Whatever your political hue, we can all agree that not a single child should grow up in poverty. Not a single child should face the indignity and stigma that poverty brings.

I want to start by outlining the context in which I'm calling for change. We've heard the statistics. Child poverty here is higher than any other UK nation. What does this mean for our children? It means that a third of children face a daily struggle, a demeaning struggle, that leaves them hungry, ill, subject to being picked on, and devoid of hope for a better future.

Just last month the Trussell Trust confirmed that foodbank use in Wales continues to grow. Buried in those statistics was the fact that 35,403 of those forced to rely on food parcels were children. Now, I know that the Minister is not proud of these figures, but Labour are in Government. Labour has the power to change things, and so it is Labour that must take responsibility for this dreadful situation.

I also recognise that the Conservatives in Westminster retain control over some of the levers that could help bring children out of poverty: the rape clause, which means that women with a third child have to prove they were raped before they are able to receive tax credits, or the new bereavement support payment system that has slashed financial support offered to those who have lost a loved one from 20 years to 18 months, and then, of course, we had the chaos that is universal credit—the botched roll-out of Westminster's flagship benefits reform has left families desperate and even homeless. These are policies that are causing suffering to those who are already suffering. It's benefit reforms such as these that are cited as one of the core reasons for an increase in child poverty. In fact, the Equality and Human Rights Commission found welfare reform policies will push 50,000 more children in Wales into poverty, and that is an outrage that demands change.

So, what can be done to change this situation? Firstly, the Welsh Government must stop cutting its funding to those in need of support. Just last week we were forced to debate the Welsh Government's decision to cut the school uniform grant for the poorest children. This week Labour are under pressure to reverse their decision to scrap the Welsh independent living grant. In today's amendment to the Plaid Cymru motion, the Government points to the economic action plan as a means to alleviate poverty. Now, I'd like to invite the Minister now to intervene on me to tell me how many times the word 'poverty' is used in that action plan. Do we have a question there? Do you know how many times the word 'poverty' is mentioned in the action plan?