Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment his Department has made on the effect of the level of poverty on (a) the cost of public services, and b) revenue accrued to the public purse.

The government is focused on tackling the root causes of poverty, such as education and worklessness, to improve the lives of people in our country.

Since 2010 the number of people in poverty has fallen – there are 1,000,000 fewer people, including 300,000 fewer children, in absolute poverty (before housing costs), both record lows. Helping people off welfare and into work, helps the economy grow, means we can spend more on other priorities like the NHS and infrastructure and gives more people the opportunity to get on in life. Since 2010 there are 3.3m more people in work and the unemployment rate is at its lowest since 1975.

HM Treasury does not analyse the aggregate impact of the level of poverty on public services and government revenue.