§ Ms Julie MorganTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many children in Wales have been lifted out of poverty since May 1997. [140355]
§ Dawn PrimaroloPersonal tax and benefit changes announced during this Parliament will lift around 1.2 million children in the UK as a whole out of poverty, defined as 60 per cent. of median income after allowing for housing costs. Because of the margins of error, it is not possible to model the precise effects in any country or region. However, around 5 per cent. of UK children live in Wales suggesting that on a pro-rated basis around 60,000 children in Wales will be lifted out of poverty.
Moreover, 67,000 families in Wales are now benefiting from the Working Families Tax Credit, 360,000 from the increases in Child Benefit and around 50,000 Lone Parents will have benefited from the increases in the child premia in Income Support. From next April up to a quarter of a million families in Wales will benefit from the Children's Tax Credit.