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| Call for more urgency on tackling poverty in Wales | Call for more urgency on tackling poverty in Wales |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| More urgency is needed to tackle poverty in Wales, a Labour assembly member has said. | More urgency is needed to tackle poverty in Wales, a Labour assembly member has said. |
| Christine Chapman, of the assembly's Communities Committee, said good work was being done - but the Welsh government should speed up efforts. | Christine Chapman, of the assembly's Communities Committee, said good work was being done - but the Welsh government should speed up efforts. |
| The latest figures suggest more than one in five people in Wales are living in poverty. | The latest figures suggest more than one in five people in Wales are living in poverty. |
| The Welsh government said getting people out of poverty was at the "very heart" of what it does. | The Welsh government said getting people out of poverty was at the "very heart" of what it does. |
| Earlier this year, the Communities Committee published a report that stated it was "deeply concerned by the Welsh government's lack of progress in reducing poverty". | Earlier this year, the Communities Committee published a report that stated it was "deeply concerned by the Welsh government's lack of progress in reducing poverty". |
| Poverty is statistically defined as a household income below £271 a week - 60% of the national mid-point average of £453. | Poverty is statistically defined as a household income below £271 a week - 60% of the national mid-point average of £453. |
| Figures from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation suggest 23% of people in Wales are living in poverty - a figure which the committee said has barely changed since the early 2000s. | Figures from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation suggest 23% of people in Wales are living in poverty - a figure which the committee said has barely changed since the early 2000s. |
| Labour AM Christine Chapman said the Welsh government was "going in the right direction" but the pace of change "needs to be quicker". | Labour AM Christine Chapman said the Welsh government was "going in the right direction" but the pace of change "needs to be quicker". |
| "We are a rich country in the main but yet people are still struggling with their heating bills, with their food - that is absolutely appalling," she said. | "We are a rich country in the main but yet people are still struggling with their heating bills, with their food - that is absolutely appalling," she said. |
| "There must be a strong message first of all to the UK government that things need to change." | "There must be a strong message first of all to the UK government that things need to change." |
| Gemma Jones, a caseworker for Rhondda Cynon Taff Citizens Advice, said despite government initiatives, she sees little evidence of improvement. | Gemma Jones, a caseworker for Rhondda Cynon Taff Citizens Advice, said despite government initiatives, she sees little evidence of improvement. |
| "I don't know what's going wrong or what's happening but we're certainly seeing a lot more clients in poverty and not saying I'm better off," she said. | "I don't know what's going wrong or what's happening but we're certainly seeing a lot more clients in poverty and not saying I'm better off," she said. |
| A Welsh government spokesman responded: "All government departments are working relentlessly to tackle the root causes of poverty, by giving children the best possible start in life, helping people to get a job and improving their health and wellbeing. | |
| "We also continue to do all we can to mitigate the effects of the UK government's sweeping welfare reforms and austerity measures. | "We also continue to do all we can to mitigate the effects of the UK government's sweeping welfare reforms and austerity measures. |
| Sunday Politics Wales is on BBC One Wales at 11:00 GMT on 13 December | Sunday Politics Wales is on BBC One Wales at 11:00 GMT on 13 December |