Found: .  I do not feel that Liz Kendall fully understands PIP as she keeps referring to it as an out of work

Found: THE RT HON LIZ KENDALL MP

Found: For example, thinking about our net zero mission, Secretary of State Liz Kendall and Secretary of State

Found: Pensions, are published separately as Bill 255—EN.EUROPEAN CONVENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS Secretary Liz Kendall

Found: EUROPEAN CONVENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS Secretary Liz Kendall has made the following statement under section

Found: The Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, has made a statement under section

Found: The Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, has made a statement under section

Creative Health APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Parliamentary lobbying, will be meeting Wes Streeting, Stephen Kinnock, Liz Kendall and Stephen Powys

Found: Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said:  No child should be left to go hungry and we are determined

Found: Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said: Hardworking people across the UK deserve their pensions

Found: Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said: Poverty robs children of opportunities and damages their

Found: Given or Received Who gift was given to or received from Value (£) Outcome (Received gifts only) Liz Kendall

Found: offered hospitality Type of Hospitality Received Accompanied by Guest Value of Hospitality (£) Liz Kendall

Found: Officials from both governments have met to discuss and I welcome the positive response from Liz Kendall

<p>Thank you for that response, Minister, but, sadly, the pressures facing carers are unlikely to ease anytime soon. Indeed, they will inevitably intensify as a result of the UK Labour Government’s determination to push through deep and swingeing cuts to the welfare budget.</p>
<p>Even before Liz Kendall announced that she’d be going further with her welfare cuts&nbsp;than even George Osborne dared venture, carers were struggling, with recent studies showing that more than one in three carers are having to cut back on essentials such as food and heating and having to endure an average pay penalty of £414 per month.&nbsp;To quote Carers UK,&nbsp;</p>
<p>'If these cuts go ahead, even more carers will be pushed into crisis—leaving people struggling to afford food, heating, and other essentials.'</p>
<p>Could you, therefore, confirm how many carers in Wales will be adversely affected by the proposed benefit changes outlined in the White Paper? And do you agree with me that knowingly pushing yet more carers into poverty is the action of a Government whose priorities are totally out of kilter with the needs of our society?</p>

<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">a very wise investment.&nbsp;</span>Our core message is clear: disabled people who can and do want to work should be properly supported to do so.&nbsp;</p>
<p>There is nothing systematic about what is available at the moment, and we are a long way off, as a country, and a nation, in embracing the social model of disability. It is not the disabled citizen who has to change, but the society who discriminates against the person with a disability. And that particularly applies to people with a learning disability.</p>
<p>There is no doubting the Welsh Government’s ambition and commitment to the social model. The ‘Locked out’ report in 2021, and the co-produced disability rights taskforce, across multiple areas affecting disabled people’s lives, are signs of commitment to address this injustice. Yes, co-production takes time. However, the three years it has taken the Welsh Government to produce the disabled people’s rights action plan, now out for consultation, is four times the time it takes to have a baby. And Professor Debbie Foster, who co-chaired the disability rights taskforce, shared with us nine months ago the concern that the Welsh Government is running out of time to implement its ambitions. And, on top of that, it’s not keeping pace with the potential tsunami coming down the track in the form of the proposed cuts to welfare benefits, which were revealed less than two weeks after our report was published.</p>
<p>The live letter to Lisa Nandy and Liz Kendall, signed by bodies including the Welsh National Opera, Theatr Clwyd and the Sherman, and many other cultural bodies cross the UK, warned that removing the support that disabled people can get at the moment, hopefully, through PIP and Access to Work, risks excluding disabled people from the workforce entirely.</p>
<p>We received evidence that people were having to wait 20 weeks to get support from the Access to Work scheme. Which employer is going to be able to wait that long for a new recruit to start? The committee shares some of the concerns that have been expressed regarding these changes, and I know that the Welsh Government is working with the Department for Work and Pensions, employers, and all tiers of Government, to get their houses in order before implementing any changes. &nbsp;But the failures to comply with the law, and to proactively and consistently offer reasonable adjustments for disabled people, is not due to a lack for a guidance in our evidence. There is a perfectly good guide from the <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Equality and Human Rights Commission,</span> which any business can get hold of for free before they take the plunge in becoming an employer.</p>
<p>So, we want to know how is Business Wales addressing this lack of awareness of employers’ responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010, and signposting them to support? We would like to know the outcome of the review that the Welsh Government initiated on the service provided by Business Wales in 2023. If you’re able to share it with us, what targets were set to narrow the disability employment gap? Because, clearly, these people are best able to support employers to take on more disabled people, which is the right thing to do, both economically, and socially, and in terms of justice.</p>
<p>The disability confidence scheme, promoted by the UK Government since 2016, has a very, very poor reputation amongst disabled people. At the lower levels of accreditation, it is a tick-box exercise. It involves no external assessment, and this lack of rigour suggests it has not translated into meaningful results for disabled people. Either the combined efforts of the UK Government, working with the Welsh Government, to deliver more rigour to the process, is going to bear fruit, or the committee, or our successor, will be seeking a bespoke Welsh alternative, with all the costs that that involves. So, I do hope the Welsh Government will be able to make progress with the UK Government on making the disability confidence scheme much more meaningful and deliver on results.</p>
<p>Quite rightly, the Welsh Government has led the way on being a disability confident leader. But it’s worrying that only a tiny fraction of devolved public bodies subject to the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, which requires them to be inclusive, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">have yet to demonstrate</span></p>

<p>Thanks very much. We're very aware that there are many people in Wales who are struggling, and they're struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and have seen huge increases, in particular when it comes to food and fuel prices. I think there's a better chance of tackling poverty if we try and work with the United Kingdom Government, and, obviously, we'll challenge if it's not in Wales's best interests.&nbsp;We agree, however, that the welfare system does need reform.&nbsp;People who can work, we believe, should work. I’m really pleased that the Prime Minister has listened to the concerns of people over the winter fuel allowance and reinstated that support to the vast majority of pensioners in Wales. And, of course, more pensioners, proportionately, will benefit in Wales compared to England.</p>
<p>We’ll continue to raise concerns with the UK Government and the Secretary responsible for social justice. I met with Liz Kendall last week and set out our concerns in relation to the Green Paper. One day, I look forward to members of Plaid Cymru actually asking me a question about matters for which I have responsibility.</p>

<p>This plan has been a long time coming, and I would argue too long, as strengthening the rights of disabled people in Wales and tackling the inequalities they continue to face is critical work, and it should have been treated as such by this Government.</p>
<p>The disability rights taskforce, of course, which led to this plan, was established in response to the 'Locked out' report of 2021, the report that showed so clearly that the rights, well-being and dignity of disabled people, even in a nation like Wales, were far too vulnerable&nbsp;and, in a period of crisis, too often neglected. We must never forget that disabled people comprised 60 per cent of deaths from COVID-19 in Wales, and many of those deaths were preventable and rooted in socioeconomic inequality. So, while we welcome steps to remove the barriers, to create an inclusive society here, we must also bear the importance of legally enforceable rights in mind, the rights that can literally be the difference between life and death.</p>
<p>The Welsh Government says that it wants to realise the principles of the United Nations convention on the rights of disabled people, and the plan states:</p>
<p>'Through the efforts of the Legislative Options Working Group, the Welsh Government is continuing to explore how to embed the UNCRDP in Wales.'</p>
<p>But it's actually factually incorrect to say that the legislative options working group is exploring</p>
<p>'how to embed the UNCRDP in Wales';</p>
<p>the group, as the name suggests, is tasked with developing legislative options. One of the key principles of the United Nations convention on the rights of disabled people is incorporation within domestic law, and this was the single recommendation for the Welsh Government made by the United Nations committee on the rights of disabled people in its periodic review from 2017. So, in light of this, can you confirm whether this commitment still stands, and, if so, when will the Government bring forward legislation to make this a reality, bearing in mind, of course, that this was a programme for government commitment? Could you also explain why funding for the work of the legislative options working group had only a few weeks ago been made available, very late in the day? And will you today provide an assurance that the Welsh Government will allocate sufficient resources to enable the LOWG to bring forward recommendations on legislation to incorporate the United Nations convention on the rights of disabled people as soon as practically possible?</p>
<p>I'm glad that you addressed the planned welfare cuts that are casting, unfortunately, a long and dark shadow over this plan. The removal of this vital support doesn’t simply reduce income, it rips away the safety net that many disabled people rely on to live with dignity. The First Minister, in response to a question from me today, has said that she's meeting with Liz Kendall tomorrow, and you say that you'll be publishing your response to the consultation on the Green Paper, so what will you be saying, Cabinet Secretary? What will the First Minister be saying? We've never really had an answer from Welsh Government on that. Could you provide the Senedd now with your main concerns, please? Do you agree with Citizens Advice, which have said that</p>
<p>'by refusing to properly consult on its plans to cut billions from disability benefits, the UK Labour government is choosing not to ask questions it doesn't want answers to'?</p>
<p>The fact the DWP have cancelled the only in-person consultation in Wales speaks volumes. I attended a 'disabled people against the cuts' protest today in Cardiff, in which disabled people said that they felt that they were being treated with contempt. Do you agree with their calls in this letter, on both the UK and Welsh Governments, that there must be no vote on disability cuts until a full and genuine public consultation has been carried out in Wales? Can Wales secure, as the plan states, a fairer, stronger future for disabled people without the devolution of welfare, so that we can protect disabled people in Wales from Westminster Governments of all colours that care more for spreadsheets than ensuring dignity and equity for disabled people?</p>
<p>Finally, as chair of the cross-party group on learning disability, I'd like clarity on how the plan will address specific and long-standing concerns.&nbsp;Under the section on independent living, the plan addresses the right to practical assistance and support to participate fully in society on the same basis as others. Can you confirm therefore by when would you expect that no-one with a learning disability and/or autism will be sectioned or detained and kept in secure hospital settings in Wales, as has been highlighted by the Stolen Lives 'Homes Not Hospitals' campaign?</p>
<p>The plan also recognises that accessibility is not just about physical barriers. The move to cashless payments, as Mencap has highlighted, is a barrier to services, leisure, the arts, and, if you are travelling on a Transport for Wales or Great Western Railways train, to refreshments. This is something that could be addressed now as regards public sector and Government-funded services and projects, but this wasn't in your list of things that are going to be happening straight away.</p>
<p>As we hear right-wing politicians try to undermine and vilify the importance of diversity, equality and inclusion, advocating for initiatives that enable equity—&nbsp;</p>