Plaid Cymru MP for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, Jonathan Edwards, used a debate in the House of Commons last week to call for further reforms to Universal Credit to alleviate concerns over its implementation.

Mr Edwards said the British Government needs more than piecemeal reforms to make the system work.

Universal Credit was rolled out in Carmarthenshire in December last year.

Mr Edwards said: "Whilst I support the simplification of the social protection system, Universal Credit has been hugely controversial since its introduction. Its aim was to unite Housing Benefit, Child Tax Credit, Income Support, Working Tax Credit, income Based Job Seekers Allowance and Income Related Employment and Support Allowance into one payment.

"However, Universal Credit has been used by the British Government as part of its savage cuts to public expenditure. We are in the middle of the 2016-20 Spending Review Period which was supported by both the Conservative Party and the Labour Party which is due to cut the Department for Work and Pensions Budget by 20% in real terms. Those sort of cuts cannot be achieved without taking thousands of pounds from the pockets of the most vulnerable in society.

"The reality is that the roll out of the new Universal credit support system has been a disaster and the new Secretary of State has moved to alleviate the situation by launching a pilot before full migration onto the new system, and relaxing limits on the two child limit.

"However, the British Government needs to go far further if the new system is to be introduced without leaving thousands of vulnerable people in financial difficulty. During the debate I called on the British Government to extend transitional protection to all people who are migrating naturally through a change of circumstance.

"Westminster has about as much compassion as Attila the Hun and the reality is that we will only get a social protection fit for use in Wales whereby people get the support they need from the State when they are in desperate need when these matters are devolved and we can create a fit for purpose social protection system ourselves."