Regional Data Shows that Child Poverty in the East Midlands has fallen by 12% since 1997.  

Bob Laxton MP today backed new measures announced by Secretary of State for Work and Pensions John Hutton to lift thousands more children in the UK out of poverty by getting more parents into work  ‘Working for Children’ sets out how the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will help parents to lift themselves and their children out of poverty through employment. 

Bob Said:  “Child Poverty in the East Midlands has fallen by 12% since 1997. This means that 20,000 children have been lifted out of relative poverty. This shows that many children in Derby have seen the benefits of the Government’s commitment and investment in recent years but the latest figures show that we must work harder to eliminate child poverty altogether. That is why I will be making sure that parents in Derby know about these new measures and all the help that is available to them so more children can benefit.” 

Building on the announcements made in the Budget to take a further 200,000 children out of poverty by increasing the Child Tax credit, raising child benefit and wider support for parents, ‘Working for Children’ refocuses £150 million of resources within the Department for Work and Pensions towards greater support for families. Measures include: 

o       Piloting a New Deal for Families approach so more families get access to support that is often only available for lone parents. To do this we will extend support available in the New Deal for Lone Parents Plus pilot areas to all families with children in those areas. 

o       Extending the New Deal for Lone Parents Plus scheme to help more lone parents benefit from this service  

o       Providing more support to families including widening and improving the in-work credit scheme which provides additional financial support for lone parents as they make the transition to work. 

o       Changing Jobcentre Plus systems so parents are properly identified in the benefit system for the first time and record the childcare needs and preferences of all parents - not just lone parents as at present. 

o       Providing advice and support for the partners of parents claiming Jobseekers Allowance, with the introduction of mandatory six-monthly work-focused interviews for this group.  

Bob Said:  “The Chancellor announced in his budget that a further £1bn will be invested in raising the child element of Child Tax Credits from 2008. It is estimated that this increase will lift a further 200,000 children out of poverty. This underlines the Chancellor’s commitment and therefore I am disappointed that both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have opposed Child Credits as it is clear that they have an impact in Derby and nationwide.”  

Secretary of State John Hutton said today:“We have made considerable progress against our historic goal to end child poverty in the UK, with 600,000 children helped out of poverty since 1997 and child poverty in the UK falling faster in the last ten years than in any other European country.  “But we need to go further towards what is a very tough goal to reach. The measures announced in the Budget and built on today will help take hundreds of thousands children out of poverty in the years ahead and emphasise the importance of work as the sustainable route out of poverty for families in Britain.”