Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Social Justice – in the Senedd at 1:54 pm on 5 October 2022.

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Photo of Jane Hutt Jane Hutt Labour 1:54, 5 October 2022

Thank you very much, Sioned Williams. These are crucial issues in terms of getting the money into people's pockets and into their accounts. You know that we're developing and working with organisations like the Bevan Foundation on a benefits charter for Wales, and also working with local government to get that passporting of benefits—that streamlining of benefits.

Tomorrow, I'm meeting with all the leaders of local government. We've got an agenda item on the cost of living. They're sharing not only with me, but with each other, the ways they're getting the money out. Speaking to the leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf last week, he told me about the thousands that had already gone out as a result of the fact that they've got a close grip on who needs the money and how they can get to that. So, all that work is crucially important for the here and now.

But, yes, we are progressing with looking at the devolution of the administration of benefits. I've met with the Scottish Government Minister to learn from Social Security Scotland about ways, hopefully, we can share. Also, they're very interested in what we're doing with our single advice fund. So, it was a two-way discussion. But, also, we're learning from them in terms of taking the next steps, because, obviously, we are now developing a whole range of benefits and social wage and support services—basic services—for people, which form part of our welfare and social security response. But let's just recognise that, as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said this week, if this goes ahead—if we don’t have and uprating in line with inflation, if it's with earnings—this would be the biggest real-terms cut to benefits on record.