Meetings

NDM6874 Rhun ap Iorwerth (Ynys Môn)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Notes the statement by the United Nations special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights on his visit to the United Kingdom.

2. Regrets the report’s findings that:

a) changes to social security have disproportionately hit women, children, and disabled people;

b) Wales has the highest relative poverty rate in the United Kingdom;

c) the Welsh Government lacks a strategic focus on tackling poverty, without clear performance targets and indicators to measure progress and impact;

d)  the Welsh Government’s inability to introduce flexibilities in the administration of universal credit, unlike its Scottish counterpart, will exacerbate the structural causes behind the increase in poverty, rough sleeping, and homelessness; and

e) that poverty is a political choice

3.  Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) seek the powers to introduce such flexibilities in the administration of universal credit; and

b) publish a robust and meaningful plan to tackle poverty that contains clear performance targets and indicators to measure progress and impact.

Statement on Visit to the United Kingdom, by Professor Philip Alston, United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights

The following amendments have been tabled:

Amendment 1 - Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

Delete all and replace with:

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

 1. Notes the actions taken by the UK Government to address concerns over implementation of universal credit.

 2. Notes that, according to findings of the Equality and Human Rights Commission report 'Is Wales Fairer?', poverty and deprivation are higher in Wales than in other nations in Britain, Wales is the least productive nation in the UK, and median hourly earnings in Wales are lower than in England and Scotland.

 3. Calls on the Welsh Government to publish a robust and meaningful plan to tackle poverty that contains clear performance targets and indicators to measure progress and impact.

 Equality and Human Rights Commission - 'Is Wales Fairer?'

[If amendment 1 is agreed, amendment 2 will be de-selected]

Amendment 2 - Julie James (Swansea West)

Delete all after point 1 and replace with:

Accepts the report’s findings that:

a) the costs of austerity have fallen disproportionally on the poor, women, racial and ethnic minorities, children, single parents and disabled people;

b) Wales has the highest relative poverty rate in the United Kingdom;

c) devolved administrations have tried to mitigate the worst impacts of austerity despite experiencing significant reductions in block grant funding; and

d) it is "outrageous" that devolved nations have to spend money to shield people from UK Government policies.

Welcomes the Welsh Government’s focus on tackling poverty, and its repeated calls to the UK Government to urgently address the many flaws related to Universal Credit.

The item started at 17.36

Voting on the motion and amendments under this item was deferred until Voting Time.

A vote was taken on the motion without amendment:

NDM6874 Rhun ap Iorwerth (Ynys Môn)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Notes the statement by the United Nations special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights on his visit to the United Kingdom.

2. Regrets the report’s findings that:

a) changes to social security have disproportionately hit women, children, and disabled people;

b) Wales has the highest relative poverty rate in the United Kingdom;

c) the Welsh Government lacks a strategic focus on tackling poverty, without clear performance targets and indicators to measure progress and impact;

d)  the Welsh Government’s inability to introduce flexibilities in the administration of universal credit, unlike its Scottish counterpart, will exacerbate the structural causes behind the increase in poverty, rough sleeping, and homelessness; and

e) that poverty is a political choice

3.  Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) seek the powers to introduce such flexibilities in the administration of universal credit; and

b) publish a robust and meaningful plan to tackle poverty that contains clear performance targets and indicators to measure progress and impact.

For	Abstain	Against	Total
8	2	38	48

The motion without amendment was not agreed.

The following amendments were tabled:

Amendment 1 - Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

Delete all and replace with:

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

 1. Notes the actions taken by the UK Government to address concerns over implementation of universal credit.

 2. Notes that, according to findings of the Equality and Human Rights Commission report 'Is Wales Fairer?', poverty and deprivation are higher in Wales than in other nations in Britain, Wales is the least productive nation in the UK, and median hourly earnings in Wales are lower than in England and Scotland.

 3. Calls on the Welsh Government to publish a robust and meaningful plan to tackle poverty that contains clear performance targets and indicators to measure progress and impact.

[If amendment 1 is agreed, amendment 2 will be de-selected]

A vote was taken on amendment 1:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
10	2	36	48

Amendment 1 was not agreed.

Amendment 2 - Julie James (Swansea West)

Delete all after point 1 and replace with:

Accepts the report’s findings that:

a) the costs of austerity have fallen disproportionally on the poor, women, racial and ethnic minorities, children, single parents and disabled people;

b) Wales has the highest relative poverty rate in the United Kingdom;

c) devolved administrations have tried to mitigate the worst impacts of austerity despite experiencing significant reductions in block grant funding; and

d) it is "outrageous" that devolved nations have to spend money to shield people from UK Government policies.

Welcomes the Welsh Government’s focus on tackling poverty, and its repeated calls to the UK Government to urgently address the many flaws related to Universal Credit.

A vote was taken on amendment 2:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
28	0	20	48

Amendment 2 was agreed.

A vote was taken on the motion as amended:

NDM6874 Rhun ap Iorwerth (Ynys Môn)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Notes the statement by the United Nations special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights on his visit to the United Kingdom.

2. Accepts the report’s findings that:

a) the costs of austerity have fallen disproportionally on the poor, women, racial and ethnic minorities, children, single parents and disabled people;

b) Wales has the highest relative poverty rate in the United Kingdom;

c) devolved administrations have tried to mitigate the worst impacts of austerity despite experiencing significant reductions in block grant funding; and

d) it is "outrageous" that devolved nations have to spend money to shield people from UK Government policies.

3. Welcomes the Welsh Government’s focus on tackling poverty, and its repeated calls to the UK Government to urgently address the many flaws related to Universal Credit.

For	Abstain	Against	Total
28	2	18	48

The motion as amended was agreed.