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14/06/2012
2% Fall In Child Poverty Figures
New official figures have revealed that the number of children living in poverty in the UK fell by 300,000 last year.
Figures for 2010/11, show that 2.3 million children (18%) lived in households classed as below the poverty line, a 2% decrease on the previous year.
The numbers are based on median incomes, which also went down in the same period.
The government however added that drug addiction, homelessness and unemployment should be considered as well as income when defining child poverty.
The government's own Households Below Average Income statistics define child poverty as children living in homes with 60% less than the median UK income.
The median is defined as the middle figure in a set of numbers.
The level of household income which defines "in poverty" fell from £259 a week, in 2009/2010, to £251 the following year.
The government, meanwhile, believes the current measure of poverty is too narrow and can be perverse because, if average incomes fall, the poverty line falls too.
In a speech later, Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, will cite the example of drug-addicted parents who may be technically taken out of poverty by an extra pound but spend that money on another drug fix.
"Unless we find a way of properly measuring changes to children's life chances, rather than the present measurement of income alone, we risk repeating the failures of the past," he will say.
(H)
Figures for 2010/11, show that 2.3 million children (18%) lived in households classed as below the poverty line, a 2% decrease on the previous year.
The numbers are based on median incomes, which also went down in the same period.
The government however added that drug addiction, homelessness and unemployment should be considered as well as income when defining child poverty.
The government's own Households Below Average Income statistics define child poverty as children living in homes with 60% less than the median UK income.
The median is defined as the middle figure in a set of numbers.
The level of household income which defines "in poverty" fell from £259 a week, in 2009/2010, to £251 the following year.
The government, meanwhile, believes the current measure of poverty is too narrow and can be perverse because, if average incomes fall, the poverty line falls too.
In a speech later, Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, will cite the example of drug-addicted parents who may be technically taken out of poverty by an extra pound but spend that money on another drug fix.
"Unless we find a way of properly measuring changes to children's life chances, rather than the present measurement of income alone, we risk repeating the failures of the past," he will say.
(H)
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Nearly 1.3 million children are living in severe poverty in the UK, a report by Save the Children has revealed. The charity said that around one in ten children in the UK are now living in families where the income is so low that children are living without essentials like a proper diet or heating in the home.
03 February 2005
Mandela addresses anti-poverty rally in London
Former South African president, Nelson Mandela, has told the crowds at an anti-poverty rally in London that the fight against poverty was as important as the fight against slavery.
Mandela addresses anti-poverty rally in London
Former South African president, Nelson Mandela, has told the crowds at an anti-poverty rally in London that the fight against poverty was as important as the fight against slavery.
11 October 2011
Gov Tax Plans Will Increase Poverty – IFS
A report by a major economic research institute has found the Governments policies on tax and benefits will lead to a major increase in poverty over the next few years. The forecast from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) into the UK's poverty levels up to 2021 predicts poverty will rise by about 600,000 children and 800,000 working-age adults.
Gov Tax Plans Will Increase Poverty – IFS
A report by a major economic research institute has found the Governments policies on tax and benefits will lead to a major increase in poverty over the next few years. The forecast from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) into the UK's poverty levels up to 2021 predicts poverty will rise by about 600,000 children and 800,000 working-age adults.
15 October 2003
Government 'on course' to meet short-term poverty goals
The government is on course to meet its short-term target for reducing child poverty, according to projections for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The foundation has said that around one million children will have been taken out of poverty by the spring of 2004, compared with 1997.
Government 'on course' to meet short-term poverty goals
The government is on course to meet its short-term target for reducing child poverty, according to projections for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The foundation has said that around one million children will have been taken out of poverty by the spring of 2004, compared with 1997.
19 November 2008
Ministers Attend London Child Poverty Summit
There's to be a combined effort to tackle the issue of child poverty today as Children's Minister, Beverley Hughes; Financial Secretary, Stephen Timms; Minister for London, Tony McNulty; Mayor of London, Boris Johnson and London Councils' Chairman Councillor Merrick Cockell meet to discuss London's child poverty problems and to announce a joint tar
Ministers Attend London Child Poverty Summit
There's to be a combined effort to tackle the issue of child poverty today as Children's Minister, Beverley Hughes; Financial Secretary, Stephen Timms; Minister for London, Tony McNulty; Mayor of London, Boris Johnson and London Councils' Chairman Councillor Merrick Cockell meet to discuss London's child poverty problems and to announce a joint tar
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