Select committee: Welsh Affairs Committee
Working towards ending child poverty in Wales
Open
Opened 16 Mar 2026
Welsh Affairs Committee Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Inquiry scope (the committee's words)
The rate of child poverty in Wales has changed very little over the past two decades, with around a third of Welsh children living in poverty during that time. Currently, 31% of children in Wales live in relative income poverty after housing costs. However, that figure also varies significantly depending on a family's circumstances, with larger families, lone parent families and families with at least one disabled adult or child experiencing higher rates of child poverty. Relative low income (after housing costs) is a widely used measure of child poverty, and is based on how much income each household has after deducting taxes paid and their housing costs. It is adjusted for the number and ages of people in the household to account for different levels of need across households. This inquiry seeks to understand how the UK and Welsh governments work together towards ending child poverty, and examine what barriers might prevent Wales from realising the ambitions set out in the UK Government's child poverty strategy. Read the call for evidence for more details about the inquiry.
Where it stands
The inquiry is open, opened 16 March 2026.
The committee has not published a report yet.
Evidence
- 1 oral evidence sessionLatest 21 October 2026
- 4 witnesses
Recent activity
- Oral evidence session21 October 2026, Oral evidence
- Correspondence to and from Jane Hutt MS, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip, relating to the child poverty inquiry, dated 25 March and 1 April 202611 May 2026, Correspondence
- Correspondence to and from Rt Hon Pat McFadden MP, relating to the child poverty inquiry, dated 25 March and 14 April 202622 April 2026, Correspondence
Oral evidence sessions
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| Date | Session and witnesses | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Oct 2026 |
Oral evidence session
Laurie Ryall · Action for Children,
Mabli Jones · Bevan Foundation,
Sarah Crawley · Barnardo’s,
Tom Wernham · The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS)
|
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Who gave evidence
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| Witness | Organisation | Sessions |
|---|---|---|
| Laurie Ryall · National Director for Wales | Action for Children | 1 |
| Mabli Jones · Head of Policy (Poverty) | Bevan Foundation | 1 |
| Sarah Crawley · Director of Children's Services for Cymru and UK Programmes | Barnardo’s | 1 |
| Tom Wernham · Senior Research Economist | The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) | 1 |
Correspondence
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| Published | Direction | Letter |
|---|---|---|
| 11 May 2026 | Not recorded | Correspondence to and from Jane Hutt MS, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip, relating to the child poverty inquiry, dated 25 March and 1 April 2026 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Not recorded | Correspondence to and from Rt Hon Pat McFadden MP, relating to the child poverty inquiry, dated 25 March and 14 April 2026 |