To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of children raised by (a) married couples, (b) unmarried couples and (c) single parents are estimated to live below the poverty line.

We measure the poverty line as households below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income. Income is measured before housing costs: this is the international norm.

Information requested for lone parents is available in the Households Below Average Income 1994-95 to 2005-06 (revised), table 4.5 on page 46. This is available in the House of Commons Library.

The following table reports the proportion of children in poverty at a point in time by family type. We do not have data for children "raised" by different family types. These figures are based on OECD equivalisation factors and the information refers to the United Kingdom.