Following increasing concern from constituents about the proposed funding of a UBI pilot in Wales, the Member of the Welsh Parliament for Aberconwy – Janet Finch-Saunders MS – has urged the Welsh Government to reallocate the funding of the experiment and instead concentrate support on devolved schemes that will “create more jobs and level up the whole of Wales.”
Her intervention follows a statement by the First Minister on the 19 May 2021, who admitted to the Senedd that:
“We don't have all the powers that would be necessary, let alone all of the funding that would be necessary to include a universal basic income for the whole of Wales.”
Speaking of the need for a rethink, Janet said:
“Like many constituents who have contact me over recent weeks, I am astonished that the Welsh Government has, so soon into the Sixth Senedd, already started to waste resources on non-devolved areas of policy. At this point in our recovery, the money proposed to be spent on this experiment is unjustifiable.
“In fact, recent research into UBI has questioned how effective it is at tackling present inequalities. For example, a recent trial in Finland found that it did not lead to more people finding work, whilst research by the Centre for Social Justice has found that this initiative would not meet the needs of people on low-incomes.
“Means-testing is of fundamental importance to the integrity of our welfare state, unlike UBI, which would incidentally reward the wealthiest in society instead of targeting those who need it most. The Welsh Government must focus on the problems facing large swathes of the public by creating more jobs and levelling-up the whole of Wales.”
ENDS
Photo: Janet Finch-Saunders MS
