Poverty and the cost of living
Child poverty, free school meals, the Cynnal child payment, benefits and the Welsh benefits system, food banks and fuel poverty.
In the Programme for Government this sits under the well-being objective Tackling child poverty and securing the best future for every child in Wales.
Showing the theme Child poverty. The Programme commitments are the brief's as a whole.
- Statements and debates
- 0
- Contributions
- 128
- Written questions
- 0
- Commitments raised
- 5 of 6
128 contributions in the Seventh Senedd touched on this. The busiest month was Jun 2026, with 53.
- Plaid80%
- Reform7%
- Lib Dem6%
- Labour5%
- Conservative2%
On this page
- The debate so far
- Where things stand
- What the government has promised
- From the Welsh Government
- Key moments in the Senedd
- Related votes
- Who raises it
- Who ministers have met
- What people say matters
- Written questions
- Petitions
- In committee
- From Senedd Research
- Latest contributions
- Month by month
- How this brief is put together
The debate so far
Since May 2026, the Plaid Cymru Government has named child poverty a priority, with Sioned Williams as Deputy First Minister leading on it. Debate has centred on the Cynnal child payment pilot, the childcare offer, free school meals and fuel costs. Opposition parties have pressed for dates, targets and costings.
The main arguments
- Sioned Williams (Plaid Cymru) said child poverty is at the core of the Government's work and promised a new strategy with clear targets and milestones. Peter Fox (Welsh Conservatives) and Shav Taj (Welsh Labour) asked how progress will be measured and published.
