Child Poverty
Work and Pensions

David Laws (Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Work & Pensions; Yeovil, Liberal Democrat)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of children in (a) working and (b) workless households were living in relative poverty in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge (Minister of State (Work), Department for Work and Pensions; Barking, Labour)

The seventh annual Opportunity for all" report (Cm 6673) sets out the Government's strategy for tackling poverty and social exclusion and reports progress against a range of indicators. Detailed information about the number and proportion of children living in low income households is published in Households Below Average Income 1994/95–2003/04", available in the Library. The threshold of below 60 per cent. contemporary median income is the most commonly used in reporting trends in low income.

The information requested is in the table.

Notes:

1.Working households are defined as having at least one adult in work, where an adult is over 16 years of age including those above state retirement age.

2.Workless households are defined as having no adults in work.