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<p>Statistics on the number and percentage of children in low income and material
deprivation, including by receipt of benefit, are set out in the annual "Households
Below Average Income" publication.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit (UC) awards
are formed of a Standard Allowance, paid according to age and family status, plus
help with eligible housing costs, which can then be supplemented with additional elements
for groups recognised as having additional needs, such as parents, disabled people
and carers. The rates of benefit are not determined by individuals' living costs.</p><p>
</p><p>This Government firmly believes that people should be free to spend their benefit
as they see fit, in light of their individual needs and preferences. Everyone’s requirements
vary and to attempt to base rates upon personal expenditure of individual recipients
would produce an unfair and unsustainable system.</p><p> </p><p>UC is a personalised
system without the ‘cliff edges’ featured across legacy benefits, where money was
lost when working more than 16, 24 and 30 hours. UC makes work pay by introducing
a smoother, more transparent reduction of benefits at a consistent and predictable
rate when people move into work and increase their earnings. A single taper, of 63
per cent per £1 is applied as earnings rise.</p><p> </p><p>We have expanded the Holiday
Activities and Food programme to all children in every local authority in England,
covering Easter, Summer and Christmas in 2021. We also expanded Healthy Start payments
from £3.10 to £4.25 a week from April 2021, to ensure pregnant women and children
under 4 have access to basic food and vitamins.</p><p> </p><p>We take the issue of
food insecurity seriously, which is why we added internationally used food security
questions to the Family Resources Survey in 19/20 and these questions remain in the
survey for 20/21. Statistics on levels of food insecure households covering 2019/20,
can be found on Gov.uk.</p>
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