Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what forecast his Department has made of the likelihood of fewer than five per cent of children living in material deprivation and low income by 2020-21.

This Government is committed to working to eliminate child poverty and improving life chances.

We know work is the best route out of poverty, and this Government is committed to supporting parents to move into work, increase their earnings, and keep more of what they earn.

We have repeatedly said that the Child Poverty Act does not address the root causes of poverty and focuses only on the symptoms. That is why we have set out proposals in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill which provide a new way to drive effective action and make a real difference in the lives of poor children – both now and in the future.