Welsh children to be asked their views on leaving the EU

CHILDREN in Wales as young as seven can have their say on the Brexit process, the Welsh Government has said.

A consultation is being launched to help ministers in the devolved administration understand the views of the younger generation and make sure they are represented in the Welsh Government’s discussions and decisions about Wales’s future once the UK leaves the European Union.

Huw Irranca-davies, the Welsh children’s minister, said Brexit would bring about some of the biggest changes children and young people would have to face in their adult lives, so he was looking forward to hearing their views – and ensuring they would be acted upon.

“The majority of the adult population of the UK who voted in the EU referendum in 2016 took a monumental decision that the UK should leave the EU,” he said. “As a government, we accept that decision … However, our children are our future, so it’s absolutely vital we ensure their views and concerns are listened to.”

Children aged between seven and 11 will be asked for their opinions in school, with their teachers and support staff present, while youngsters over 11 will be consulted through a youth voice project, Young Wales.

Tory MP Nigel Evans, who was born in Wales and campaigned for Brexit, welcomed the initiative because it was “important to get young people interested in current affairs”.

He said: “Hopefully they will have more mature views about democracy than some of the people who are elected to the Welsh assembly.”

The voluntary consultation will involve forming a Brexit Advisory Group of 12 young Welsh people to help keep children and young people informed during the Brexit process.

A report on the outcome of the consultation will be delivered to the Welsh Government in the autumn.