§ 31. Mr. PondTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he is taking to alleviate poverty among children in lone parent families.[124978]
§ Angela EagleChildren of lone parent families are benefiting from the additional £7 billion we are spending on tax and benefit measures to help all families with children.
The best route out of poverty is through work. The New Deal for Lone Parents, combined with other tax and benefit measures to make sure work pays, will mean more children get the best possible start in life. These measures are a major step in achieving the Government's commitment towards eradicating child poverty, and include:
82WChild Benefit (CHB): 36 per cent. increase in rate for eldest child over the period 1997 to 2000. Further above inflation rise from April 2000—CHB now worth £15 pw for eldest child and £10 for subsequent children.Income-related benefits: under-I 1 allowance up by £4.70 from last October, and equalised with allowances for children aged 11–16 from April 2000. Support for children under 11 in the income-related benefits has gone up by over 50 per cent. in two years. From October 2000, the child allowance will rise again by £4.35, helping over 3 million children whose parents are on Income Support or Jobseeker's Allowance (Income Based).Income Support run-on: to be paid for the first two weeks of work to help lone parents make the transition from benefits to work. Earnings disregards: April 2001, the amount that lone parents on Income Support can earn before loosing part of their benefit increases from £15 to £20 per week.Sure Start Maternity Grant: April 2000, payments doubled to £200, and rise again this autumn to £300.Working Families Tax Credit: under-11 credit increased by £1.10 over and above indexation from April 2000. Credit for all children under 16 will rise by £4.35 from June 2000. Child maintenance is completely disregarded.Childcare Tax Credit: part of WFTC, 70 per cent. of child care costs up to a maximum of £100 for one child and £150 for two or more.Child Support Maintenance: reform legislation for child support currently before Parliament. New arrangements will allow lone parents on IS to keep up to £10 a week of any maintenance received.Child Tax Credit: to be introduced from April 2001, worth up to £442 a year.In addition, £190 million has been invested in the New Deal for Lone Parents over this Parliament, and from May this year invitation letters will go to lone parents with children aged 3 and 4, as well as those with children aged 5 and upwards.
§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list for(a) Great Britain and (b) each region, the number of children who live in households with income below half of the UK average, for each year since 1979.[126327]
§ Mr. BayleyThe information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is contained in the Department's Household Below Average Income series which is available in the Library.