Some parents could receive new £10-a-week payment in trial scheme

Some of the poorest parents in Wales could get extra cash for their children under a new scheme set to roll out after three months of planning.

The new Plaid Cymru government has proposed a trial offering £10 a week for 15,000 children aged under six in households already receiving universal credit.

The "Cynnal" payment - Welsh for "maintain" - would mirror a scheme in Scotland, that began at £10 a week and has since risen to £26.70.

New Deputy First Minister Sioned Williams said ministers would spend the next 100 days preparing the scheme before rolling it out, at an expected cost of £10m.

Reform accused Plaid of using benefits claimants as "pawns" in its "funding battles with Westminster".

Unlike the Scottish government, the Welsh administration does not have control over benefits, and there are concerns that the UK government could deduct money from Welsh parents if they receive cash through the Plaid government's plan.

Williams said if the pilot was successful "we would then make the case" to the UK government.

"If we needed further powers in order to roll that out beyond a pilot, then we would take the evidence that we have, evidence that is already apparent from Scotland," she said.

"We would be able to show the impact that it's had and then we would say we need those powers to roll it out across Wales."

Later, asked to clarify how soon the scheme would begin, on S4C's Y Byd yn ei Le, Williams said: "It will start as soon as possible after we've been able to get the plan together [and] know how we can put the plan together.

"As soon as possible after the 100 days."

Reform's Welsh leader, Dan Thomas, was sceptical about the plans, questioning Plaid Cymru's motives.

"It's completely unclear whether this move would make anybody better off," he said.

"If Westminster deducts the amount from other benefits, this project would use up a substantial amount of Welsh government resources with no benefit to working people.

"Benefits claimants are not guinea pigs and should not be used as pawns in Plaid's funding battles with Westminster."

Williams, speaking to BBC Walescast shortly after First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth unveiled the first-ever solely Plaid Cymru ministerial team, said ministers would start work on the plan straight away.

"This is something we've said that we're going to start work on immediately to understand what that would look like, where would it be best to pilot this in order to have that proper evaluation of the impact of it," she said.

Asked if in 100 days time the government would be able to say the policy can start, Williams said: "Yes.

"We're going to plan it. We've said that we were going to do that work in the first 100 days and then be able to initiate it."

Plaid's election pledges also promised that the party would work towards a national care service, free of the point of use.

Before unveiling his ministerial team, ap Iorwerth told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast that financial constraints were why his government cannot press ahead with the idea "right now".

Ap Iorwerth said the government "should be moving towards free social care", but said "we had to make some calls in the build up to this election".

"Financial constraints are the reason why ultimately we are not able to say we're pressing ahead with free social care right now.

"But that doesn't mean to say that we don't believe that having that national health and care system is absolutely crucial and that we continue to work towards the delivery of that genuinely integrated landscape."

Ap Iorwerth said there needed to be "a thousand" more childcare workers to deliver its plans to expand childcare.

The party wants to expand care to every child aged nine months to four years, for 20 hours a week.

Walescast is available on iPlayer, Y Byd yn ei Le is on S4C at 21:00 BST on Thursday and iPlayer.