HC Deb 24 April 2002 vol 384 c267W
9. Mr. Francois

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State what assessment the Social Exclusion Unit has made of the number of children living in poverty in Great Britain. [49351]

The Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State

Our assessment shows that between 1979 and 1997 the number of children living in poverty trebled, a trend that was totally unacceptable.

That trend has now been reversed. Whatever measure you use, the number of people and the number of children living in poverty is now coming down. We are now well on the way to meeting our targets of reducing child poverty by a quarter by 2004 and eradicating child poverty within a generation.

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