Mark Isherwood
Shadow Communities Minister Mark Isherwood has expressed concern that Wales remains the poorest part of the UK and said 15 years of Labour rule is to blame, not welfare reform.
Responding to the Deputy Minister for Tackling Poverty’s Statement this week on Progress on the Tackling Poverty Action Plan, Mr Isherwood emphasised that parts of Wales remain among the poorest parts of Europe, set to qualify therefore for a third round of EU aid, despite £4 billion of EU funds having been spent by Welsh Governments since 2000, and that Wales already had the highest levels of child poverty in the UK before the credit crunch, rising from 2004, long before any change in the UK Government or welfare provision.
Speaking in the Chamber, he said:
“Wales had record youth unemployment long before the credit crunch or the change in the UK Government, rising from 2005. Again, before the credit crunch and the change in the UK Government, Wales had over 600,000 working aged adults not in work—the highest level among the UK nations. The Deputy Minister says that the Welsh Government does not share the UK Government’s vision of fairness in terms of welfare reform. The UK definition of a fair welfare system is that it is fair to those who need it and fair to those who pay for it, too.
“Given that welfare reform applies to all parts of the UK, but only Wales has the Welsh Government, why do you think new figures last week confirmed that Wales still has the highest levels of child poverty, the highest of all UK nations and higher than all English regions except London? Why also are we seeing the numbers of working-aged people in Wales not in employment rising against the UK trend? Over the last measured quarter, the figures in Wales went up 15,000, to 567,000.”
Mr Isherwood emphasised the increase in Personal Allowance will, by next April, mean that almost £1 billion will have been put back into the Welsh economy, into the pockets of 1.2 million people, taking 155,000 out of tax altogether and by the time the Universal Credit has rolled out completely, an additional £400 million will have been added to the Welsh economy, making an estimated 200,000 households significantly better off.
