Found: SIR STEPHEN TIMMS MP Minister for Social Security and Disability Department for Work and Pensions

Found: Letter to Sir Stephen Timms MP, Minister of State for Social Security and Disability, relating to the

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Found: Stephen Timms 01/04/2025 Global Disability Summit, Berlin Minister for Social Security and Disability

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Found: 00Media / InterviewBBC ScotlandSocial Security2025-06-30 00:00:00Meeting / Video ConferenceSir Stephen Timms

Found: following documents relating to a meeting between the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and Sir Stephen Timms

Found: Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice MEETING WITH SIR STEPHEN TIMMS MP, MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL

<p>Thank you very much, Jenny Rathbone, and thank you, again, as I've said, for the excellent work that you've undertaken chairing the committee—a very helpful contribution to our work on cohesion in Wales, as you know. This doesn't often happen, but we felt that we had to respond immediately, not waiting for consideration, to that recommendation 1 with the expert group on cohesion. I've talked about that already. But just to say, the other thing to help us, because we want to do as much as we can before the end of this Senedd term, before the end of March, is we're engaging with the Wales Centre for Public Policy to help us with this, because you've provided evidence and we want to draw on their expertise as well, including the evidence submitted to the committee. But also, we've just got to recognise that this—back to what I said in my statement—is about Wales being a Wales of cohesive communities, and the Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015 and the fact that, in our tenth year, this is something that I hope and believe that the future generations commissioner will also be taking an interest in.</p>
<p>You're right to say that this is an issue for disabled people, and in fact, the Wales Hate Support Centre, at their events that they organised this week, and who I spoke to, were focusing on the fact of disability hate crime and that, actually, just in terms of the latest, 12 per cent was disability hate crime in terms of the four Welsh police force area statistics. This is something we've been addressing in our disability rights taskforce, and it will be very much reflected in our disabled people's rights plan, and I have obviously made representations about, as you know, the review of PIP, personal independence payments. I've also asked for&nbsp;Welsh representation, as I know that disabled people in Wales have asked for, and I'm certainly responding to that call and have raised this, as indeed has, I have to say, the Minister, Stephen Timms, who actually met with the Disability Equality Forum in Wales and heard that message very strongly as well.</p>
<p>On your point about restorative justice, I hope that perhaps we can build on the pilot that we're developing that I mentioned earlier on, the collaborative hate crime perpetrators pilot. But I will take the opportunity to ask the question about the former work that was done on restorative justice with the Home Secretary and also all our colleagues in terms of criminal justice partners in the UK Government, as well as with our policing colleagues as well. I think those are also useful points that the expert group could look at as well.</p>

<p>Thank you for your thoughtful and focused statement, Cabinet Secretary, and the speed with which you have responded to the first recommendation of the committee, which only reported four working days ago. I'm sure you get the prize for response on that front.</p>
<p>I think that the budget for community co-ordinators, being secured until 2029, is very important and reflects, I think, everybody's understanding that we are in a very, very difficult situation at the moment, and it can only get worse as we move towards a highly contested election next May. I think the conversation I'm sure many of us had with a senior policeman today tells us that this is not going to be easy.</p>
<p>Earlier today, I rushed out to meet a lobby, on the Senedd steps, of people who are in receipt of personal independence payments, because they feel very concerned that this money could be taken away from them, and this could materially impair their ability to work or live their lives as well as possible. Clearly, this is one of the organisations we really do need to ensure that we are negotiated with, respectfully, and involved in the review that Stephen Timms is taking out.</p>
<p>I just wanted to pick up on your point about perpetrators needing to understand the consequences of their actions, and link to that the upstanders, because one of my constituents used to be involved in restorative justice in our prisons, taking victims to the prison and meeting the perpetrator. And I think that is so beneficial, both to the victim and to enabling the perpetrator to understand just how devastating this act has been. So, this was cancelled when the new UK Government came in, so they're no longer doing it. So, I just wondered if you might have had any conversations on doing this sort of thing again, because it could be done, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">despite the fact that it isn't currently a devolved responsibility.</span></p>

<p>Thank you very much, Mark Isherwood, and thank you for raising these issues in the Chamber this afternoon. Of course, I will take these issues back to raise them with the UK Government. Sir Stephen Timms—I met with him in the summer, because he is the Minister responsible for disabled people, and indeed the wider benefits such as universal credit and disabled people's benefits. What was very important is that Sir Stephen Timms met with disabled people, people who form part of our disability equality forum and disability rights taskforce. He met with them, not with myself there, so that they could raise their clients' concerns and issues about the review he is now undertaking in terms of personal independent payments. Then, I met with him shortly afterwards with also disabled people themselves and disabled people's organisations. I think it's important that we put this on record today, that he said that the review would not be based on making cuts to personal independence payments. He would be looking openly and wanting to engage, as we asked him, with Wales, because of our experience of co-production of our disabled people's rights plan. I hope that gives you some assurance in terms of us influencing UK Government. Also, I am very proud, as you know, that for many years we've employed disabled people's employment champions, who work with employers throughout Wales. Thank you for raising the issues about the Work and Health Programme referrals to DWP. I will take that up and be able to report back to the Senedd on the outcome of my discussions and outreach to the UK Government.</p>