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<p>No.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Loughborough University Centre for Research
and Social Policy report ‘Local indicators of child poverty after housing costs, 2019/20’
makes an assessment of poverty figures based on relative poverty. This Government
believes, and has always believed, that absolute poverty is a better measure of living
standards than relative poverty which can provide counter-intuitive results. In particular,
relative poverty tends to fall when median income shrinks, such as during economic
downturns, which is particularly relevant in the current circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>To
monitor poverty for different groups and regions the Department publishes the annual
Households Below Average Incomes (HBAI) publication which can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/households-below-average-income-for-financial-years-ending-1995-to-2020"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/households-below-average-income-for-financial-years-ending-1995-to-2020</a></p><p>
</p><p>This Government is wholly committed to supporting those on low incomes, including
by increasing the living wage, and by spending £111 billion on welfare support for
people of working age in 2020/21. This included around £7.4 billion of Covid-related
welfare policy measures.</p><p> </p><p>As the economy recovers, our ambition is to
help parents move into, and progress in, work as quickly as possible, based on clear
evidence around the importance of parental employment, particularly where it is full-time,
in substantially reducing the risks of child poverty. The In Work Progression Commission
published their report on the barriers to progression for those in persistent low
pay on 1 July 2021. Government will consider the recommendations and respond later
in the year.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p>
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