Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 24
24
Paragraph: 96
The 12-month delay in producing income poverty statistics means that DWP data on the proportion...
Conclusion
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poverty statistics means that DWP data on the proportion of children in low income for the year to March 2021 will not be published until March 2022.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.
Paragraph Reference:
96
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
This Government remains committed to publishing its annual Households Below Average Income publication in March 2022 which covers the first year of the pandemic, subject to the usual checks on data quality. The large household surveys which inform our poverty publications – the Family Resources Survey and Understanding Society – have continued to run during the pandemic, despite significant challenges. This Government also continues to monitor and collect a variety of evidence, including data and external research about the impacts of the pandemic. DHSC is the Department leading the Shared Outcomes Fund project and will coordinate publication decisions.