Recommendations & Conclusions
8 items
8
Conclusion
Third Report - Children in poverty: Mea…
Accepted
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 of State is of course right to say that a …
Read more
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 of State is of course right to say that a relative measure can, in the short term, produce counter-intuitive results—but it has great value for assessing long term trends. We are concerned to see Ministers focusing on a single measure, rather than drawing on the rich information offered by DWP’s own set of income-based measures, which combines relative, ‘absolute’ and broader material deprivation statistics.
Show less
Government response AI summary
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 …
Read full response →
Department for Work and Pensions
9
Recommendation
Third Report - Children in poverty: Mea…
Accepted
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 AI summary
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.
Read full response →
Department for Work and Pensions
18
Recommendation
Third Report - Children in poverty: Mea…
Accepted
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 of living suggests only a partial response to child poverty, …
Read more
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 of living suggests only a partial response to child poverty, ignoring aspects relating to income and earnings and the wider social deprivations linked to poverty. The Government now needs to commit to a comprehensive cross-departmental UK strategy for child poverty. (Paragraph 76) Children in poverty: Measurement and targets 53
Show less
Government response AI summary
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.
Read full response →
Department for Work and Pensions
19
Recommendation
Third Report - Children in poverty: Mea…
Accepted
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, by the latest evidence on the key drivers of poverty.
Read more
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, by the latest evidence on the key drivers of poverty.
Show less
Government response AI summary
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.
Read full response →
Department for Work and Pensions
20
Recommendation
Third Report - Children in poverty: Mea…
Accepted
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 as the emphasis shifted towards income transfers. To counter this …
Read more
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 as the emphasis shifted towards income transfers. To counter this risk, it is important to have a broad set of targets covering income and other policy measures. The Government must also be committed to reducing child poverty, with a clear strategy which is supported by measurable objectives and strong delivery plans.
Show less
Government response AI summary
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 …
Read full response →
Department for Work and Pensions
21
Recommendation
Third Report - Children in poverty: Mea…
Accepted
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 84) The quality, timeliness and completeness of child poverty data
Read more
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 84) The quality, timeliness and completeness of child poverty data
Show less
Government response AI summary
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.
Read full response →
Department for Work and Pensions
24
Conclusion
Third Report - Children in poverty: Mea…
Accepted
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 is working with the Department of Health and Social Care …
Read more
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 is working with the Department of Health and Social Care and the Office for National Statistics to understand better the impact of the pandemic on family outcomes. Lessons from this exercise might also help DWP in its approach to modelling the impact of future changes to social security on health and well-being. It is, nevertheless, surprising that DWP has not published any more research or analysis on the impact of the pandemic on children and families in low incomes, bearing in mind its responsibilities for poverty. This seems especially important in the light of evidence from other sources, including witnesses to our inquiry, that the pandemic has particularly affected families and children towards the bottom of the income distribution who were already vulnerable before covid-19 struck.
Show less
Government response AI summary
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.
Read full response →
Department for Work and Pensions
31
Recommendation
Third Report - Children in poverty: Mea…
Accepted
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 be collected. DWP should write to us by June 2022 …
Read more
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 be collected. DWP should write to us by June 2022 setting out the additional costs it intends to capture and the methods it proposes to use.
Show less
Government response AI summary
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.
Read full response →
Department for Work and Pensions