Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Child Poverty: Future Trends

Monday 6 June 2022 · 2 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 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Matthew Pennycook questioned the government about future trends in child poverty rates.
  • The Department reported an increase of 300,000 in absolute child poverty after housing costs for families with three or more children from 2016-17 to 2019-20.
  • The government defended the two-child policy and announced a 15 billion support package, totaling 37 billion in cost of living support for the year.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Matthew Pennycook Lab Greenwich and Woolwich
Economy Children & Families
Context

Official statistics show a decrease of 200,000 fewer children on absolute low income before housing costs in 2020-21 compared with 2019-20.

Question

What assessment has been made of future trends in the level of child poverty? The Department's own data indicates that rates of absolute child poverty after housing costs in families with three or more children increased by 300,000 between 2016-17 and 2019-20.

Answer from David Rutley

The two-child policy is important for balancing fairness between those receiving benefits and those who are not. The government has announced a £15 billion support package, bringing total cost of living support to £37 billion this year.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Reconsideration of the two-child policy

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Q2 Matthew Pennycook Lab Greenwich and Woolwich
Economy Children & Families
Context

Department data shows a significant rise in absolute child poverty after housing costs for families with three or more children from 2016-17 to 2019-20.

Question

With the situation worsening significantly and inflation increasing, will the Government now reconsider their pernicious two-child policy?

Answer from David Rutley

The two-child policy plays an important role in balancing fairness between those receiving benefits and those who are not. We have announced a new £15 billion support package, bringing total cost of living support to £37 billion this year.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Reconsideration of the two-child policy

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How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)