Our role as representatives of the people of Wales is to secure the best possible lives for the people of our nation; to do everything possible to create a prosperous, fair and just Wales, which cares for everyone who calls Wales their home. If we don't do this, then we don't deserve to sit in this Chamber, nor are we worthy of representing those communities that have placed their faith in us to serve them.

Since 2010, the UK Conservative Government has restructured our welfare system in a harsh and unjust manner. Although it has the resources to ensure that our poorest children and families don't go hungry and fall through the net of the welfare state, it's failing to do so. Along with that, we must look at the failure of the Welsh Government to eradicate child poverty by 2020. Now, Wales has the highest rate of child poverty of any nation in the UK, with one in three children living in poverty. It's a national scandal; a damning reflection of the impact of Conservative austerity and 20 years of the failure of Labour in Wales to do little more than manage poverty.

Since 2016, Scotland has had control over 11 welfare benefits and the ability to create new benefits within devolved policy areas. So the question is: why do we not have the powers here in Wales? Even if the Welsh Government is against the devolution of welfare in its entirety to Wales, the least that they can do today is start the process to ensure equality for Wales at the same level as Scotland. Public opinion favours that. Polls have demonstrated that a majority is in favour of the devolution of welfare powers to our Parliament. A cross-party committee of the previous Senedd, chaired by a Member of the Labour Party, was in favour of that too. Funding experts are also in favour of that. According to the Wales Governance Centre's department, devolving welfare to Wales as has happened in Scotland could provide £200 million to the Welsh Government. And it would have a real impact on the future of the most needy in our country.