07 March 2008
The government's promise to halve child poverty by 2010 will not be achieved unless significant resources are made available, according to a report by MPs on the Commons work and pensions select committee.
The report – The best start in life? Alleviating deprivation, improving social mobility, and eradicating child poverty, published on March 4 – said the target, set by Tony Blair in 1999, would be missed by as many as 1 million children.
Since 1999, the number of children living in poverty has dropped by 600,000, but there are still 2.8 million, well short of the 1.7 million target. The MPs also warned that 50% of those living in poverty had a parent who worked.
The committee said some groups of children had a much higher risk of growing up in poverty, including those who were disabled or who had a disabled parent. It said it was 'particularly concerned' that one in five families with a disabled child was so financially constrained that it had to cut down on food.
The rates of poverty among children from Pakistani and Bangladeshi backgrounds were twice those of white children, and black children also suffered higher rates of poverty than white.
Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell said the government had made significant progress, but acknowledged that more needed to be done. 'Work has been key to this success – there are now nearly 3 million more people in employment, and the lone parent employment rate has risen dramatically,' he said.
Kate Green, chief executive of the Child Poverty Action Group, said: 'The report leaves no doubt that the promise to halve child poverty by 2010 can be met, but it requires bold action in next week's Budget. As a member of the Campaign to End Child Poverty, we are calling for the £4bn investment to be made that will ensure the promise to Britain's poorest children is not broken.'
The report follows a Department for Work and Pensions productivity study last week which argued that the target was unlikely to be reached.
PFmar2008
