News
Ministers ‘dodging accountability’ in new child poverty strategy, Senedd hears
WELSH ministers are dodging accountability by refusing to include concrete targets and milestones in the new child poverty strategy, the Senedd heard.
MSs quizzed Jane Hutt as the social justice minister gave a statement about this week’s publication of the Welsh Government’s child poverty strategy.
Ms Hutt described the strategy as a cross-cutting, whole-of-government policy document that sets out priorities for meaningful action to tackle child poverty.
“Ending child poverty must be an absolute priority for governments at all levels,” she said.
The minister announced that the Welsh Government will be producing a monitoring and impact framework, which will be reviewed by Rod Hick, from Cardiff University.
Mark Isherwood pointed out that 28% of children were living in relative income poverty in 2022, arguing little progress has been made in reducing child poverty in the past decade.
The Conservative shadow minister said the strategy does not include measurable targets, instead using generic national milestones from the Future Generations Act.
Mr Isherwood highlighted calls from Barnardo’s Cymru and the children’s commissioner to ensure progress against the strategy can be transparently and regularly monitored.
He said: “It is the case, is it not, that the Welsh Government has a number of levers to tackle child poverty under its control, so why hasn’t it established real targets and milestones within the strategy, or is this just another case of Welsh Government dodging accountability?”
Highlighting Monday’s launch of a Welsh benefits charter, Ms Hutt raised the importance of maximising people’s incomes to addressing child poverty.
She said a compassionate, person-centred and streamlined benefits system is at the heart of the charter, which all 22 councils have signed up to.
She said: “We saw, in 10 years of Labour government, child poverty going down because of the ways in which we used tax and benefits.
“In thirteen years of austerity, it’s gone up.”
Sioned Williams, for Plaid Cymru, welcomed publication of a new child poverty strategy “at last” after years of pleading with the Welsh Government.
But she also raised concerns about Welsh ministers’ aversion to setting targets, describing a previous progress report as a “cut-and-paste job” which listed actions, not outcomes.
She said: “The Welsh Government is committed to tackling child poverty as an absolute priority, but the strategy doesn’t actually evidence that….
“I have no doubt, minister, that you want to see child poverty eradicated, as do we all here, but we need a clearer road map and signposts to know that we are nearing that goal.”
Jane Dodds, the Welsh Lib Dem leader, told the meeting on Tuesday January 23: “My plea to you is: if the things that you say are going to work, we have to do it urgently.
“And if you say they are going to work, then my question is: why not have targets?”
Ms Hutt said targets risk being overly simplistic, detracting from good government and the evidence of lived-experience poverty.
She said Prof Hick is a globally recognised expert on measuring poverty.
She added that a targets-based approach would not take into account all those who have responsibility for addressing child poverty, principally the UK Government.
Jayne Bryant, who chair’s the children’s committee, focused on care-experienced children as well as disabled children and young people who are more likely to be affected by poverty.
Jenny Rathbone welcomed the new strategy’s focus on children’s rights.
The Labour backbencher, who represents Cardiff Central, called for monitoring of the new benefits charter to show councils’ progress on increasing the uptake of eligible benefits.
Plaid Cymru’s Mabon ap Gwynfor called for an increase in the housing support grant in the Welsh Government’s 2024-25 draft budget.
The Dwyfor Meirionnydd MS said: “A third of the people in temporary accommodation currently are children, and they don’t get the same chances in life because of that.
“So, if we’re serious about tackling child poverty, we absolutely need to tackle housing.
Ms Hutt reiterated that the Welsh Government’s budget is worth £1.3bn less in real-terms than when it was set in the 2021 UK spending review.
Labour backbencher John Griffiths highlighted that the equality committee he chaired during the previous Senedd term recommended devolving the administration of benefits to Wales.
Ms Hutt said developing a coherent, streamlined Welsh benefits system is central to delivering the child poverty strategy.
She pointed out that the UK Government has rejected calls to assess the merits of devolving the administration of the same benefits to Wales as have been devolved to Scotland.
News
Lifeboat crew plucks woman in difficulty from the water
ANGLE All-Weather Lifeboat was requested to launch at 10pm on Sunday night (May 19).
The Coastguard had received a call reporting a female in difficulty in the water off Fort Road, Pembroke Dock.
The Lifeboat launched and began making best speed to the area, arriving on scene just 10 minutes later.
The Police and Ambulance Service also attended and were waiting in Hobbs Point car park.
The Port Authority Pilot Vessel ‘St Davids’ had not long arrived on scene and commenced searching, and members of the Dale Coastguard Rescue Team were on the beach with the first informant conning the Lifeboat on to the approximate position of the casualty.
The crew could hear the casualty screaming, and shortly after she came into view in the Lifeboat’s searchlights.
Heading immediately for her, she began to struggle further and on numerous occasions began to slip below the surface.
Just in time, the crew reached out a boat hook which the casualty managed to grab hold of where she was then floated into the Lifeboat’s man overboard recovery cradle and recovered onboard.
The crew immediately began warming and reassuring the casualty whilst carrying out a thorough casualty care assessment.
The decision was made to redirect all assets to Hobbs Point where the Lifeboat would come alongside.
A few minutes later once secure alongside, the crew were met by members of Dale, Tenby and St Govan’s Coastguard Rescue Teams, Paramedics and Police Officers.
The casualty was safely walked ashore to an awaiting ambulance.
With no further assistance required, the lifeboat and her crew were stood down to return to station where she was readied for further service by 11:45pm.
The RNLI said: “A huge thanks to the crew of the pilot vessel for their quick response and valuable assistance in searching, and to the Coastguard for their direction to the casualty. A fantastic example of multi-agency teamwork!”
News
Paul Davies calls for Withyhedge independent public inquiry
A CALL for an independent public inquiry into the ongoing situation at Withyhedge landfill site has been made by local Senedd Member Paul Davies. Mr Davies made the call in the Senedd Chamber, whilst asking the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs just how bad the situation had to get before the local community could receive some support from the Welsh Government.
Resource Management Ltd (RML), which operates the Withyhedge site has already been issued several Enforcement Notices by Natural Resources Wales and yet local residents are still living with potentially toxic odours and emissions.
Mr Davies said, “Week after week I have stood up in the Senedd Chamber and asked for the Welsh Government to intervene to support the local community. People have complained of coughs, nausea and swollen eyes and yet despite the sympathetic words of Government Cabinet Secretaries, there has been no support forthcoming.”
“The people of Pembrokeshire deserve better and so I’m calling for an independent public inquiry to fully understand why this situation has been so poorly handled and why my constituents have been so badly let down.”
Farming
Simon Hart calls for a Sustainable Farming Scheme that delivers
FURTHER delays to the introduction of new farming subsidies in Wales have met with a cautious welcome.
Following widespread protests from farmers, Welsh Labour Rural Affairs Secretary, Huw Irranca-Davies, has announced the Sustainable Farming Scheme will now be put on hold until 2026.
The decision has been welcomed by former Secretary of State for Wales Simon Hart MP. The candidate for Caerfyrddin says the Welsh government must now work closely with farmers – and not against them.
He said: “We are told this decision shows the Plaid Cymru / Welsh Labour Cooperation administration is listening to farmers concerns. In my opinion, they should have been listening to them from the get-go and these proposals should never have been included by Plaid Cymru as part of their co-operation agreement.
“Whilst I appreciate this pause gives the Welsh government more time to get this vital scheme right, it also prolongs uncertainty in an industry that is at the very heart of our economy.
“We now need to see real progress, with the Plaid Cymru / Welsh Labour cooperators working at pace, alongside people who know the industry, to deliver a scheme that brings real benefits to our farmers.”
After a series of delays, the Sustainable Farming System was meant to come into operation in April 2025.
Rules that meant 10% of land needed to be covered by woodland and 10% earmarked for wildlife habitat caused widespread protests and led to claims that 5,000 jobs could be lost from the industry.
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