09/03/2006
Government misses child poverty target
The government has failed to meet its first target in the bid to tackle child poverty.
In 1999, Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged to eliminate poverty among British children by 2020. The first target towards achieving this goal was to reduce the number of children affected by poverty from 4.1 million to 3.1 million by April 2005.
However, according to the latest statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions, the number of children living in poverty has dropped by 700,000 since 1999, missing the target by 300,000.
Commenting on the figures, Secretary of State John Hutton said: "The level of child poverty in Britain was the worst in Europe. Now child poverty is falling faster than in any other European country. The changes this government have made, such as tax credits to make work pay and our decision to invest in and reform key public services, have helped lift 2.4 million people out of poverty since 1997 - including 800,000 children and a million pensioners.
"Despite these achievements, we have not quite reached our first target on child poverty - but we remain absolutely committed to the goal the Prime Minister set back in 1999 of eradicating child poverty within a generation.
"Now we must redouble our efforts to ensure we reach our goal, focussing on all the drivers of social exclusion that hold people back from achieving their true potential."
However, the Conservatives have described the figures as "very disappointing". Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Philip Hammond said that a "wider range of opportunities" had to be made available to help parents trying to return to work in order to properly provide for their families. He said: "These figures are further proof that, despite the progress that has been made, the state alone cannot eradicate child poverty.
"We must employ the skills of the private, voluntary and social enterprise sectors to create opportunities for parents who are struggling to get back to work."
Save the Children director Colette Marshall said that the government had been right to set the target, but said that "the failure to hit it is devastating for the future of the poorest children".
Ms Marshall also said that the charity's research showed that the government had helped those close to the poverty line, but had failed to really help the poorest.
The Institute for Public Policy Research said that the government would need at least another £2 billion per year towards tax credits for poor families in order to ensure that the 2020 target was met.
(KMcA/GB)
In 1999, Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged to eliminate poverty among British children by 2020. The first target towards achieving this goal was to reduce the number of children affected by poverty from 4.1 million to 3.1 million by April 2005.
However, according to the latest statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions, the number of children living in poverty has dropped by 700,000 since 1999, missing the target by 300,000.
Commenting on the figures, Secretary of State John Hutton said: "The level of child poverty in Britain was the worst in Europe. Now child poverty is falling faster than in any other European country. The changes this government have made, such as tax credits to make work pay and our decision to invest in and reform key public services, have helped lift 2.4 million people out of poverty since 1997 - including 800,000 children and a million pensioners.
"Despite these achievements, we have not quite reached our first target on child poverty - but we remain absolutely committed to the goal the Prime Minister set back in 1999 of eradicating child poverty within a generation.
"Now we must redouble our efforts to ensure we reach our goal, focussing on all the drivers of social exclusion that hold people back from achieving their true potential."
However, the Conservatives have described the figures as "very disappointing". Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Philip Hammond said that a "wider range of opportunities" had to be made available to help parents trying to return to work in order to properly provide for their families. He said: "These figures are further proof that, despite the progress that has been made, the state alone cannot eradicate child poverty.
"We must employ the skills of the private, voluntary and social enterprise sectors to create opportunities for parents who are struggling to get back to work."
Save the Children director Colette Marshall said that the government had been right to set the target, but said that "the failure to hit it is devastating for the future of the poorest children".
Ms Marshall also said that the charity's research showed that the government had helped those close to the poverty line, but had failed to really help the poorest.
The Institute for Public Policy Research said that the government would need at least another £2 billion per year towards tax credits for poor families in order to ensure that the 2020 target was met.
(KMcA/GB)
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