Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the the report by the North East Child Poverty Commission report Getting the building blocks wrong: Early childhood poverty in the North East, published on 12 October, what assessment they have made of the merits of undertaking levelling up impact assessments of all major government policy and spending decisions, including those taken by the Department for Work and Pensions.

No assessment has been made.

However, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has set 12 ambitious levelling up ‘missions’ to anchor ambition and provide clarity over the objectives of public policy for the next decade. These include missions on skills and living standards.

Missions will deliver real change to peoples’ lives by improving living standards by spreading opportunities and enhancing economic growth, restoring local pride, spreading opportunity and empowering local leaders across the country.

Missions will also serve as an anchor for the private sector and civil society. This policy stability and consistency will unleash innovation, investment and collaboration.

To ensure transparency and accountability, the missions are specific and measurable, and are supported by a set of metrics.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities will report on progress towards delivering the missions through an annual report laid before Parliament. The obligation to publish the annual report will be established in statute, creating a regular point for Parliament and the public to debate and scrutinise progress towards levelling up.