Child Poverty Bill
12:00 pm
Steve Webb (Northavon, Liberal Democrat)
I think that that last point is a powerful one, having been involved with the Climate Change Bill. The shadow commission more or less dictated the amendment of the Bill—to an 80 per cent. reduction—and made it powerful.
To be momentarily cynical again, the child poverty unit’s impact assessment of the Bill says that the child poverty commission will meet four times a year and have 14 staff. It tells us the cost of their travel. It even includes the cost of a room; I am surprised that it does not include tea and biscuits. The commission will oversee Government spending of £400 billion, according to the Bill, over the next 20 years, with an annualised running cost of £190,000. The civil service staff will be one policy grade 7—I am sure that they will be a splendid person, but that is not terribly senior—and an executive officer, who does minutes, I suppose. There is an £80 day rate for people attending. It is all a bit half-hearted, is it not?