Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

In-work Poverty

Monday 17 May 2021 · 5 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 5 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Analysis shows that prior to the pandemic, the poorest 20% of households saw their incomes increase by over 6% in 2019-20.
  • Measures to tackle in-work poverty include additional work coaches, kickstart or restart programmes, a 30 billion plan for jobs, and the In-Work Progression Commission.
  • A child growing up in a home where all adults work is five times less likely to be in poverty compared to a household with no workers.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Tan Dhesi Lab Slough
Employment Benefits & Welfare
Context

Assessment requested on the level of in-work poverty before and during the pandemic.

Question

What recent assessment has she made of trends in the level of in-work poverty, particularly noting that prior to the pandemic, the poorest 20% saw income increases but since then there have been challenges with work not being a route out of poverty?

Answer from Will Quince

Analysis shows that prior to the pandemic, the poorest 20% of households saw their incomes increase by over 6% in 2019-20. Since then, we have strengthened the welfare system with £7.4 billion spent on measures like universal credit uplift, coronavirus job retention scheme, and self-employment income support scheme. Treasury analysis indicates that working-age households in the bottom 10% of the income distribution saw no income reduction due to Government's unprecedented support package.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific trends and levels of in-work poverty post-pandemic were not provided.

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Q2 Emma Lewell Lab South Shields
Employment Benefits & Welfare Children & Families
Context

Child poverty statistics show that even pre-pandemic, many children lived in work households.

Question

Why is it under this Government that work no longer seems to be a route out of poverty given 75% of children in poverty live in working families and a recent report found that around 700 child deaths could be avoided by reducing deprivation rates?

Answer from Will Quince

Measures to tackle in-work poverty include additional work coaches, kickstart or restart programmes, a £30 billion plan for jobs, and the In-Work Progression Commission reporting on barriers to progression for those in persistent low pay. These initiatives will help reduce in-work poverty through job progression.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not address why work currently does not alleviate poverty.

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Q3 Kerry McCarthy Lab Bristol East
Economy Employment Benefits & Welfare Children & Families
Context

In the last Labour Government, work was shown to be a route out of poverty, but under this Government it is not true.

Question

Given 75% of children in poverty live with at least one parent working and getting a low-paid job does not guarantee leaving poverty due to childcare and housing costs, what is the strategy for ensuring work pays?

Answer from Will Quince

The absolute poverty rate of children in full-time working households is 3% compared with 47% where parents are part-time workers. Universal credit incentivises and encourages work, and we support people into full-time work through comprehensive childcare offers and the £30 billion plan for jobs.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not directly address strategy for better wages.

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Q4 Tony Lloyd Lab
Economy Employment Children & Families
Context

No ward in Rochdale has fewer than one in five children living in poverty, some wards over half of all children live in poverty with working parents.

Question

Given the high levels of child poverty in Rochdale, especially in households where adults are working, what can be said to assure constituents that they will see a genuine levelling-up process?

Answer from Will Quince

A child growing up in a home where all adults work is five times less likely to be in poverty compared to a household with no workers. We focus on supporting people into full-time work, progressing in work through our benefits system which incentivises and encourages work.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide assurances or strategies specific to Rochdale.

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Q5 Tan Dhesi Lab Slough
Economy Employment Benefits & Welfare
Context

Ministers have repeated that work is the route out of poverty, but the number of households in poverty with at least one working adult increased by almost 2 million under a decade of Tory government.

Question

Given the increase in poverty among working families over a decade, what will be done to ensure hard-working Brits get decent wages?

Answer from Will Quince

Through our £30 billion plan for jobs, we aim to make work a route out of poverty. We have increased the national living wage and removed millions from income tax altogether. Further measures on cost of living are being considered, such as the childcare offer.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not specify actions beyond plans.

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