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<p>The Government is committed to action that delivers a sustainable long-term solution
to child poverty in all areas of the UK, including reforming the benefits system so
that it supports employment and higher pay.</p><p>There is clear evidence that work,
in particular full time work, significantly reduces the risk of being in poverty.
For example, there is only a 4% chance of a child being in absolute poverty before
housing costs where both parents work full-time, compared to 44% where one or more
parents in a couple are in part-time work.</p><p>Universal Credit will provide an
extra £2.1bn a year once fully rolled out, compared to the legacy benefits it replaces.
Claimants receive better support to prepare for work, move into work, or to increase
earnings. The Universal Credit Work Allowance was increased by £1,000 in April 2019
and means that 2.4m households will keep an extra £630 of income each year.</p><p>Other
measures we have taken to support working families include delivering another rise
in the National Living Wage - increasing a full-time worker’s annual pay by over £2,750
since its introduction, and by nearly £3,700 with the recently announced rise from
this April. Our tax changes make basic rate tax payers over £1,200 better off from
April 2019, compared with 2010.</p><p>DWP and HMRC have pre-announced publication
of improved Official Statistics on Children in Low Income Families at local area level.
These statistics will provide insights of the number of children and the proportion
of children living in low income families at constituency level and how these compare
over time and across constituencies.</p>
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