§ 24. Mr. BlizzardTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the impact of policies implemented by the Government on child poverty; and what further steps he proposes to take to reduce child poverty. [129345]
§ Mr. BayleyOur £7 billion a year tax and benefit package will lift 1.2 million children out of poverty by 2001. We are committed to eradicating child poverty in32W 20 years, and aim to do this through a combination of measures which will reduce worklessness, and reform the tax and benefit system. But poverty is more than just low income. So we are also implementing a wide-ranging programme of action including raising standards in schools, improving children's health, and regenerating local areas. We will report on progress on all fronts in our second annual report on poverty and social exclusion, due to be published later this year.