Meetings

Debt and the pandemic

This page gives details of any meetings held which will, or did, discuss the matter, and includes links to the relevant Papers, Agendas and Minutes.

Note: Meeting Agenda can change at short notice. Particularly where future meeting dates are indicated more than a week in advance. Please check before planning to attend a Committee Meeting that the item you are interested in has not been moved.

 

 

Meeting: 12/06/2023 - Equality and Social Justice Committee (Item 4)

4 Correspondence between the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip and the Equality and Social Justice and Local Government and Housing Committees regarding accessibility of information

Supporting documents:

Meeting: 05/12/2022 - Equality and Social Justice Committee (Item 3)

3 Correspondence with the Minister for Social Justice regarding debt and the pandemic

Supporting documents:

Meeting: 03/10/2022 - Equality and Social Justice Committee (Item 2)

2 Correspondence with the Minister for Social Justice: cost of living crisis

Supporting documents:

Meeting: 03/10/2022 - Equality and Social Justice Committee (Item 2)

2 Correspondence from the Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee: Cost of living pressures report

Supporting documents:

Meeting: 12/09/2022 - Equality and Social Justice Committee (Item 2.5)

2.5 Correspondence with the Minister for Social Justice: cost of living crisis

Supporting documents:

Meeting: 12/09/2022 - Equality and Social Justice Committee (Item 2.4)

2.4 Correspondence from the Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee: Cost of living pressures report

Supporting documents:

Meeting: 11/07/2022 - Equality and Social Justice Committee (Item 2)

2 Correspondence from Jane Dodds MS regarding the Committee report on Debt and the Pandemic

Supporting documents:

Meeting: 04/07/2022 - Equality and Social Justice Committee (Item 2)

2 Letter from the Minister for Social Justice to the Chair regarding an update on recommendation 7 of the Debt and the Pandemic report

Supporting documents:

Meeting: 06/06/2022 - Equality and Social Justice Committee (Item 5)

5 Correspondence with the Minister for Social Justice regarding debt, alcohol addiction and substance misuse

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Members noted the correspondence.

Meeting: 25/04/2022 - Equality and Social Justice Committee (Item 2)

2 Letter from Minister for Social Justice regarding Debt and the Pandemic report - 31 March 2022

Supporting documents:

Meeting: 12/01/2022 - Plenary (Item 6)

Debate on the Equality and Social Justice Committee report: Debt and the pandemic

NDM7879 Jenny Rathbone (Cardiff Central)

To propose that the Senedd:

Notes the Equality and Social Justice Committee report, Debt and the pandemic, laid on 15 November 2021.

Supporting document
Welsh Government response to the report – 6 January 2022

Minutes:

The item started at 15.32

NDM7879 Jenny Rathbone (Cardiff Central)

To propose that the Senedd:

Notes the Equality and Social Justice Committee report, Debt and the pandemic, laid on 15 November 2021.

The motion was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

Meeting: 10/01/2022 - Equality and Social Justice Committee (Item 2)

2 Correspondence from the Chair of Policing in Wales regarding alleged illegal evictions - 14 December 2021

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

2.5a Members noted the correspondence.

 

Meeting: 15/11/2021 - Equality and Social Justice Committee (Item 7)

7 Additional information from the Minister for Social Justice regarding debt and the pandemic - 5 November 2021

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

7.1a Members noted the additional information.

Meeting: 01/11/2021 - Equality and Social Justice Committee (Item 6)

6 Debt and the pandemic - consideration of draft report

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

6.1 Members discussed and considered the draft report and subject to minor changes, will agree the report electronically.

Meeting: 01/11/2021 - Equality and Social Justice Committee (Item 3)

3 Debt and the pandemic: written evidence from Community Housing Cymru

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

3.3a Members noted the additional written evidence.

Meeting: 01/11/2021 - Equality and Social Justice Committee (Item 3)

3 Correspondence from the Chair (Wales) of Consumer Council for Water to the Chair regarding the impact of the pandemic on levels of indebtedness

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

3.2a Members noted the correspondence.

Meeting: 20/10/2021 - Equality and Social Justice Committee (Item 5)

Consideration of evidence - scrutiny session with the Minister for Social Justice

Minutes:

5.1 Members considered the evidence received under item 2.

Meeting: 20/10/2021 - Equality and Social Justice Committee (Item 2)

2 Debt and the pandemic - scrutiny session with the Minister for Social Justice

Jane Hutt MS, Minister for Social Justice

Maureen Howell, Deputy Director Prosperous Futures

Paul Neave, Head of Social Welfare, Advice and DWP Policy

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

2.1 Members received evidence from the Minister for Social Justice 

 

2.2 During the evidence session, the Minister agreed:

 

  • To provide statistics of the number of cases where addiction was an underlying factor of debt.
  • To provide more information on the sustainability and support given to energy advice projects.
  • To provide information on a strategy that pulls together the causes of debt and poverty, particularly relating to the national insurance increase, universal credit cuts and fuel poverty.
  • To provide more information on the role of the equalities data unit.
  • To provide more information on how the Welsh Government supports those in work who are pushed into debt, but do not qualify for government support.
  • To send information of the Welsh Government view on debt bonfires.
  • To confirm whether the six month notice period currently in place is to be extended until the Renting Homes Act 2016 comes into force and what assessment has been made of what may happen if there is a gap until the Act comes into force.
  • To provide more information on what the government is doing to support victims of domestic abuse who may have debt problems.

 

Meeting: 04/10/2021 - Equality and Social Justice Committee (Item 5)

5 Debt and the pandemic - think tanks

Steffan Evans, Policy and Research Officer, Bevan Foundation

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

5.1 Members received evidence related to debt and the pandemic.

Meeting: 04/10/2021 - Equality and Social Justice Committee (Item 3)

3 Debt and the pandemic - impact on groups with protected characteristics

Lee Tiratira, Youth Team Lead and BME CYP Project Worker, Ethnic Minorities & Youth Support Team (EYST)

Cerys Furlong, Chief Executive, Chwarae Teg

 

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

3.1 Members received evidence related to debt and the pandemic.

 

3.2 During the session, Chwarae Teg agreed:

  • To share information on debt across housing and council tax and how the statistics break down into protected groups.

 

Meeting: 04/10/2021 - Equality and Social Justice Committee (Item 2)

2 Debt and the pandemic - public services

Rob Simkins, Campaigns Manager, Shelter Cymru

Will Henson, Policy & External Affairs Manager, Community Housing Cymru

Lisa Hayward, Welfare Reform Policy Officer, Welsh Local Government Association

 

 

 

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

2.1 Apologies were received from Will Henson, Community Housing Cymru.

 

2.2 Members received evidence related to debt and the pandemic.

 

2.3 During the session, Shelter Cymru agreed:

  • To share their report 'Life in Lockdown in Wales'.
  • To provide further evidence on how they signpost people to the services and specialist help they provide.
  • To provide details of the correspondence they have had with police forces and Rent Smart Wales regarding illegal evictions.
  • To share more information on the lessons learnt from the moratorium on evictions and debt collections.

 

The Welsh Local Government Association agreed:

  • To write to the Committee about the number of council tenants who have fallen into rent arrears since the pandemic.

 

Meeting: 04/10/2021 - Equality and Social Justice Committee (Item 4)

4 Debt and the pandemic - affordable credit

Claire Savage, Policy Officer, Credit Unions of Wales

Sara Burch, Manager of Gateway Credit Union

Daniel Arrowsmith, Policy & Regulatory Compliance Manager, Association of British Credit Unions Limited

Karen Davies, Chief Executive, Purple Shoots

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

4.1 Members received evidence related to debt and the pandemic.

Meeting: 20/09/2021 - Equality and Social Justice Committee (Item 7)

Consideration of evidence - debt advice organisations

Minutes:

7.1 Members considered the evidence received under item 3.

Meeting: 20/09/2021 - Equality and Social Justice Committee (Item 3)

3 Debt and the pandemic - Advice organisations

Gwennan Hardy, Senior Policy Officer, Citizens Advice Cymru

Peter Tutton, Head of Policy, Research and Public Affairs, StepChange

Jason Roberts, Debt Adviser, Speakeasy Law Centre

 

 

 

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

3.1 Members received evidence related to debt and the pandemic.

 

Topics

Helpful Links

Related