§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average cost was in 2002–03 of raising a child to the age of 18. [145661]
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggResearch on expenditure on children is made complicated by the difficulty of separately identifying child and non-child expenditure within family expenditure and the issue of children122W sharing in the wealth of their parents. There is no consensus on the factors to be included in estimating the cost of raising a child.
Academic and business research on this question highlights the complexities involved and has resulted in a large range of estimates. For example, a study commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in 1997 suggested a cost of around £50,000 for 'regular' support up to the age of 17. Recent research by the Centre for Economics and Business Research for the Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society suggested a much higher average cost of £140,000, which includes spending on both 'necessities' and 'luxuries'. Such results are of course not directly comparable due to the differences in the factors included and the methodology used.
Notes:
1 Sue Middleton, Karl Ashworth and Ian Braithwaite (1997) "Small Fortunes: spending on children, childhood poverty and parental sacrifice" Joseph Rowntree Foundation
2.Centre for Economics and Business Research (2003)http:// www.liverpoolvictoria.co.uk/press/stories/child savings.htm