Regional Inequalities: Child Poverty — [Dr Rupa Huq in the Chair]

Mr McDonald highlighted the increase in in-work poverty, noting that child poverty levels have almost doubled in Middlesbrough over five years. He criticised the government's policies, including the cuts to universal credit and raising national insurance contributions, blaming these for exacerbating regional inequality. Mr McDonald proposed a series of measures to address in-work poverty and child poverty, including a windfall tax on oil and gas giants, strengthening trade union rights, and banning zero-hours contracts. Will the Minister give way?

Families are facing difficulties transitioning from paper-based Healthy Start vouchers to prepaid cards. The issue is urgent and requires the Minister's immediate attention to ensure that families, especially children, receive the necessary support.

There has been a significant increase in food bank usage in Newcastle Central, with one of the highest increases in child poverty rates in the country. The concern is that even families where parents are working still struggle to provide for their children without relying on food banks.

The relationship between social security and child poverty is critical. The removal of £34 billion a year from support for working-age people has had a detrimental effect on child poverty rates, with each 1% increase in child poverty leading to an additional five infant deaths per 100,000 live births.

The north-east has the UK's second-highest rate of child poverty, with an average of 37% compared to a UK average of 31%. Within County Durham, disparities are stark, with some wards above 40%, such as Blackhall Rocks at 48.2% and Blackhall Colliery at 44.2%. The Government's decision to limit social security benefits increase to 3.1% despite forecasted inflation of 7% will exacerbate child poverty.

He expressed concern about child poverty and the inadequate support for families struggling to meet their children's basic needs. He highlighted that over 31,000 food parcels were provided to children in Northern Ireland between April 2020 and March 2021, with a total of 79,000 parcels given out by The Trussell Trust last year—a 75% increase from the previous year. He emphasized that the majority of households in Northern Ireland have at least one working parent but still struggle to provide for their children's basic needs.

Poverty is a limiter of opportunities and erodes physical and mental health, true across regions including London. Child poverty nationally reached 31% in 2019-20, with regional variations from 24% in the south-east to 38% in London. The Government's levelling-up agenda does not include child poverty as an indicator, a serious weakness. Arbitrary cuts and an anarchic benefits system exacerbate regional inequalities.

The number of children living in poverty has reached 4.3 million across the UK. In Wirral West, child poverty rates increased from May last year's data, reflecting how government policies are exacerbating rather than alleviating the issue.

Ms Foy emphasised the rise in reliance on food banks and anti-poverty charities in County Durham. She cited statistics from the North East Child Poverty Commission that indicate 11 out of 30 children in an average classroom are living in poverty, arguing that growing up in poverty has a negative impact on life chances. Ms Foy called for consistent policy choices and spending priorities to tackle regional inequality and urged the government to take decisive action against child poverty.

The MP agrees with Liz Twist's concerns about child poverty in the north-east, noting that it has the UK's second highest rate of child poverty and experienced the steepest increase from 2014-15 to 2019-20. She also mentions a significant financial impact on families during the pandemic.

Blake highlighted the deep regional inequality in child poverty, particularly in northern England. She cited a 10-year difference in life expectancy along an 83 bus route in Sheffield and mentioned that food banks provided over 12,000 emergency food parcels to families with children between April and September 2021. Blake criticised Conservative peers for their dismissive attitude towards regions facing hardship and argued that the Government's policy choices exacerbate inequalities.

She highlighted the contrast between the SNP Scottish Government's efforts to tackle child poverty, doubling the child payment despite budget constraints, and the UK Government's cuts to universal credit. She criticised the lack of strategy from the UK Government on reducing child poverty and called for reintroducing targets and measurable objectives.

Acknowledging the north-east's economic struggles, Peter Gibson welcomed the Government's ambitious agenda for levelling up and highlighted improvements shown in statistics on child poverty. He also praised initiatives such as the lifetime skills programme and educational reforms to improve long-term outcomes. Gibson intervened, acknowledging regional issues but pointed out positive developments in Tees Valley under a Tory Mayor. He also discussed the potential negative impacts of windfall taxes on energy companies' transition to renewable sources. I am incredibly grateful to the Minister for mentioning my constituency and the Treasury jobs coming to Darlington, but multiple other Government Departments, with 1,700 new jobs, are coming to my constituency, ensuring that people can go far but stay local. That is the real way to tackle long-term poverty.

In Luton South alone, a shocking 8,130 children live in poverty, which is 10% above the national average. Free school meal eligibility has risen by 44% since 2015-16. The Tory austerity programme cut local authority funding by 60p in every pound between 2010 and 2020, leading to cuts in crucial services that support residents and tackle child poverty. The Minister was talking about job opportunities and people being able to access them. When he makes statements such as that, does he take into account the significant cuts to bus services and the fact that many of my constituents are not able to travel far as they do not have a car?

In Salford and Eccles, 23% of children live in relative poverty, whereas the national average is 19%. The Government's benefits uplift legislation will increase benefits by only 3.1%, which is a real-terms cut given expected inflation of 7.25%. More than 30 charities have called for benefits to be increased in line with inflation and for the two-child limit and benefit cap to be abolished.

Child poverty in the UK has risen to a quarter of all children, with more than 3.4 million children living below the poverty line, predominantly from working families. The situation is exacerbated by upcoming tax hikes and rising costs which will increase household budget strains, leading to food insecurity for many more families. In the north-east, one quarter of children in poverty are not eligible for free school meals due to income thresholds and immigration status, affecting 150,000 children across the country.

She discussed child poverty issues in London, highlighting stark disparities within her borough of Mitcham and Morden. She shared the story of a family with three children living in an unadaptable house where the mother has to physically carry her son who cannot walk or use a bathroom due to muscular dystrophy. Another case involved Miss T, whose home is unsuitable for accommodating her severely autistic child and herself with multiple sclerosis. McDonagh expressed frustration over the lack of suitable housing options for families in such dire situations. Will the Minister give way? Will the Minister clarify the point about 100,000 children brought out of poverty before housing costs? What is the number after taking account of housing costs?

Yasmin Qureshi highlighted the stark reality of child poverty, affecting 4.3 million children in the UK, with high rates in her constituency. She criticized current government policies such as the £200 rebate scheme for being ineffective and suggested taxing energy companies' windfall profits to raise funds.