Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Child Poverty Taskforce

Monday 7 October 2024 · 3 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 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Tackling child poverty is a top priority for the new Government.
  • The taskforce aims to learn from previous government efforts to reduce child poverty.
  • Removing the two-child cap and benefit cap could help lift thousands of children out of poverty.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Torsten Bell Lab Swansea West
Children & Families
Context

The child poverty taskforce is a new initiative aiming to address the issue of child poverty in the UK. Previous attempts at reducing child poverty have been made, but challenges remain.

Question

What steps she is taking to progress the work of the child poverty taskforce.

Answer from Liz Kendall

Tackling child poverty is a top priority for the new Government, and a personal priority for me. Children cannot fulfil their potential without food in their belly or a decent roof over their head, and we cannot fulfil our potential as a country when the talents of so many are left behind.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Steps being taken to progress the work of the child poverty taskforce were not explicitly detailed.

How: Tackling Child Poverty Is A Top Priority

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Q2 Torsten Bell Lab Swansea West
Economy Children & Families
Context

Previous attempts to reduce child poverty have faced challenges, particularly with housing costs and the necessity of job creation.

Question

How will the taskforce ensure that lessons, including on the role of housing costs in driving up relative poverty and the necessity of growth to drive down absolute poverty, will be learnt from previous attempts to drive down child poverty?

Answer from Liz Kendall

My hon. Friend makes a very important point about learning the lessons from the last time we were in government and lifted more than 600,000 children out of poverty, and looking at similarities and differences, not least that there are more children growing up in poverty in households, whether in the private rented sector or in social housing, and that there are more children growing up poor in a household where somebody works.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions to ensure lessons are learned were not detailed.

How: Very Important Point About Learning The Lessons

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Q3 Kirsty Blackman SNP Aberdeen North
Benefits & Welfare Children & Families
Context

The two-child cap and benefit cap impact families with more children, contributing to child poverty.

Question

How can the Government lift thousands of children out of poverty overnight by removing the two-child cap and benefit cap?

Answer from Liz Kendall

I am under no illusion about the impact 14 years of the Conservatives and the social security system has had on child poverty. That is why we are determined to take action across government to increase family incomes, drive down costs and, crucially, put in place long-term support, particularly in the early years.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Immediate actions to lift children out of poverty were not detailed.

How: Under No Illusion About The Impact

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