Select committee: Welsh Affairs Committee
Recommendation 13
Fourth Report - The Benefits System in Wales
Published 17 Mar 2022
Paragraph 95
Addressed to Wales Office
Welsh Affairs Committee The Benefits System in Wales All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
Around 39% of claimants are in work. Many of those who became eligible for Universal Credit during the pandemic will have done so through losing income while on furlough rather than through losing a job. For those whose pay is supplemented by Universal Credit, the issue is not finding work, it is finding higher paid work. Accordingly, we welcome the changes in the autumn Budget to the taper rate and work allowance, putting more money into the hands of working households, and urge it to keep under review further changes which would benefit those in work.
From: Welsh Affairs Committee, Fourth Report - The Benefits System in Wales (HC 337), paragraph 95, 17 March 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 6 July 2022 (deadline 17 May 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The UK Government rejects several of the Committee's main recommendations, including reinstating the £20 uplift, changing benefit up-rating and devolving social security, while describing existing action on others.
- On the £20 uplift and up-rating, the Government "rejects" both recommendations, saying the uplift "was always intended to be temporary" and that annual up-rating follows the Consumer Prices Index in the year to September.
- On Statutory Sick Pay, it is "keeping the system under review", says any changes "will be announced to Parliament", and will not provide a further update to the Committee.
- It "rejects" the proposed UK-Welsh government Inter-ministerial Advisory Board on Social Security, citing existing ministerial engagement channels, and has "no intention to devolve social security" to the Welsh Government.
- On Universal Credit consent, it says "to pause to run a formal consultation exercise at this stage" would delay work, while welcoming input through ongoing stakeholder discussions.