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1455124

	registered interest
	date	28/03/2022
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Poverty: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government has plans to reinstate the cross-departmental Child Poverty Unit.
	tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
	tabling member printed	Margaret Ferrier
	uin	148230
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/04/2022 answer text <p>A key function of the previous Child Poverty Unit was to support the delivery of the child poverty targets that we abolished in 2016, which we have no plans to reintroduce. We believe that an approach to tackling child poverty focused primarily on meeting income-based targets can drive action that focuses primarily on moving the incomes for those ‘just in poverty’ just above a ‘poverty line’ whilst doing nothing to help those on the very lowest incomes or to improve children’s future prospects.</p><p> </p><p>Ministers and officials engage extensively across Government to ensure a coordinated approach to tackling poverty and we will we continue to do so in the future.</p><p> </p><p>The latest statistics show that in 2020/21 there were 200,000 fewer children in absolute poverty before housing costs than in 2009/10.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 05/04/2022 14:29:57 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	4386 label Biography information for Margaret Ferrier

1696836

	registered interest
	date	18/03/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Poverty: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has had recent discussions with (a) Unicef and (b) the United Nations Rapporteur on extreme poverty on initiatives to tackle child poverty.
	tabling member constituency	East Lothian
	tabling member printed	Kenny MacAskill
	uin	19206
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2024 answer text <p>DWP officials engage with a wide range of stakeholders including UNICEF.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 25/03/2024 12:24:00 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	4772 label Biography information for Kenny MacAskill

1642626

	registered interest
	date	07/06/2023
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Poverty: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of increases in child poverty levels in Preston constituency.
	tabling member constituency	Preston
	tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
	uin	188203
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2023 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 16 June 2023 to question number <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions?SearchTerm=188202&amp;DateFrom=10%2F05%2F2022&amp;DateTo=01%2F12%2F2023&amp;AnsweredFrom=&amp;AnsweredTo=&amp;House=Commons&amp;Answered=Any&amp;Expanded=True" target="_blank">188202</a></p><p /><p> </p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 21/06/2023 15:56:47 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1365454

	registered interest
	date	02/11/2021
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Poverty: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of child poverty in Weaver Vale constituency; and what steps the Government is taking to reduce child poverty.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	68430
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2021 answer text <p>In 2019/20, the latest year for which data is available, 12% of children in Weaver Vale were in absolute low-income on a before housing costs basis, the same proportion as in 2014/15.</p><p>Further information on the number and proportion of children who are in low income families in Weaver Vale, covering the six years, 2014/15 to 2019/20, can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-in-low-income-families-local-area-statistics-2014-to-2020" target="_blank">Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p><p> </p><p>Given clear evidence that parental employment, particularly where it is full-time, substantially reduces the risks of child poverty, we are focusing on supporting employment. With record vacancies in the economy, there are opportunities available across the UK and our multi-billion-pound Plan for Jobs, which has recently been expanded by £500 million, is helping people to access them.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit recipients in work will soon benefit from a reduction in the Universal Credit taper rate from 63% to 55%, while eligible in-work claimants will also benefit from changes to the Work Allowance. These measures represent, for the lowest paid in society, an effective tax cut of around £2.2 Billion in 2022-23, and will benefit almost two million of the lowest paid workers by £1000 a year on average.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise that some people may require extra support over the winter as we enter the final stages of recovery, which is why vulnerable households across the country will now be able to access a new £500 million support fund to help them with essentials. The Household Support Fund will provide £421 million to help vulnerable people in England with the cost of food, utilities and wider essentials. The Barnett Formula will apply in the usual way, with the devolved administrations receiving almost £80 million (£41m for the Scottish Government, £25m for the Welsh Government and £14m for the NI Executive), for a total of £500 million.</p><p>This is on top of the £111 billion we are spending this year on support for people of working age.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 10/11/2021 15:31:20 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1523868

	registered interest
	date	18/10/2022
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Poverty: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the report by the North East Child Poverty Commission entitled Getting the building blocks wrong: Early childhood poverty in the North East, published in September 2022, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the conclusions on the impact of levels of social security payments on people in the North East.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	65752
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2022 answer text <p>Income-related benefit rates are not made up of separate amounts for specific items of expenditure such as food or fuel charges, and beneficiaries are free to spend their benefit as they see fit, in the light of their individual commitments, needs and preferences.</p><p> </p><p>However, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is required by law to undertake an annual review of State pensions and benefits. The outcome of that review will be announced later this year, and the new rates will enter into force from 10 April 2023.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 21/10/2022 13:35:37 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1352641

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2021
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Poverty: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect on child poverty of the planned reduction of universal credit by £20 a week; if she will make it her policy to reverse that planned reduction and make the £20 a week permanent; and if she will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
	tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
	uin	41811
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2021 answer text <p>It is not possible to produce a robust assessment of the impact of removing the £20 uplift on child poverty. This is particularly the case at the moment given the uncertainty around the speed of the economic recovery, and how this will be distributed across the population.</p><p> </p><p>The Chancellor announced a temporary six-month extension to the £20 per week uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407 billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.</p><p> </p><p>There have been significant positive developments in the public health situation since the uplift was first introduced with the success of the vaccine rollout. Now the economy is reopening and as we continue to progress with our recovery our focus is on helping people back into work.</p><p> </p><p>Through our Plan for Jobs, we are targeting tailored support schemes of people of all ages to help them prepare for, get into and progress in work. These include: Kickstart, delivering tens of thousands of six-month work placements for UC claimants aged 16-24 at risk of unemployment; we have also recruited an additional 13,500 work coaches to provide more intensive support to find a job; and introduced Restart which provides 12 months’ intensive employment support to UC claimants who are unemployed for a year. Our Plan for Jobs interventions will support more than two million people.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 13/09/2021 16:54:01 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1698026

	registered interest
	date	21/03/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Poverty: Children
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Markham on 11 March (HL Deb col 1802), and taking account of the latest Households Below Average Income data, which shows a 300,000 increase in the number of children living in absolute poverty in the past year, what assessment they have made of the impact on health and well-being of the two-child limit for child benefit; and what assessment they have made of the strengths and weaknesses of using the measure of absolute poverty rather than relative poverty.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Leicester
	uin	HL3520
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2024 answer text <p>It is not possible to produce a robust assessment of the impact of the two-child limit.</p><p> </p><p>Child Benefit continues to be paid for all children in eligible families.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Relative poverty sets a threshold as a proportion of the UK median income and moves each year as average income changes.</p><p>Typically, a household is in relative poverty if its income is less than 60 per cent of the median household income.</p><p>Absolute poverty, by our definition, is a threshold as a proportion of the UK average income in a given year (2010/11) and moves each year in line with inflation.</p><p> </p><p>This government prefers to look at Absolute poverty over Relative poverty as relative poverty can provide counter-intuitive results.</p><p>Relative poverty is likely to fall during recessions, due to falling median incomes. Under this measure, poverty can decrease even if people are getting poorer.</p><p>The absolute poverty line is fixed in real terms, so will only ever worsen if people are getting poorer, and only ever improve if people are getting richer.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 27/03/2024 16:34:59 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	4947 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Leicester

1542996

	registered interest
	date	16/11/2022
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Poverty: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the benefit cap on trends in the level of child poverty.
	tabling member constituency	Leicester South
	tabling member printed	Jonathan Ashworth
	uin	88883
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2022 answer text <p>It is not possible to produce a robust estimate of the effect of the impact of the benefit cap on the number of children in poverty.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 22/11/2022 17:46:32 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman previous answer version 36036 answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4244 label Biography information for Jonathan Ashworth

1542995

	registered interest
	date	16/11/2022
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Poverty: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the two-child benefit limit on child poverty.
	tabling member constituency	Leicester South
	tabling member printed	Jonathan Ashworth
	uin	88882
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2022 answer text <p>It is not possible to produce a robust estimate of the effect of the impact of the two-child limit on the number of children in poverty.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 22/11/2022 17:21:37 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman previous answer version 36035 answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4244 label Biography information for Jonathan Ashworth

1419814

	registered interest
	date	04/02/2022
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Poverty: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Government has made of the impact of increasing the child element of universal credit on reducing child poverty.
	tabling member constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
	tabling member printed	Alan Brown
	uin	118566
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2022 answer text <p>It is not possible to produce a robust estimate of the impact of increasing the child element of universal credit on child poverty. Projecting the impacts of policies on poverty involves projecting forward the impact of the pandemic on every household’s income which is not possible to do with confidence, not least because the latest comprehensive data on net incomes for households is from 2019-20, before the pandemic began.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 09/02/2022 16:44:13 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
	tabling member	4470 label Biography information for Alan Brown