Llyr Gruffydd MS Member of the Senedd for North Wales

Yesterday in the Senedd Llyr Gruffydd MS asked if disabled adults in Wales are being plunged deeper and deeper into financial difficulty and asked -what will the government do to rectify the situation?

In a question to Lesley Griffiths, the Cabinet Secretary for Culture and Social Justice Llyr Gruffydd asked-

"Do you agree that the proposals to increase the cap on adult non-residential social care in Wales are ill-advised and do you acknowledge that this will actually plunge disabled people even deeper into financial trouble?"

This question was tabled in response to reports by the Trussell Trust network in Wales that they distributed nearly 190,000 emergency food parcels in the 12 months from April last year. That's the highest amount of packages they've ever had to supply. In that period, 73 per cent of those people referred to food banks were disabled people, which is more than double the proportion of the population who are registered as disabled.

Further to this, in a report by the Bevan Foundation released last year it was highlighted that the cost-of-living crisis is not affecting everyone equally, with some groups being especially hard hit, including people with disabilities. The report highlighted that disabled people sometimes, often or always struggled with the cost of essential items 10% more than the Welsh average. It also highlighted that 41% of disabled renters reported that they sometimes, often or always struggle to afford the essentials. Disabled people are amongst the most likely to report cutting back on or going without food or heating and are at a greater risk of being in debt than the general population.

Research by disability charity Scope suggests that the cost of living is higher for people with disabilities, which shows that disabled households spend on average £625 more each year when compared with non-disabled households.

In her response to Llyr Gruffydd, Leslie Griffith said

"As a Government, you will know we've been working with disabled people to make sure they receive everything that they should do, and we also have the Welsh benefits charter, which I look forward to taking forward."