{"id":16337,"date":"2013-06-14T11:24:00","date_gmt":"2013-06-14T11:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=2f042a55f159f51394ce425e08155413"},"modified":"2013-06-14T11:24:00","modified_gmt":"2013-06-14T11:24:00","slug":"press-release-poverty-statistics-fall-in-number-of-children-in-workless-poor-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=16337","title":{"rendered":"Press release: Poverty statistics: Fall in number of children in workless poor families"},"content":{"rendered":"
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New annual poverty statistics (Households below average income) out today, show how the number of children in workless poor families has reduced by 100,000 children over the past year (a 2 percentage point reduction).<\/p>\n

Work remains the best route out poverty \u2013 these statistics show how children in workless households are around 3 times more likely to be in poverty than those in working families.<\/p>\n

The statistics for relative poverty \u2013 the most commonly used poverty line \u2013 also show that the most vulnerable groups have been protected as pensioner poverty fell by 100,000, disability poverty by 100,000 and child poverty stayed the same. <\/p>\n

The number and proportion of working-age adults in relative poverty has also remained at about the same level and overall, the number and proportion of all individuals in relative poverty stayed level. Children in households experiencing low income and material deprivation fell slightly.<\/p>\n

Ministers are now looking to develop wider measures to better reflect the reality of child poverty in the UK today, to include income but also address the root causes such as worklessness, educational failure and family breakdown.<\/p>\n

Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith said:<\/p>\n

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Despite paying out \u00a3170bn in tax credits alone, the previous government failed to meet their target to halve child poverty by 2010 and far too many children were left behind.<\/p>\n

While this government is committed to eradicating child poverty, we want to take a new approach by finding the source of the problem and tackling that. We have successfully protected the poorest from falling behind and seen a reduction of 100,000 children in workless poor families. Our welfare reform programme will further increase work incentives.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s figures underline the need for better measures of child poverty that are not so heavily dependent on where we draw the poverty line. Our new approach with wider measures is not designed to hide the scale of child poverty in this country, but to make clear the real challenge we face so we can start dealing with it properly.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The number of children in absolute child poverty has increased by 300,000. This was due to incomes not increasing as fast as inflation which was very high and is now coming down. This was the experience of working families right across the income spectrum \u2013 working low income families were no worse off than other working families. <\/p>\n

The recent change of the absolute measurement has also had an effect on the proportion and number of people identified as in absolute low income. <\/p>\n

The government remains committed to making work pay. Welfare reforms with the introduction of the Universal Credit will improve the lives of some of the poorest families in our communities, making 3 million households better off and lifting up to 250,000 children out of poverty.<\/p>\n

These figures do not take into account the further reductions in poverty from the expected increase of 300,000 additional people in work due to Universal Credit.<\/p>\n

The government is also firmly committed to giving poor children the best opportunities in life to help break the poverty cycle so they do not go on to become poor adults. <\/p>\n

Targeting education as a route out of poverty, the government is investing \u00a32.5 billion in the Pupil Premium to raise education attainment of poor children, as well as 260,000 disadvantaged 2 year olds receiving 15 hours a week of free early years education. <\/p>\n

More information<\/h2>\n

Details include:<\/p>\n