Child Poverty (Hansard, 7 September 2004)

§ Mr. Woodward
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what resources the Government have1192W provided to reduce child poverty in (a) St. Helens and (b) the UK, broken down by region, since 1997. [186812]

§ Dawn Primarolo
St. Helens, like the rest of the UK, has benefited from a range of measures since 1997 to reduce unemployment and make work pay, and to raise the incomes of the poorest families with children. Since 1997, the Government have committed substantial resources to tackle child poverty, both through universal and targeted public services and through financial support. For example, by 2004–05, total spending on financial support for children through tax credits, child benefit and other benefits will have increased by £10.4 billion in real terms from its 1997 level, a rise of 72 per cent. In addition, the Government have increased spending on the Sure Start Unit, and has invested over £2.9 billion on child care, early years and Sure Start local programmes from 1998–99 to 2003–04.

§ Mr. Woodward
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans the Government have to reduce child poverty; and if he will make a statement. [186839]

§ Dawn Primarolo
The Government are making steady progress towards tho PSA target to reduce by a quarter the number of children in low-income households by 2004–05, as a contribution to the longer-term goals of halving child poverty by 20#0 and eradicating it by 2020. By 2002–03 there were around half a million fewer children in relative low-income households compared to 1998–99. The 2004 Spending Review announced a new child poverty PSA target, shared by the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Treasury, to halve the number of children in relative low-income households between 1998–99 and 2010–11, on the way to eradicating child poverty by 2020. The Government will also set an additional target in the 2006 Spending Review to halve by 2010–11 the number of children suffering a combination of material deprivation and low income. The child poverty review, published alongside the 2004 Spending Review, sets out a range of key measures to reduce child poverty and improve poor children's life chances, thus breaking cycles of deprivation.