Reducing the rise of child poverty in Wales, and, indeed, aiming for the complete eradication of child poverty, deserves the full attention of our country's Government—its full attention, its highest priority and urgent action. Unfortunately, that is not the situation.

It was very disappointing to hear the Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services say at the Children, Young People and Education Committee this morning that she was not at all confident that it would be possible to improve a critical situation in which 29 per cent of children in Wales live in poverty. It's almost as though she has completely given up, and is putting the blame all on the Government's welfare changes in London. It's not the job of Government to give up. It is the Government's job to leave no stone unturned, to work tirelessly to find solutions and to provide clear leadership to drive change. I am therefore not convinced at all that the Government is really trying to get to the root of the problem. There is not even a cross-Government strategy on tackling poverty. To me, that says it all.

An opportunity was lost, in my opinion, to make a difference with the 30-hour childcare scheme. This is a very flawed scheme, which excludes children from some of the poorest families in Wales and, indeed, puts those children at a disadvantage compared with their peers. Because children from families where the parents are not working are not eligible for it. Why in the world would a Government seeking to eradicate child poverty prioritise children from families where parents are in work above children whose parents are not working? Why would a Government that wants to eradicate child poverty discriminate against student parents and parents on zero-hours contracts?

The childcare offer has faced significant turmoil already. It was criticised by the Children, Young People and Education Committee and the children's commissioner for not being available to everyone. A further twist came when the plan to administer it through Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs had to be abandoned, and £1 million was wasted in the process. And by now, local authorities are taking over the scheme's administration, although that arrangement is temporary and there are no assurances over the long term.

Then, an evaluation of the scheme showed that further confusion had arisen because parents had to pay for care during the holidays, when they were under the impression that it was available for free. One parent was hugely shocked to receive a bill for over £800 for childcare in one month during the summer, having not realised that her entitlement had expired. There is also confusion about how the proposal affects tax credits and issues relating to self-employed parents proving their eligibility for the scheme.

This is what I call a proper dog's dinner. A Plaid Cymru Government would ensure that childcare was available to every child. Access to early-years care and education of high quality is key to the task of eradicating child poverty. It's also key to closing the attainment gap.

So, as well as introducing the weekly child payment, a Plaid Cymru Government would have other appropriate policies, including a childcare and early years policy, which would be ambitious and far-reaching. And we would demand the devolution of the welfare system to Wales, and Plaid Cymru would have the will, the energy and the fire in our bellies to tackle child poverty, giving it the highest possible priority. We will not just accept—we cannot just accept a situation where it's foreseen that 39 per cent of children in Wales will be living in poverty by 2022. We will be tackling this issue and giving it the priority it deserves.