7. Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Tackling Poverty

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:31 pm on 5 June 2019.

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Photo of Siân Gwenllian Siân Gwenllian Plaid Cymru 6:31, 5 June 2019

(Translated)

Thank you very much to John Griffiths for bringing this debate forward today. I'm pleased to sign up to it. I also want to say that I respect and admire John's commitment in this area over a number of years, and I'm sure that everyone would echo that here.

The emphasis this afternoon—and I'm pleased about that—has been on what we in Wales can do and what the Welsh Government can do. Yes, cases of poverty are complex and the causes of poverty are complex, but there is far more that the Government here could be doing, even within the restrictive boundaries of the devolution settlement. I wish to list those that I think are important and should be addressed as a matter of urgency by this Government.

One—we need to co-ordinate the Government's efforts in a far more effective way. That would include a tackling poverty strategy and an action plan on child poverty, including milestones and targets, which should be measurable, so that we can have a clear method of reporting against the strategic objectives in Wales.

Two—we need to be clear as to who, among Welsh Government Ministers, is responsible for issues on children and child poverty. Who is leading on this work?

Three—the Government needs to review its early intervention strategies and plans such as Flying Start. Forty-four per cent of children living in poverty don't qualify for Flying Start and we need to move the focus back to early intervention and the creation of a national and local strategy in terms of early intervention.

Four—the Government needs to review the childcare offer, which is deficient. It needs to be extended and the emphasis should be placed in the right place and that includes early years education.

Five—we need to strengthen the work of the fair work commission substantially and we need to use public procurement processes to increase salaries.

Six—we need to press for the devolution of elements of the administration of the welfare state to Wales, so that we can create a culture that is far more empathetic around welfare. I simply cannot understand why a Labour Welsh Government couldn't understand the rationale of the devolution of elements of the administration of the welfare system to Wales.

Seven—we need a far more ambitious plan in terms of social housing and the adoption of a 'housing first' policy in order to tackle homelessness.

I am focusing on those seven areas. We've heard a few others mentioned, but for me, these are the most important that we should focus on, and do so as a matter of urgency. There is far more work that could be done, but these are the issues that the Government needs to address immediately. Thank you.