10. Statement by the Chair of the Children, Young People and Education Committee: United Nations Universal Children's Day

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 7:22 pm on 20 November 2018.

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Photo of Siân Gwenllian Siân Gwenllian Plaid Cymru 7:22, 20 November 2018

(Translated)

Thank you very much to Lynne for the statement and for providing this opportunity for us to put a clear focus on children's rights here in Wales tonight. I'm particularly pleased, as I'm sure we all are, that Wales adopted the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 2011—the first nation in the UK to do so. It is entirely appropriate that the Welsh Government should publish a review of its commitments to the convention next year, and this will provide us with a direct opportunity, as an Assembly, to scrutinise the implementation of the Measure. As we've heard, the children's commissioner is very critical that no CRIAs were carried out on the current budgetary proposals. Article 4 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child make it a requirement for every level of government to act in a way that is consistent with the convention. It states that there needs to be regular assessment of how budgets will impact on different groups of children, ensuring that the budgetary decisions lead to the best possible outcomes for the greatest possible number of children, also taking into account, as a central part of that process, children who are vulnerable. But the commissioner said last week: