Child poverty: Starting life one step behind.

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 16th Apr 2008

Eleanor Burnham, Welsh Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Children and Young People, will today use her 15 minutes of Assembly time to highlight the ongoing plight of children living in poverty in Wales and the failings of both Westminster and Cardiff Labour governments to halve child poverty by 2010 and eradicate it by 2020.

Ms Burnham said:

"An estimated 180,000 children live in poverty in Wales which means that 1 child in 4 will start life one step behind other children because of their social and economic background. This is social injustice at its worst.

"Economic poverty among children leads to a poverty of goals and ambitions and continues the vicious cycle of children living in poverty from one generation to the next.

"The Labour UK Government is key to tackling child poverty, as it has the direct economic levers available to eradicate child poverty. Gordon Brown's budget will be remembered as the budget that gave up on halving child poverty by 2010 and eradicating it by 2020. Low incomes exact a high price on children's lives. This vicious circle must be broken"

Ms Burnham added:

"I will use my 15 minutes in the Senedd to urge our Ministers here, even with our limited powers on education, health and housing, to lead the way, as we have done by appointing the first Children's Commissioner, who will continue to monitor the needs of our children in Wales, to ensure that we all play our part in reducing and eradicating child poverty throughout Wales."

Ends / Diwedd