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Select Committee · Work and Pensions Committee

Children in poverty: Measurement and targets

Status: Closed Opened: 12 Jan 2021 Closed: 2 Feb 2022 22 recommendations 15 conclusions 1 report

This inquiry is looking at children in poverty. This is a complex subject, so the Committee’s work will be in several parts. For the first part of the inquiry, we are interested in finding out: - how child poverty can most accurately be measured and defined - what the impact of child poverty is, and … Show more

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Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Third Report - Children in poverty: Measurement and targets HC 188 22 Sep 2021 37 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

8 items
1 Conclusion Third Report - Children in poverty: Mea… Acknowledged

The Office for Statistics Regulation has recently made recommendations for improving income-based poverty statistics.

The Office for Statistics Regulation has recently made recommendations for improving income-based poverty statistics. DWP has said that it is considering its response to these recommendations, working with others in Government.

Government response AI summary
The Cross-Government Income and Earnings Coherence Steering Group will respond to OSR's recommendations, with a workplan published on 14 October, and will continue to liaise with OSR on its delivery.
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Department for Work and Pensions
3 Conclusion Third Report - Children in poverty: Mea… Acknowledged

Poverty is at least partly about a lack of material resources, and most people consider...

Poverty is at least partly about a lack of material resources, and most people consider income to be a core measure of poverty. But definitions of poverty cannot be entirely divorced from the society in which people live. A ‘poverty line’ should relate to the normal expectations of, and the … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government states it will continue to publish all four statutory measures of children in low income and that analysts are reviewing the statistical validity of the absolute poverty low income line and the relevance of material deprivation goods and services.
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Department for Work and Pensions
4 Conclusion Third Report - Children in poverty: Mea… Acknowledged

We heard compelling evidence describing why a lack of material resources in childhood matters and...

We heard compelling evidence describing why a lack of material resources in childhood matters and the impact it has on child development and their future outcomes. But defining poverty in income terms does not mean that the Government’s response to poverty should neglect the underlying causes of it. A holistic … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges that tackling child poverty is a cross-government priority, highlighting DWP's role alongside other departments and noting that ONS is leading the development of an interactive tool for income and earnings statistics.
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Department for Work and Pensions
7 Conclusion Third Report - Children in poverty: Mea… Acknowledged

Poverty measurement is important because it involves translating abstract concepts and definitions into very concrete...

Poverty measurement is important because it involves translating abstract concepts and definitions into very concrete expressions of who is poor and who needs extra help. Backed by a legal obligation to do so, the UK Government measures and reports Children in poverty: Measurement and targets 51 child poverty through a … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government acknowledged the importance of poverty measurement, confirming it will continue to publish statutory measures, and that analysts are reviewing the statistical validity of poverty lines and material deprivation indicators.
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Department for Work and Pensions
12 Conclusion Third Report - Children in poverty: Mea… Acknowledged

DWP’s key collections of income-related poverty and wider social deprivation statistics are all published separately.

DWP’s key collections of income-related poverty and wider social deprivation statistics are all published separately. The Office for National Statistics also publishes separate statistics on household income. There is no consolidated publication and no clear narrative setting out how the measures all link together. The current arrangements are a missed … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges poverty is a cross-government priority and notes that ONS is leading the development of an interactive tool to explore income and earnings statistics, addressing the challenge of separately published data.
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Department for Work and Pensions
28 Conclusion Third Report - Children in poverty: Mea… Acknowledged

DWP and the Office for National Statistics both have survey and statistical research projects on...

DWP and the Office for National Statistics both have survey and statistical research projects on income. There is a risk that these overlap, reducing the quality of the overall data collected and contributing to reduced clarity in Government reporting of poverty data. Read more

Government response AI summary
The government states it continually considers ways to improve statistical publications and will continue to liaise with OSR on its ongoing income and earnings coherence work, but does not specifically commit to addressing the identified risk of overlap between DWP and ONS projects.
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Department for Work and Pensions
29 Recommendation Third Report - Children in poverty: Mea… Acknowledged

DWP should work with other UK producers of income statistics to co-ordinate the current suite...

DWP should work with other UK producers of income statistics to co-ordinate the current suite of survey and data analysis to strengthen the breadth and depth of work and improve reporting clarity. DWP should write to us by March 2022 setting out the additional steps it has taken to integrate … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government acknowledged the importance of improving statistical publications and referred to ongoing work like the GSS income and Earnings Coherence work plan and a cross-government steering group, but did not commit DWP to specific additional steps to integrate surveys or to writing to the …
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Department for Work and Pensions
32 Conclusion Third Report - Children in poverty: Mea… Acknowledged

Gaps in the analysis of income poverty for different ethnic groups caused by small survey...

Gaps in the analysis of income poverty for different ethnic groups caused by small survey samples reduces our understanding of poverty and solutions to it. We Children in poverty: Measurement and targets 55 therefore welcome DWP’s recent decision to increase the sample size of its Family Resources Survey which will … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government confirms the full Family Resources Survey (FRS) boost begins in April 2022 but states that the precise subgroups covered will depend on data analysis, response rates, and final sample sizes, making it impossible to provide a list by June 2022.
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Department for Work and Pensions

Oral evidence sessions

5 sessions
Date Witnesses
23 Jun 2021 Donna Ward · Department for Work and Pensions, Elaine Squires · Department for Work and Pensions, Will Quince MP · Department for Education View ↗
26 May 2021 Anne Longfield, Bruce Adamson, Ed Humpherson · UK Statistics Authority, Mike Brewer · Resolution Foundation, Robert Joyce · Institute for Fiscal Studies, The Baroness Stroud · Social Metrics Commission View ↗
12 May 2021 Charlotte Ramsden · Association of Directors of Children’s Services, Gavin Mullin · Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council, Peter Tutton · StepChange, Sabine Goodwin · Independent Food Aid Network, Una Summerson · Contact-for families with disabled children, Will Tuckley · London Borough of Tower Hamlets View ↗
14 Apr 2021 Charlotte McDonough · Save the Children, Professor David Taylor-Robinson · University of Liverpool, Professor Paul Bywaters · University of Huddersfield, Rebecca Jacques · Children’s Society, Sophie Howes · Child Poverty Action Group, Yasmin Rehman · Juno Women’s Aid View ↗
3 Mar 2021 Dr Jose Manuel Roche · University of Oxford, Dr Keetie Roelen · Institute of Development Studies, Dr Kitty Stewart · London School of Economics & Political Science, Edward Davies · Centre for Social Justice, Helen Barnard · The Trussell Trust View ↗

Who gave evidence

26 witnesses
WitnessOrganisationSessions
Anne Longfield — 1
Bruce Adamson — 1
Charlotte McDonough · Policy Adviser Save the Children 1
Charlotte Ramsden · Vice President Association of Directors of Children’s Services 1
Donna Ward · Director, Poverty, Family & Disadvantage Department for Work and Pensions 1
Dr Jose Manuel Roche · Research Associate Department of International De… University of Oxford 1
Dr Keetie Roelen · Research Fellow and Co-Director of the Centre for… Institute of Development Studies 1
Dr Kitty Stewart · Associate Professor of Social Policy and Associat… London School of Economics & Political Science 1
Ed Humpherson UK Statistics Authority 1
Edward Davies · Director of Policy Centre for Social Justice 1
Elaine Squires · Deputy Director for Income, Family and Disadvanta… Department for Work and Pensions 1
Gavin Mullin · Commissioning Officer (Children and Families) Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council 1
Helen Barnard · Director of Policy, Research and Impact The Trussell Trust 1
Mike Brewer · Deputy Chief Executive Resolution Foundation 1
Peter Tutton · Head of Policy, Research and Public Affairs StepChange 1
Professor David Taylor-Robinson · Professor of Public Health and Policy University of Liverpool 1
Professor Paul Bywaters · Professor of Social Work University of Huddersfield 1
Rebecca Jacques · Policy Officer Children’s Society 1
Robert Joyce · Deputy Director and Head of the Income, Work and … Institute for Fiscal Studies 1
Sabine Goodwin · Co-ordinator Independent Food Aid Network 1
Sophie Howes · Head of Policy Child Poverty Action Group 1
The Baroness Stroud · Chair of the Social Metrics Commission, and Chief… Social Metrics Commission 1
Una Summerson · Head of Policy and Public Affairs Contact-for families with disabled children 1
Will Quince MP · Minister for Children and Families Department for Education 1
Will Tuckley · Chief Executive London Borough of Tower Hamlets 1
Yasmin Rehman · Chief Executive Officer Juno Women’s Aid 1

Correspondence

1 letter
DateDirectionTitle
16 Jul 2021 — Correspondence with Minister for Welfare Delivery - follow up on oral evidence …