Senedd members criticised Westminster’s “short-sighted, immoral and unethical” plans to slash spending on welfare by £4.8bn a year by the end of the decade.
Sioned Williams said she was extremely disappointed it took a motion to call an urgent debate to “force” Labour ministers to discuss the issue in the Senedd.
Plaid Cymru’s shadow social justice secretary raised the Bevan Foundation’s warning that the cuts will have a “huge and concerning” impact on 275,000 people in Wales.
Ms Williams described the reforms as the biggest cuts to disability benefits on record, with hundreds of thousands of people at risk of being pushed into poverty.
Calling for unambiguous condemnation from ministers in Cardiff Bay, she said: “The impact of these unprecedented cuts to disability benefits on Wales will be devastating.”
‘Doing nothing is not an option’
Leading the urgent debate on April 2, Ms Williams criticised first minister Eluned Morgan for “reserving her position” on the welfare reforms.
Altaf Hussain, the Conservatives’ shadow social justice secretary, stressed that welfare is not devolved to Wales, suggesting the debate will have little-to-no impact.
“This is not a UK Government known for listening to the Labour cliques in the Welsh Government,” he said. “Why should they pay any attention to what we say here today?”
Dr Hussain added: “Doing nothing is not an option, the bill for health and related benefits for people of working age is set to rise to £71bn a year by the end of the decade – far more than we spend on defending our nation.
“Something has to be done and I congratulate the UK Government for finally realising this but they are being disingenuous and hypocritical.”
‘Trapping people’
Labour’s Hefin David, whose autistic daughter is in receipt of disability living allowance, told the Senedd: “I want her to be able to work. At the moment, I don’t know if she can … but she’s very creative and I would hope that the system will find, one day, a job for her.
“That is the role, I think, of the benefit system. At the moment … it is trapping people with autism, learning disabilities and other disabilities out of work and in poverty.”
The Caerphilly Senedd member voiced concerns about people with mental health conditions being stigmatised by some of the language in the UK Government’s green paper.
Dr David said he was willing to take Liz Kendall, the UK work and pensions secretary, at her word that the green paper is the beginning of the conversation – not the end.
Criticising “political pointscoring”, his Labour colleague Alun Davies pointed out that the Welsh Government backed the motion to hold the urgent debate.
He said: “I would have preferred the UK Government to make a clear statement that its purpose is the eradication of poverty, that it actively seeks a reduction in inequality.”
‘Same mistakes’
He added: “My fear at the moment is that this current UK Government is in danger of repeating the same mistakes as the Liberal Democrats in 2010 by accepting a conservative economic analysis then becoming the over-enthusiastic supporters of Tory austerity.”
Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth argued Labour ministers have proved themselves “terribly ineffective” at influencing their UK colleagues.
He told the Senedd: “That’s reflected in the fact that no assessment has been made of the impact of the welfare cuts on Wales – it’s astonishing.”
Mr ap Iorwerth said: “We have been taken back to a time reminiscent of Conservative rule at Westminster, unleashing austerity … failing to consult with [the] Welsh Government and showing a carefree attitude to the impact of decisions on the people of Wales.”
Welsh Liberal Democrat Jane Dodds warned that disabled people face increased costs in their day-to-day lives as she criticised Labour for choosing not to tax the wealthiest.
‘Economic folly’
Ms Dodds, the sole Lib Dem in the Senedd, said cutting benefits creates a false economy, raising concerns more people will be pushed into poverty and homelessness.
Plaid Cymru’s Adam Price accused Labour of choosing austerity over investment, warning: “The economic folly of these cuts is matched only by their moral bankruptcy.”
The former MP said the UK Government has unveiled a plan “so callous in its conception that it stands as nothing less than a betrayal of everything Labour once represented”.
Jane Hutt said the Welsh Government would carefully consider the impact of the proposed welfare cuts before responding to the UK Government’s consultation.
The social justice secretary pledged to ensure the voices of disabled people are heard in the Welsh Government’s response to the consultation which closes on June 13.