Shadow Communities Secretary Mark Isherwood AM has challenged the First Minister in the Assembly Chamber this week over concerning figures showing that the number of children living in long-term workless households has increased in Wales, despite the number falling by 92,000 across the UK last year.
Questioning Carwyn Jones on the worrying figures yesterday, Mr Isherwood said:
“We know that the figures show that, in general, children growing up in working households do better in school and adult life. How do you respond to concern expressed since the recent publication of the Office of National Statistics figures for 2016, showing that the number of children living in long-term workless households fell by 92,000 across the UK last year - down in Scotland, Northern Ireland and England, and it's actually down by 0.5 million since 2010 - but actually increased in Wales?”
In his reply the First Minister stated:
“If we look at our figures, historically we have seen an increase in the rate of employment in Wales and a decrease in the rate of unemployment, but it's not sufficient simply to look at whether people are in work or not, because we have to look beyond that and understand what people are earning.”
Mr Isherwood added: “In reality, UK income inequality is at its lowest level in thirty years and the number of people in absolute poverty in the UK fell by 600,000 between 2010 and 2016. Carwyn Jones therefore needs to explain why Wales has the lowest average weekly earnings amongst the UK nations and Gross Disposable Household Income per head trailing UK levels after 18 years of Labour Welsh Government, with himself at the helm for the last eight of these.”