Found: Highly Restricted: For Committee use only 21 May 2025 Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP Secretary of State

Found: .  As Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall has highlighted, our employment support

Found: Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP , Secretary of State for Work and Pensions told us: 57 Q89 58 Independent Age

Found: Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions told us: I am open to the suggestion

Found: parliament.uk +44 (0)20 7219 3351 Social: @CommonsProcCom Thursday, 3 April 2025 Rt Hon Liz Kendall

Found: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, 7 April 2025 217 Correspondence to Liz Kendall

Found: took place on 3 February 2025.57 Opening the debate, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall

Found: took place on 3 February 2025.57 Opening the debate, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall

Found: supported by the Prime Minister, Secretary Yvette Cooper, S ecretary Angela Rayner, Secretary Liz Kendall

Found: supported by the Prime Minister, Secretary Yvette Cooper, Secretary Angela Rayner, Secretary Liz Kendall

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

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

Found: Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said: Young people are our future – and yet for too long they

Found: Justice Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP T: 0300 244 4000 E: scottish.ministers@gov.scot Rt Hon Liz Kendall

Found: Chair to Sir Stephen Timms MP, Minister of State for Social Security and Disability and the Rt Hon Liz Kendall

Found: Minister of State for Social Security and Disability Department for Work and Pensions Rt Hon Liz Kendall

Found: THE RT HON LIZ KENDALL MP

<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>