid homes.
But your point about responsibility and powers in relation to devolution of welfare, clearly, I have said, and, indeed, responded to questions in recent times—and from yourself, I'm sure, Luke Fletcher—that we are committed not just to consider all the evidence and the reports that have been done in terms of the impact of devolution of the administration of welfare, which is, of course, alongside what's happened in Scotland. And we are now committed to taking that forward in terms of exploring the options, the opportunities, and, indeed, crucially—. And this always comes down to this issue about how we can be assured that we get finance with responsibility, because that's one of the key issues with the UK Government.