§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what definition of poverty is being used by her Department in its Welfare Reform Focus Files publication in relation to the estimate of the number of children living in poverty. [25030]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyThere are various measures which point to this figure of nearly 4 million children. There are 4.2 million children in households whose income (after housing costs) is below half the average income (3.3.million before housing costs). There are 3.8 million children in households whose income (after housing costs) is in the bottom quintile of the income distribution (3.6 million before housing costs). These are indicators of the scale of the problem to be addressed in reforming welfare.