PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Children: Poverty (11 June 2015)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department has made towards meeting the 2020 poverty reduction targets set out in the Child Poverty Act 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Asked by:
Emily Thornberry (Labour)

This Government is committed to driving real change in children’s lives, by tackling the root causes of poverty such as entrenched worklessness, family breakdown, problem debt, and drug and alcohol dependency.

There are 300,000 fewer children living in relative poverty since 2010. We know that work is the best route out of poverty and the number of children growing up in workless families is at a record low. As a result of the introduction of Universal Credit, we estimate around 3.2 million households across the UK will be better off and up to 300,000 more people will enter work due to improved financial incentives. We are doubling the amount of free childcare to 30 hours of childcare for working parents of 3 and 4 year olds, making it easier for them to go back to work.

Answered by:
Priti Patel (Conservative)
17 June 2015