'Children in low income families in Wales are facing considerable pressures and are growing in number. Figures again show that child poverty is prevalent in all parts of Wales with an increasing number of families struggling just to get by. The impact of changes introduced by the UK Government's programme of welfare reform at a time of rising everyday costs is hitting many families hard. Governments at all levels must ensure that urgent action is taken to prevent and protect families already struggling to provide for their children.'

As we know, Children in Wales aims to contribute to policy making that reduces levels of child poverty and mitigates the impact on children, young people and their families, and that includes co-ordinating End Child Poverty Network Cymru. We see annual surveys being conducted, which look at how family poverty has changed compared to previous years, and the latest survey was carried out between mid February and mid April this year, with both professionals and young people. Respondents to that survey identified changes to the benefits system as the top issue relating to poverty, with insecure income and employment as the second most important factor. Forty-eight per cent—nearly half of respondents—said that the situation had got worse over the past year, and some of the issues identified in the survey also included a lack of essential items such as clothes and beds. Other issues included access to food banks, social poverty, such as not being able to participate in activities, low self-esteem and aspirations, and the negative impact on physical and mental health as well. It paints a very bleak and depressing picture, doesn't it?

I want to pay tribute to Children in Wales, and all the other organisations who do so much work in their crusade against poverty and its effects on children and families in Wales. We have plenty of evidence here, in Wales, of course, of the negative impact welfare changes are having on some families, including the freeze or cuts to benefits, delayed payments, sanctions, bedroom tax, and the new two-child limit on means-tested benefits. This is clearly a huge problem facing families and children in Wales, yet as we know, the Welsh Government is still refusing to demand that some of the powers over welfare be devolved to Wales so that we could mitigate at least some of the worst elements of the UK Government's welfare reforms.