South Wales Central Conservative MS Andrew RT Davies has said Senedd ministers must publish a detailed evaluation of a controversial scheme under which they wanted to pay illegal immigrants £1,600 a month before the next Senedd election.
In 2023, Senedd ministers wrote to the then-UK Conservative Government requesting that asylum seekers in receipt of the £1,600 payment would not see their eligibility for legal aid to avoid deportation impacted.
This request was declined.
Speaking in the Senedd, Mr Davies asked Social Justice Minister Jane Hutt if a detailed breakdown on the effectiveness of the scheme would be published before the end of the Senedd term.
In response, Hutt said an ongoing evaluation is “at midpoint” and “will continue into 2027”.
Mr Davies, who opposed the scheme, said this “was not good enough” and that “the public deserve to know the truth about the scheme before voting in 2026.”
Mr Davies said:
“Through their so-called Universal Basic Income pilot, Senedd ministers wanted to pay illegal immigrants £1,600 a month.
“I make no apologies for opposing this, but the public deserves to know the truth about the scheme prior to the next Senedd election.
“Continuing the evaluation into 2027 is not good enough, it must be published before people go to the polls.”
ENDS
NOTE: Please find below the Senedd’s Record of Proceedings from 22nd October 2025
Andrew R.T. Davies
14:49:59
Thank you, Cabinet Secretary for that answer. In relation to income, one of the key priorities that the Government have chosen to deliver in this Senedd term is the basic income pilot for care leavers. Will we have a detailed breakdown of the effectiveness of that scheme before the end of this Senedd term, so that we can understand whether that investment that the Government chose to make has been as effective as the Government promoted at the time?
Jane Hutt
14:50:27
Thank you for that question, because the basic income for care leavers in Wales pilot was the most exciting project, giving financial stability to a generation of young people leaving care who face very unique challenges. We did choose care-experienced young people as the cohort for the pilot because of this. Delivery, as you asked in the question, and I thank you for that, of the basic income for care leavers in Wales formally concluded on 20 June this year, with over 600 care-experienced young people benefiting from this direct investment in themselves and their futures. Some individuals continue to receive their final payments until next month on account of later enrolment to the scheme. The uptake on the pilot at 97 per cent far exceeded our original expectations, significantly higher than any of the other opt-in basic income schemes worldwide. We’re committed to continue working with our partners to help support care leavers in Wales successfully transition to independent living. We’ll use the findings of the independent evaluation—of course, that’s what’s important, isn’t it? The evaluation of the pilot, which has been undertaken by leading researchers across the UK, currently at midpoint, is going to inform our provision of support for care leavers in Wales, and the evaluation will continue into 2027. So, thank you for giving me the opportunity to report on this very important pilot in Wales.
NOTE:
Please find below an article relating to the controversial Universal Basic Income pilot, under which Senedd ministers wanted to pay illegal immigrants £1,600 a month
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1759420/Labour-migrant-plan-wales-monthly-payments