Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation UK Poverty 2018, published on 4 December.

The figure quoted by the Joseph Rowntree Trust in this report is taken from official national statistics on the number and proportion of people in low income published by the Department for Work in March 2018. These statistics show that there are one million fewer people living in absolute poverty since 2010, including 300,000 children. Whichever way you look at overall poverty – relative or absolute, before or after housing costs, none are higher than 2010- in fact three are lower.

This Government believes that the best way of tackling poverty is by building a strong economy and getting people into work. Adults in workless families are around 4 times more likely to be in poverty than those in working families. Children in workless households are around 5 times more likely to be in poverty after housing costs than those where all adults work. Nationally, there are now over 3.3 million more people in work, around 964,000 fewer workless households, and around 637,000 fewer children living in such households compared with 2010. This is why we will continue with our reforms to the welfare system so that it encourages work whilst supporting those who need help.