What are your experiences of the Benefits system in Wales?

The Welsh Affairs Committee want to hear about people’s experiences of the benefits system.

Last month the Committee opened an inquiry into the system, The Benefits System in Wales, examining the challenges it faces, the extent to which it is effective in tackling poverty and possible reforms.

Now it wants to hear directly from claimants, to get a better picture of the issues they face and what questions the Committee should ask the UK Government.

Cynon Valley MP Beth Winter, who is a member of the committee, said, “The pandemic has seen a massive increase in the number of people relying on our welfare system. At the same time, people are beginning to turn to transformational ideas like Universal Basic Income (UBI).”

“The growing level of support for different ways of doing things illustrates how people feel about the current welfare system. We need to dig into how effective the benefits system is as a safety net for people in Wales, and what we could do to improve it. Should we be looking to devolve social security responsibilities? These are the questions the Committee is looking to ask.”

The survey is available in both English and Welsh and is open until 17:00 on Wednesday 22 September. It should take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete. The survey can be accessed here.

The survey is open to all claimants in Wales as well as those who have considered claiming. It covers UK benefits as well as Welsh Government and local authority support, such as Council Tax Reduction and the Emergency Assistance Fund.