A decision to go-ahead with a Basic Income trial has been criticised by the Welsh Conservatives.
Labour ministers have announced care leavers will received £1,600 per month as part of the trial which is set to start during the next financial year and run for at least three years.
All young people leaving care who turn 18 during a 12 month period will be offered to take part in the pilot. It’s expected around 500 people will be eligible to join the scheme.
Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Social Partnership, Joel James MS, said:
“Whilst I wholeheartedly support helping the poorest and most vulnerable in our country, the Labour Government is not even close to living in reality with this trial.
“Countless trials from across the globe have found Basic Income does not have the expected outcomes as it fails to incentivise work and proves time after time to be a waste of public money.
“If rolled-out across the board with every adult in Wales receiving £1,600 a month it would cost nearly £50 billion a year, and at the same time reward the wealthiest in society rather than helping those who need it most.
“Our NHS is at breaking point and our economy is in a fragile state, but instead of tackling those issues head-on, Labour are more interested in Basic Income – which will cost the country an absolute fortune.”
