Wales’ pensioner poverty approach examined by MPs in Cardiff

Evidence session

Pensioner Poverty: challenges and mitigations

Monday 12 May 2025, 09.00am, Committee Room 5, Ty Hywel Building, Senedd Cymru/Welsh Parliament

Recording will be available on Parliamentlive.tv within 24 hours.

How Wales is combatting pensioner poverty will be the focus of a Work and Pensions Committee session in Cardiff on Monday.

Wales has a higher proportion of older people than the rest of the UK, with 1 in 6 in relative poverty, the Committee has heard. Four years ago, the Welsh Government launched a strategy to enhance well-being, independence, local services, and tackle age-related poverty in an ageing society.

MPs will question the Older People's Commissioner for Wales, Age Cymru and Care and Repair Cymru on the impact the approach is having, and the lessons learned from it. They're also likely to ask about the impact of restricting Winter Fuel Payment eligibility to those on Pension Credit, progress in encouraging those eligible to Pension Credit to claim, and the extent to which other forms of support are available.

Witnesses

From 09.00:

• Rhian Bowen-Davies, Older People's Commissioner for Wales;
• Victoria Lloyd, Chief Executive, Age Cymru;
• Faye Patton, Head of Policy and Insights, Care and Repair Cymru.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• You can find more information about the Committee's Pensioner Poverty: challenges and mitigations inquiry here.
• The predecessor committee reported in March 2024 on Benefit levels in the UK. Full link: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/43979/documents/217876/default