Clause 24
Child Poverty Bill
4:30 pm
Helen Goodman (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Work and Pensions; Bishop Auckland, Labour)
Let me first address the remarks made by the hon. Member for Henley, who suggested removing the reference to the relative low income target from clause 24(3). The clause sets out the definition of child poverty that covers the needs assessment and local strategy. Subsection (2) states:
“A child is to be taken to be living in poverty if the child experiences socio-economic disadvantage”.
Subsection (3) provides that households experiencing socio-economic disadvantage include those experiencing relative or absolute low income and material deprivation. However, the definition in the clause is not limited to those measurements, and local authorities may choose to use additional measurements to determine levels of socio-economic disadvantage in their area. It is not immediately clear what the hon. Gentleman intends by his amendment, as it would not lessen the breadth of socio-economic disadvantage. I understand that he is interested in the flexibility that the definition in clause 24 affords to local partners in assessing child poverty and taking action to address it, particularly in relation to raising family income.
Local authorities and their partners understand their communities and are in a position to reach them in a way that central Government cannot. They have a clear role in raising family income and tackling child poverty, by driving economic regeneration and neighbourhood renewal, providing high-quality education in early years services, administering financial help such as housing and council tax benefits for families on low incomes, encouraging families to take up financial support, and joining up national and local partners to provide personalised skills and employment support.
This morning we discussed the measurements to be used at local level, so I do not need to delay the Committee significantly on that. I made it clear that there were a range of measures, such as NI 116, the relative low income child poverty indicator, the national indicator set, and the index of multiple deprivation. Those measures cover child poverty and the range of risk factors associated with it. Persistent poverty is not a narrow definition, and I believe that we are consistent in the two parts of the Bill.
During the evidence session, the hon. Member for South-West Hertfordshire mentioned the relative income measure, and said that he thought that it was not relevant at a local level. I do not understand how something can be relevant at a national level if it is not relevant at the aggregation of a lot of local levels.