Recommendation 1

The demographic, economic and geographic challenges we have highlighted set the context for the benefits system in Wales. While it is a reserved competence, that does not mean the environment in which it operates is identical to that elsewhere in Great Britain. While the evidence shows that the key challenges for the benefits system in Wales are broadly similar to those in the other nations and regions of the UK, there are some important demographic differences that mean that some of the challenges facing the benefits system are more prominent in Wales. There are pressures here which underline the need for the UK Government to be conscious of the Welsh context when deciding welfare policy. (Paragraph 42) Lessons from the pandemic for the UK social security system