Every Government needs to balance the generosity of benefit levels with affordability to the taxpayer and making sure that work pays. This Government continues to spend over £95bn a year on welfare. Since 2016, we have invested an additional £1.7bn a year in Universal Credit, through a reduction in the taper rate, increasing the work allowances for households with children and disabled people and providing additional support for people moving onto UC from existing benefits.<\/p>
<\/p>
This Government has also made sure that work pays. The National Living Wage, rising to £8.21 an hour from April 2019, has given the UK\u2019s lowest earners their fastest pay rise in 20 years. We have cut income tax for over 31 million people and taken four million low earners out of income tax altogether. A typical basic-rate taxpayer now has over £1,000 less in income tax than in 2010. Compared with 2010, there are now over 3.5 million more people in work, 1,024,000 fewer workless households, and, at a near record low, 665,000 fewer children living in workless households This means more families are getting more of their income through earnings. Working Age households and households with children in the bottom 20% of the income distribution now get just over half of their income from employment, up from just over 40% in 2010.<\/p>
<\/strong><\/p><\/td> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td><\/tr> Sources of household income by income quintile (Before Housing Costs) for households not containing pensioners, plus households containing both pensioners and children, United Kingdom <\/strong><\/p><\/td> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td><\/tr> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> Quintile<\/strong><\/p><\/td> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> Source of income<\/strong><\/p><\/td> Bottom quintile<\/p><\/td> 2nd<\/sup> quintile<\/p><\/td> 3rd quintile<\/p><\/td> 4th quintile<\/p><\/td> Top quintile<\/p><\/td><\/tr> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td><\/tr> <\/p><\/td> Earnings<\/p><\/td> 43<\/p><\/td> 64<\/p><\/td> 81<\/p><\/td> 90<\/p><\/td> 92<\/p><\/td><\/tr> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> Investments<\/p><\/td> 2<\/p><\/td> 1<\/p><\/td> 1<\/p><\/td> 1<\/p><\/td> 5<\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2009/10<\/strong><\/p><\/td> Occupational pensions<\/p><\/td> 2<\/p><\/td> 1<\/p><\/td> 2<\/p><\/td> 2<\/p><\/td> 2<\/p><\/td><\/tr> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> Miscellaneous<\/p><\/td> 5<\/p><\/td> 4<\/p><\/td> 3<\/p><\/td> 3<\/p><\/td> 1<\/p><\/td><\/tr> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> State support<\/p><\/td> 48<\/p><\/td> 30<\/p><\/td> 13<\/p><\/td> 5<\/p><\/td> 1<\/p><\/td><\/tr> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td><\/tr> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td><\/tr> <\/p><\/td> Earnings<\/p><\/td> 51<\/p><\/td> 67<\/p><\/td> 81<\/p><\/td> 89<\/p><\/td> 92<\/p><\/td><\/tr> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> Investments<\/p><\/td> 3<\/p><\/td> 1<\/p><\/td> 1<\/p><\/td> 1<\/p><\/td> 4<\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2016/17<\/strong><\/p><\/td> Occupational pensions<\/p><\/td> 2<\/p><\/td> 2<\/p><\/td> 2<\/p><\/td> 2<\/p><\/td> 2<\/p><\/td><\/tr> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> Miscellaneous<\/p><\/td> 4<\/p><\/td> 3<\/p><\/td> 4<\/p><\/td> 4<\/p><\/td> 2<\/p><\/td><\/tr> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> State support<\/p><\/td> 40<\/p><\/td> 26<\/p><\/td> 12<\/p><\/td> 3<\/p><\/td> 1<\/p><\/td><\/tr> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td><\/tr> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> Percentage of household income<\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td><\/tr> Source, Households Below Average Income, DWP<\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4105", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Justin Tomlinson"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "North Swindon"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Justin Tomlinson"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-03-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-03-18T18:01:19.89Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-03-13", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Food Poverty"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the report entitled Families and Food in Hard Times: rising food poverty and the importance of children's experience, published by SPERI in 2018, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that wages and social benefits are in combination adequate to provide socially acceptable levels of eating and living.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1436", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Paul Farrelly"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Newcastle-under-Lyme"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Paul Farrelly"}
], "uin" : "231930"}
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