Child Poverty 4. The Government are committed to eradicating child poverty within 20 years and to halving it within 10. The Government and the National Assembly for Wales place a high priority on tackling the causes of poverty and social exclusion, as well as alleviating the symptoms. Friend will be aware that during the Conservative Government from 1979 to 1997, child poverty trebled. We have made great inroads into that problem through record rises in child benefit, the new deal and the working families tax credit.
Friend touches on an important issue.
The Conservative party opposed those measures and, if elected, would abolish them. The child care tax credit, which is part of the working families tax credit, will help with 70 per cent. Again, there is no warm welcome from the Conservative party, the major opposition party in Wales and the United Kingdom, for those measures. Police Funding 5. Per capita spending on policing in Wales during the past three years has been consistently level with the England and Wales average and consistently higher than the average for English shire forces.