Wales To Get Universal Basic Income Pilot Scheme

Mark Drakeford told our reporter Emma Grant: "You will see when the detailed ministerial responsibilities are published that a basic income pilot is one of the specific responsibilities of our new Social Justice Minister Jane Hutt.

"It will have to be carefully designed, it will have to draw on the experience of attempted pilots in Scotland. I have a very long standing interest in basic income. I hope that we will be able to mount an experiment here in Wales that will test whether the claims that are made for a basic income are actually delivered in the lives of people - when you are able to have such an experiment.

"We will do it on a cross-party basis with other parties in the Senedd. As you say, there are 25 members of the Senedd in different political parties who have expressed an interest in it. I want to do it on that broad basis and design the best possible pilot we can design for Wales."

You can watch full Q&A here:

UBI Lab Wales have welcomed the announcement from Mark Drakeford. The group have been campaigning for months for a basic income pilot programme in Wales. Prior to the election they encouraged candidates for the Senedd election to sign a pledge that they would back a trial. 25 of the candidates who signed that - were elected last week.

Our reporter Emma Grant spoke to UBI Lab Wales creator Jonathan Williams when he first launched his campaign.