Wales ‘lacks powers’ for child poverty payment, ministers claim

THE Welsh Government has rejected calls to copy Scotland’s direct payment to address child poverty, arguing Wales does not have the required powers over the welfare system.

- CHRIS HAINES

The claim was made in response to a Plaid Cymru debate, which urged ministers to introduce a similar direct payment to tackle Wales’ “stubborn” 32% child poverty rate.

Plaid Cymru’s Sioned Williams said: “I'm sick of it, to tell you the truth. I'm sick of standing up here and talking about this... we owe it - all of us - to the people we represent to do better.”

The shadow social justice secretary drew a parallel with a successful free school meals campaign, suggesting ministers’ scepticism about a child payment is similarly misplaced.

She told the Senedd: “We pushed for free school meals, which we were also told rather dismissively were not affordable, credible or deliverable ~ until, of course, they were.”

But Conservative Altaf Hussain dismissed Plaid Cymru’s proposed child payment, which would see £10 a week paid to about 15,000 children whose parents receive universal credit.