Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:03 pm on 11 June 2024.
Llyr Gruffydd
Plaid Cymru
2:03,
11 June 2024
We know, don't we, First Minister, that 29 per cent of children in Wales are living in poverty. That's one of the highest rates in the UK, and we've debated here in the past how Labour in Wales scrapped the 2020 goal of eradicating child poverty, and how we have a child poverty strategy without statutory targets, but as you say, the situation here has been made worse by the UK Government, particularly the Conservatives' cruel two-child benefit cap on families, which leaves the poorest families thousands of pounds out of pocket and adversely affecting more than one in 10 children in Wales. Now, unbelievably, Sir Keir Starmer has said that he won't be scrapping the cap, and at the same time he's saying that he is committed to providing over £200 billion for the Trident nuclear project. Now, that clearly shows, does it not, that the UK Labour Party's priorities are actually in weapons of mass destruction and not supporting struggling families? Are those really your priorities as well, First Minister?
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
The Conservatives are a centre-right political party in the UK, founded in the 1830s. They are also known as the Tory party.
With a lower-case ‘c’, ‘conservative’ is an adjective which implies a dislike of change, and a preference for traditional values.
