Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the one per cent public sector pay cap on the levels of child poverty since 2010.

The government is committed to tackling the root causes of poverty and considers work as the best route out of poverty. At Summer Budget 2015, it was announced that the Government will fund public sector workforces for an average annual pay increase of 1 per cent for the 4 years from 2016-17 onwards. The impact of this pay policy was considered for various groups and, at the time, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimated that this policy would protect 200,000 public sector jobs. The Statutory Life Chances indicators on parental worklessness and educational attainment are published annually and track progress on tackling the root causes of poverty.