Children in poverty: Measurement and targets

Work and Pensions Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 12 Jan 2021 Closed: 2 Feb 2022 Parliament page
This inquiry is looking at children in poverty. This is a complex subject, so the Committee’s work will be in several parts. For the first part of the inquiry, we are interested in finding out: - how child poverty can most accurately be measured and defined - what the impact … Read more
22 Recommendations
15 Conclusions
1 Report
5 Oral sessions
1 Letter
5 Events
Activity timeline 8 events
6 Dec
2021
Report published
22 Sep
2021
Report published
16 Jul
2021
Correspondence
23 Jun
2021
Oral evidence
26 May
2021
Oral evidence
12 May
2021
Oral evidence
14 Apr
2021
Oral evidence
3 Mar
2021
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 5 sessions
23 Jun 2021
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Work and Pensions Committee
Donna Ward · Department for Work and Pensions Elaine Squires · Department for Work and Pensions Will Quince MP · Department for Education
26 May 2021
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Work and Pensions
Anne Longfield Bruce Adamson Ed Humpherson · UK Statistics Authority Mike Brewer · Resolution Foundation Robert Joyce · Institute for Fiscal Studies The Baroness Stroud · Social Metrics Commission
12 May 2021
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Work and Pensions
Charlotte Ramsden · Association of Directors of Children’s Services Gavin Mullin · Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council Peter Tutton · StepChange Sabine Goodwin · Independent Food Aid Network Una Summerson · Contact-for families with disabled children Will Tuckley · London Borough of Tower Hamlets
14 Apr 2021
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Work and Pensions Committee
Charlotte McDonough · Save the Children Professor David Taylor-Robinson · University of Liverpool Professor Paul Bywaters · University of Huddersfield Rebecca Jacques · Children’s Society Sophie Howes · Child Poverty Action Group Yasmin Rehman · Juno Women’s Aid
3 Mar 2021
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Work and Pensions Committee
Dr Jose Manuel Roche · University of Oxford Dr Keetie Roelen · Institute of Development Studies Dr Kitty Stewart · London School of Economics & Political Science Edward Davies · Centre for Social Justice Helen Barnard · The Trussell Trust
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Third Report - Children in poverty: Measurement and targets HC 188 22 Sep 2021 37 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
8 results
Clear
8 Conclusion Accepted
Third Report - Children in poverty…
Ministers have made clear to us that they consider absolute income poverty to be the...
Ministers have made clear to us that they consider absolute income poverty to be the most useful measure. They have been dismissive of the Government’s own measure of relative income poverty. But both measures have advantages and disadvantages. The Secretary … Read more
Government Response
The government stated its commitment to a sustainable, long-term approach to tackling poverty, already reporting progress to Parliament annually through statutory measures and updates. It is also focusing on helping people into work through the £500 million expansion of the Plan for Jobs and cross-government action.
Department for Work and Pensions
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9 Recommendation Accepted
Third Report - Children in poverty…
Ministers should reaffirm their commitment to measuring poverty through all four measures of children in...
Ministers should reaffirm their commitment to measuring poverty through all four measures of children in low income as set out in the Welfare Reform and Work Act
Government Response
The government reaffirms its commitment to measuring poverty by stating it will continue to publish all four statutory measures of children in low income, and analysts are reviewing the statistical validity of existing poverty lines and material deprivation indicators.
Department for Work and Pensions
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18 Recommendation Accepted
Third Report - Children in poverty…
We heard strong views that the UK now needs a cross-government strategy for child poverty.
We heard strong views that the UK now needs a cross-government strategy for child poverty. We welcome the creation of a new Inter-Ministerial Group to identify practical measures to address the cost of living. But a focus on the cost … Read more
Government Response
The government reiterates its commitment to a long-term approach, statutory reporting, and existing programmes like the Plan for Jobs, but does not commit to a new comprehensive cross-departmental UK strategy for child poverty.
Department for Work and Pensions
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19 Recommendation Accepted
Third Report - Children in poverty…
The Government should commit to developing and implementing a long-term, cross- departmental strategy to address...
The Government should commit to developing and implementing a long-term, cross- departmental strategy to address child poverty now and in the future. This should be informed by findings from the Inter-Ministerial Group on the cost of living and, more broadly, … Read more
Government Response
The government states it is committed to a sustainable, long-term approach to tackling poverty, reports progress annually, and uses existing measures and programmes like the Plan for Jobs, but does not commit to developing a new, specific cross-departmental strategy.
Department for Work and Pensions
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20 Recommendation Accepted
Third Report - Children in poverty…
Past income-based targets for child poverty have helped to focus minds across Government.
Past income-based targets for child poverty have helped to focus minds across Government. But, like all targets, they can ‘distort’ the policy response, and some witnesses believed that this happened in the final years of the 2010/11 child poverty target … Read more
Government Response
The government claimed it is already committed to tackling poverty and reports progress to Parliament through existing statutory requirements and updates. It did not commit to a new broad set of targets or a new clear strategy with measurable objectives, instead emphasizing its focus on work and existing initiatives like the Plan for Jobs.
Department for Work and Pensions
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21 Recommendation Accepted
Third Report - Children in poverty…
As part of a new cross-departmental strategy, the Government should set clear, ambitious and measurable...
As part of a new cross-departmental strategy, the Government should set clear, ambitious and measurable objectives and plans for reducing child poverty. The Government should report to Parliament annually on progress in implementing its child poverty objectives and plans. (Paragraph … Read more
Government Response
The government claimed it already reports progress to Parliament annually on child poverty via existing statutory responsibilities and updates. It did not commit to a new cross-departmental strategy with clear, ambitious, and measurable objectives, instead highlighting its focus on employment initiatives.
Department for Work and Pensions
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24 Conclusion Accepted
Third Report - Children in poverty…
The 12-month delay in producing income poverty statistics means that DWP data on the proportion...
The 12-month delay in producing income poverty statistics means that DWP data on the proportion of children in low income for the year to March 2021 will not be published until March 2022. We were encouraged to hear that DWP … Read more
Government Response
The government states it remains committed to publishing the annual HBAI publication in March 2022 and continues to monitor and collect evidence, with DHSC coordinating Shared Outcomes Fund project publication decisions, but does not commit to new research on the pandemic's impact.
Department for Work and Pensions
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31 Recommendation Accepted
Third Report - Children in poverty…
To improve its measurement of income-related poverty, DWP should work with others, including the Office...
To improve its measurement of income-related poverty, DWP should work with others, including the Office for National Statistics, relevant academics, and children’s charities to identify a list of inescapable household costs and define options for how data on these might … Read more
Government Response
The government outlined the various costs the Family Resources Survey already collects and plans to introduce new questions on debt repayments. However, it did not commit to the broader collaborative work to identify all inescapable household costs or report back on these by June 2022.
Department for Work and Pensions
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Government Response AI assessment · 37 of 22 classified
Accepted 8
Accepted in Part 1
Acknowledged 8
Deferred 9
Not Addressed 9
Rejected 2
Total 22 recs + 15 conclusions
Correspondence 1 letter
16 Jul 2021 Correspondence with Minister for Welfare Delivery - follow up on oral evidence on Children in poverty: Measurements and targets
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