Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Social Justice – in the Senedd at 2:02 pm on 16 March 2022.
Thank you, Minister. One in three children in Wales is living in poverty, and almost four in 10 homes do not have enough money to buy anything beyond the essentials. And anti-poverty groups say that these levels of poverty will deteriorate as the cost-of-living crisis worsens. As the budgets of too many families are under pressure, it's more important than ever before that every primary school child has a free breakfast. Starting the school day with food in their bellies is vital for education and their well-being, but according to figures by the Child Poverty Action Group and Parentkind, one in seven families on low incomes in Wales can access free breakfasts for their children, either because their primary school doesn't provide a breakfast club, or because there isn't enough space for their children. With arrangements being made to provide free school lunches to every child as a result of the co-operation agreement with Plaid Cymru in primary schools, will the Government also commit to working with schools to overcome any barriers and to provide funding and additional support to them to ensure that free breakfast clubs are available to every child? Thank you.