Child Poverty Taskforce

Torsten Bell, the Labour MP for Swansea West, asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Liz Kendall, what steps she is taking to progress the work of the child poverty taskforce. In her response, Liz Kendall stated that tackling child poverty is a top priority for the new government and a personal priority for her. She explained that the new child poverty taskforce will drive action across every area of government to increase family income, drive down family costs, and give every child the best start in life. Torsten Bell welcomed the establishment of the child poverty taskforce and asked how it will ensure that lessons, including on the role of housing costs in driving up relative poverty and the necessity of growth to drive down absolute poverty, will be learned from previous attempts to drive down child poverty in Wales and across the UK. Liz Kendall acknowledged the importance of learning from the past, noting that there are more children growing up in poverty in households, whether in the private rented sector or in social housing, and that there are more children growing up poor in a household where somebody works. She stated that getting and creating more good quality jobs, and helping families into those jobs, is a crucial part of the child poverty plan. Kirsty Blackman, the SNP MP for Aberdeen North, intervened, stating that families with more children are impacted by the two-child cap and the benefit cap, and that the government is refusing to remove these policies. She appreciated the fact that the government has the child poverty taskforce, but argued that it is not making a difference to these children today. Liz Kendall acknowledged the impact 14 years of the Conservatives and the social security system has had on child poverty, and stated that the government is determined to take action across government to increase family incomes, drive down costs, and put in place long-term support, particularly in the early years. She assured that the government will produce a strategy by spring that will lift more children out of poverty.