In Mid and West Wales, recent figures showed the seriousness of the situation in our rural and coastal communities. Those several areas of Wales saw a fall in child poverty rates between 2014 and 2019. In some rural, coastal regions, child poverty continued to rise alarmingly. Of the six local authorities in Wales seeing an increase in child poverty rates, five were in rural or coastal areas, contrary to how the issue might commonly be perceived as a predominantly urban issue. This year, Loughborough University published new research on behalf of the End Child Poverty coalition. In Ceredigion, more than 35 per cent of children lived below the poverty line; 33.3 per cent in Powys; 34.4 per cent in Gwynedd; and 34.6 per cent in Carmarthenshire—all of these in my region. At 35.5 per cent, Pembrokeshire, a county whose house prices are amongst the highest in Wales and with a high prevalence of second homes, has the highest child poverty rate of all Welsh local authorities. Child poverty in rural areas is driven by low income and poor economic outcomes, lack of access to public transport and fuel poverty, poor public service provision, high rents, and lack of affordable housing, among other factors. Amid relative affluence in parts of Mid and West Wales, child poverty often hides in plain sight.

The Bevan Foundation highlights that figures relating to child poverty do not truly capture the impact of this deprivation and poverty on the lives of the children experiencing it. We know that when children grow up in poverty, the effects will stay with them for the rest of their lives. It is clear that the damage is done early. According to the Bevan Foundation, child poverty may later affect mental health, self image and self-esteem, physical health and education. It can also impact subsequent career paths, the ability to socialise normally, and it increases the likelihood of being involved in crime, as either the victim or perpetrator. Minister, while I understand it is the Tories in Westminster and their heartless programme of austerity that need to answer for worsening deprivation across the UK, it is the Welsh Labour Party who have governed in Wales since the outset of devolution. Having recently celebrated your party's centenary, is there a risk that failure to tackle child poverty may become the legacy of the Labour Government in Wales?