WALES MISSES OUT ON £800M IN BENEFITS & TAX CREDITS - WILLOTT

12.00.00am GMT Wed 3rd Feb 2010

Commenting on today's call from a coalition of charities led by the Citizen's Advice Bureau for the government to set targets to bring down the £16bn in unclaimed benefits and tax credits every year, Jenny Willott, Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Cardiff Central and member of the Work and Pensions Select Committee, said:

"These are astonishing sums of money. This cash would be of real help to struggling families.

"Around £800m in benefits and tax credits owed to people in Wales are not being claimed every year and the figures keep getting worse.

"Targets may help to tackle this growing problem. But it is the complexity of Labour's tax credits and benefits system that is at its heart.

"What we need is a fundamental reform of the benefits system, and a tax policy that helps people on low and middle incomes.

"This is why the Liberal Democrats would streamline the benefits system and cut the tax burden for over 1.2 million people on low and middle incomes in Wales."