Work and Pensions written question – answered at on 19 January 2011.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the level of (a) family and (b) child poverty in rural communities in England in each of the next five years.
The Government do not forecast how many families or children they expect to be in poverty each year because child poverty is dependent on a number of factors which are difficult to reliably predict.
HMT's published analysis shows that the measures that can be robustly assessed from the 2010 spending review and June Budget will not lead to an increase in child poverty over the next two years. This analysis is not carried out separately for rural communities.
The latest data available from the Households Below Average Incomes for 2008-09 show that in England, before housing costs, the proportion of children in relative poverty is 15% in rural areas compared to 23% in urban areas and the proportion of families in relative poverty is 16% in rural areas compared to 19% in urban areas.
Notes
1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). These use disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living.
2. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response.
3. The reference period for Households Below Average Income figures are single financial years.
4. Proportions of children and families in low-income households have been rounded to the nearest percentage point.
5. These statistics are based on incomes before housing costs.
6. Families are defined as a single adult or couple living as married and any dependent children, including same sex couples (civil partnerships and cohabitees) from January 2006. A household is made up of one or more families. Families can include individuals over state pension age.
7. The measure is defined as:
Relative poverty: children living in households with less than 60% of contemporary median household income.
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