9. Plaid Cymru debate: Child poverty

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:14 pm on 16 May 2018.

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Photo of Bethan Sayed Bethan Sayed Plaid Cymru 6:14, 16 May 2018

David Rowlands, you said that welfare reform was not the main cause of poverty and it was lame to blame welfare reform. I think it's lame not to want to do anything about it, quite frankly. So, I'd only agree with you up to a point, and I think that's where we've said, on numerous occasions, that we'd like to try and have some control over that system. But I do agree with you, although I don't agree with UKIP all the time, on the skills agenda and the jobs agenda. I think if we give those possibilities to our young people, that is something that we can support.

Leanne mentioned the rape clause and that universal credit has left many families in desperation, and that 50,000 new people are in poverty as a result of welfare reform. And, again, she made the point about the devolution of the administration of welfare quite strongly, and I think that's something that we won't win here today, but we will continue with that particular argument.