Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the increase in the gig economy on levels of child poverty.

National statistics on child poverty are published annually in the “Households Before Average Income” publication. These statistics do not separate households based on their employment in the gig economy and therefore do not make an assessment of the effect of the gig economy on levels of child poverty.

Overall, 18 percent of children are in 'before housing costs absolute poverty' and 26 percent of children are in after housing costs absolute poverty. 'Before housing cost absolute poverty' is down by 1 percentage point since 2009/10 and after housing costs absolute poverty is down by 2 percentage points since 2009/10. The number of children in 'before housing cost absolute poverty' is unchanged since 2009/10 and has fallen by 100,000 for after housing cost absolute poverty.

These statistics can be found using the link below, in table 4.2ts, in the file “children-rends-hbai-1994-95-2017-18-tables.ods”.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/households-below-average-income-199495-to-201718

Advances in technology and the rise of the gig economy have increased opportunities for people to work more flexibly. While we welcome these opportunities, they cannot be at the expense of workers’ rights. That is why the Prime Minister commissioned Matthew Taylor to undertake his review of Modern Working Practices, and why the Government is taking the decisive action set out in the Good Work Plan to address his recommendations.