Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 31
31
Paragraph: 114
To improve its measurement of income-related poverty, DWP should work with others, including the Office...
Conclusion
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.
Paragraph Reference:
114
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
The Family Resources Survey (FRS) already collects information on: taxes and national insurance, domestic rates and council tax, child maintenance and child support payments, parental contributions to students living away from home, contributions to pension schemes, the cost of childcare and housing costs (including water rates, ground rent / service charges and structural insurance premiums for owner occupiers). The Government also plans to introduce new questions in the FRS on debt repayments once the questionnaire returns to face-to-face. The FRS also collects data about whether families can afford a list of goods and services as part of our material deprivation measures. However, the FRS lacks sufficient space to cover all costs comprehensively. The ONS runs a more extensive survey on costs families face: the Living Cost and Food Survey.