§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what evidence he has that the number of people living below the poverty line has substantially increased during the lifetime of the present Administration.
§ Mr. OrmePoverty is a relative matter and the Government do not accept that a simple poverty line can be drawn. I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Sowerby (Mr. Madden) on 22nd November—[Vol. 919, c.1000–4.]—which indicated that the number of people estimated to be living below supplementary benefit level at the end of 1975 was little different from that at the end of 1973 and was below the number at the end of 1972. It is a paradox that using supplementary benefit levels as the poverty line can mean that the number of people in poverty can increase when a Government improves benefit levels, as this one has done.