Child Poverty Bill
10:41 am
Andrew Selous (Shadow Minister, Work and Pensions; South West Bedfordshire, Conservative)
One other group in society suffers more than its fair share of poverty: families in which disability is present. A disability within a family clearly adds a significant element of cost to that family. I do not think that anyone would dispute that. The Government count disability living allowance as income for such a family, but I think that we recognise that that is offset by the costs of dealing with the disability. Do the Government recognise that as an issue? Do the Ministers before us think that that is fair and right, and do they propose to do anything about it? With housing costs, we look at income both before and after the costs; is there not the case for doing the same with the costs of disability?