§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what recent discussions he has had with the(a) public, (b) private and (c) voluntary sectors in combining the effort to end child poverty; [74425]
(2) what progress has been made on the commitment to end child poverty; what resources have been devoted to this commitment; and what achievements have been made; [74424]
(3) what plans he has to introduce standards against which the progress of the policies to end child poverty can be measured. [74426]
§ Dawn PrimaroloThe government has made a commitment to reduce the number of children in low-income households by at least a quarter by 2004, as a contribution towards the broader target of halving child poverty by 2010 and eradicating it by 2020. ("Low income" is defined as having an equivalised household income of less than 60 per cent. of median income).
Progress will be reported against the 1998–99 baseline figures of 4.2m children after housing costs and 3.1m children before housing costs. Between 1997–98 and 2000–01 the number of children in low-income households fell by 300,000 after housing costs and by 400,000 before housing costs. So we are a third of the way in a third of the time towards meeting the 2004 target.
By April 2003 the government will be spending £8 billion more on support for children each year, in real terms, than in 1997.
Low income is of course central to poverty. But poverty of opportunity is also important. In Opportunity for All, the government's annual antipoverty report, we report progress in tackling poverty and social exclusion against a range of indicators. In April 2002 the Department for Work and Pensions launched a consultation exercise to debate the best way to measure poverty in the long-term. Academics and representatives from the voluntary and community sectors and local government all actively engaged in the debate. Results of the consultation will be published after a full analysis of the responses and technical implications.
In working towards the common goal of eradicating child poverty within a generation, my right hon. Friend has had numerous discussions with representatives from all sectors. Only through a genuine partnership can we ensure that children and young people are given every opportunity to progress in life.
Our strategy document, Tackling child poverty—giving every child the best possible start in life, stresses the importance of voluntary organisations in the pursuit of 596W our long-term goal of poverty eradication. The Chancellor also meets ministers from the devolved administrations to consider joint or coordinated action, and exchange information and best practice in tackling child poverty and social exclusion in deprived communities. And the Government is pursuing contacts with the financial sector in efforts to tackle financial exclusion.