Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of removing the two-child benefit cap on child poverty in West Dorset constituency.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Taskforce recognises the importance of place, including differences between urban and rural locations, as a driver of child poverty. Children and families in rural areas have played an important role in the development of the Child Poverty Strategy, including through their participation in our research with parents and carers, and with children – which included an emphasis of the importance and role of place in shaping their experiences. Strengthening local support is also one of the pillars through which we are developing the Strategy.
No assessment has been made of the impact of removing the Two Child Limit policy in West Dorset or on families in rural areas. However, statistics on the number of households and children in receipt of Universal Credit affected by the Two Child Limit policy are available by local authority and parliamentary constituency on the GOV.UK website, the latest being for April 2025: Universal Credit claimants statistics on the two child limit policy, April 2025 - GOV.UK.
This government is committed to tackling child poverty and the Child Poverty Taskforce is developing an ambitious Child Poverty Strategy which we will publish in the autumn. We are considering all available levers, including social security reforms, to give every child the best start in life. The causes of child poverty are wide-ranging and deep-rooted, and so it is right that the Taskforce carefully considers and assesses the available levers as it develops this Strategy.
In the meantime, we are pressing ahead with action.
As a significant downpayment ahead of strategy publication, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty through the Spending Review 2025. This includes an expansion of Free School Meals that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of the parliament, establishing a long-term Crisis and Resilience Fund supported by £1bn a year including Barnett impact, investing in local family support services, and extending the £3 bus fare cap.
In August, we confirmed funding of £600m for the Holiday Activities and Food programme for the next three years, ensuring that children and young people can continue to benefit from enriching experiences and nutritious meals during the school holidays.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the two-child benefit cap on families in rural areas.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Taskforce recognises the importance of place, including differences between urban and rural locations, as a driver of child poverty. Children and families in rural areas have played an important role in the development of the Child Poverty Strategy, including through their participation in our research with parents and carers, and with children – which included an emphasis of the importance and role of place in shaping their experiences. Strengthening local support is also one of the pillars through which we are developing the Strategy.
No assessment has been made of the impact of removing the Two Child Limit policy in West Dorset or on families in rural areas. However, statistics on the number of households and children in receipt of Universal Credit affected by the Two Child Limit policy are available by local authority and parliamentary constituency on the GOV.UK website, the latest being for April 2025: Universal Credit claimants statistics on the two child limit policy, April 2025 - GOV.UK.
This government is committed to tackling child poverty and the Child Poverty Taskforce is developing an ambitious Child Poverty Strategy which we will publish in the autumn. We are considering all available levers, including social security reforms, to give every child the best start in life. The causes of child poverty are wide-ranging and deep-rooted, and so it is right that the Taskforce carefully considers and assesses the available levers as it develops this Strategy.
In the meantime, we are pressing ahead with action.
As a significant downpayment ahead of strategy publication, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty through the Spending Review 2025. This includes an expansion of Free School Meals that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of the parliament, establishing a long-term Crisis and Resilience Fund supported by £1bn a year including Barnett impact, investing in local family support services, and extending the £3 bus fare cap.
In August, we confirmed funding of £600m for the Holiday Activities and Food programme for the next three years, ensuring that children and young people can continue to benefit from enriching experiences and nutritious meals during the school holidays.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to reduce child poverty in West Dorset constituency.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In developing a Child Poverty Strategy, the Taskforce is considering all children across the United Kingdom. The UK Government is committed to tackling child poverty across the UK where progress is contingent on reserved, devolved, and local levers. The Child Poverty Strategy will be UK-wide, drawing on devolved and reserved levers and working closely with Devolved Governments, recognising the progress that has been made on their poverty strategies and policies, and in England, with mayors and other local leaders.
Local authorities are a key part of our approach to learning directly about the experience of poverty in different communities and solutions already underway. Both the Taskforce and officials in the Child Poverty Unit have engaged with local communities regularly throughout the development of the strategy. This includes through a ministerial taskforce meeting with local leaders from combined and local governments in England, who joined Ministers to discuss the experience of poverty in their local communities, and innovative solutions underway. The Child Poverty Unit also consulted local authorities across England through a virtual webinar in December 2024, allowing authorities to feed into the development of the strategy. and visits to Manchester, Ashton-Under-Lyme, Cheshire and Merseyside.
As a significant downpayment ahead of strategy publication, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty including an expansion of Free School Meals and a £39 billion investment in social and affordable housing. At the 2025 Spending Review we also announced a new March 2025 £1 billion package to reform crisis support, including the first ever multi-year settlement to transform the Household Support Fund into a new Crisis and Resilience Fund. This longer-term funding approach enables local authorities to provide preventative support to communities as well as assist people when faced with a financial crisis.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of benefit allocation rules on children in shared care arrangements.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Universal Credit child element is payable to the person who is responsible for a child or young person. Where a child or qualifying young person normally lives with two or more persons who are not a couple, only one of them is to be treated as responsible and that is the person who has the main responsibility. This is in line with the approach generally adopted across the benefit system, including Child Benefit. There are no plans to review this policy at this time.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to introduce reforms to ensure equal benefit access for separated parents with equal caring responsibilities.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Universal Credit child element is payable to the person who is responsible for a child or young person. Where a child or qualifying young person normally lives with two or more persons who are not a couple, only one of them is to be treated as responsible and that is the person who has the main responsibility. This is in line with the approach generally adopted across the benefit system, including Child Benefit. There are no plans to review this policy at this time.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to review benefit rules for parents with shared care.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Universal Credit child element is payable to the person who is responsible for a child or young person. Where a child or qualifying young person normally lives with two or more persons who are not a couple, only one of them is to be treated as responsible and that is the person who has the main responsibility. This is in line with the approach generally adopted across the benefit system, including Child Benefit. There are no plans to review this policy at this time.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of the cost of living on child poverty levels in West Dorset constituency.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Statistics on the number of children living in absolute and relative poverty in the UK are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication, the latest available being Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2024 - GOV.UK.
Statistics on the number of children living in absolute and relative poverty on a before housing costs basis at local level are published annually in the “Children in low income families: local area statistics” publication, the latest available being Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2024 - GOV.UK.
In 2023/24, 2,307 (17.0%) children (under age 16) in West Dorset were in relative low income before housing costs. In Dorset, 9,886 (17.2%) children (under age 16) were in relative low income before housing costs, as were 0.2 million (18.3%) children (under age 16) in the South West. In England, using a three-year average for 2021/22 to 2023/24, 2.4 million (21.9%) in children (under age 16) were in relative low income before housing costs.
This government is committed to tackling child poverty and the Child Poverty Taskforce is developing an ambitious Child Poverty Strategy which we will publish in the autumn. We are considering all available levers as part of our strategy, including social security reforms, to give every child the best start in life. The causes of child poverty are wide-ranging and deep-rooted, and so it is right that the Taskforce carefully considers and assesses the available levers as it develops this Strategy.
In the meantime, we are pressing ahead with action. We have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty through the Spending Review 2025. This includes an expansion of Free School Meals that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of the parliament, establishing a long-term Crisis and Resilience Fund supported by £1bn a year including Barnett impact, investing in local family support services, and extending the £3 bus fare cap.
In August, we confirmed funding of £600m for the Holiday Activities and Food programme for the next three years, ensuring that children and young people can continue to benefit from enriching experiences and nutritious meals during the school holidays.
We do not hold data on rates of homelessness.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of children living in poverty in West Dorset.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Statistics on the number of children living in absolute and relative poverty in the UK are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication, the latest available being Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2024 - GOV.UK.
Statistics on the number of children living in absolute and relative poverty on a before housing costs basis at local level are published annually in the “Children in low income families: local area statistics” publication, the latest available being Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2024 - GOV.UK.
In 2023/24, 2,307 (17.0%) children (under age 16) in West Dorset were in relative low income before housing costs. In Dorset, 9,886 (17.2%) children (under age 16) were in relative low income before housing costs, as were 0.2 million (18.3%) children (under age 16) in the South West. In England, using a three-year average for 2021/22 to 2023/24, 2.4 million (21.9%) in children (under age 16) were in relative low income before housing costs.
This government is committed to tackling child poverty and the Child Poverty Taskforce is developing an ambitious Child Poverty Strategy which we will publish in the autumn. We are considering all available levers as part of our strategy, including social security reforms, to give every child the best start in life. The causes of child poverty are wide-ranging and deep-rooted, and so it is right that the Taskforce carefully considers and assesses the available levers as it develops this Strategy.
In the meantime, we are pressing ahead with action. We have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty through the Spending Review 2025. This includes an expansion of Free School Meals that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of the parliament, establishing a long-term Crisis and Resilience Fund supported by £1bn a year including Barnett impact, investing in local family support services, and extending the £3 bus fare cap.
In August, we confirmed funding of £600m for the Holiday Activities and Food programme for the next three years, ensuring that children and young people can continue to benefit from enriching experiences and nutritious meals during the school holidays.
We do not hold data on rates of homelessness.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what comparative data his Department holds on rates of (a) child poverty and (b) homelessness in (i) West Dorset, (ii) Dorset, (iii) the South West and (iv) England.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Statistics on the number of children living in absolute and relative poverty in the UK are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication, the latest available being Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2024 - GOV.UK.
Statistics on the number of children living in absolute and relative poverty on a before housing costs basis at local level are published annually in the “Children in low income families: local area statistics” publication, the latest available being Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2024 - GOV.UK.
In 2023/24, 2,307 (17.0%) children (under age 16) in West Dorset were in relative low income before housing costs. In Dorset, 9,886 (17.2%) children (under age 16) were in relative low income before housing costs, as were 0.2 million (18.3%) children (under age 16) in the South West. In England, using a three-year average for 2021/22 to 2023/24, 2.4 million (21.9%) in children (under age 16) were in relative low income before housing costs.
This government is committed to tackling child poverty and the Child Poverty Taskforce is developing an ambitious Child Poverty Strategy which we will publish in the autumn. We are considering all available levers as part of our strategy, including social security reforms, to give every child the best start in life. The causes of child poverty are wide-ranging and deep-rooted, and so it is right that the Taskforce carefully considers and assesses the available levers as it develops this Strategy.
In the meantime, we are pressing ahead with action. We have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty through the Spending Review 2025. This includes an expansion of Free School Meals that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of the parliament, establishing a long-term Crisis and Resilience Fund supported by £1bn a year including Barnett impact, investing in local family support services, and extending the £3 bus fare cap.
In August, we confirmed funding of £600m for the Holiday Activities and Food programme for the next three years, ensuring that children and young people can continue to benefit from enriching experiences and nutritious meals during the school holidays.
We do not hold data on rates of homelessness.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions he has has local stakeholders in response to Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s findings on WASPI women in West Dorset.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
No discussions have taken place in West Dorset. After careful consideration of the Ombudsman’s findings, we made our decision which was fair and based on the evidence. There is now live litigation on this matter.