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Child Poverty and Housing, End Child Poverty 2007
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MPs Show Their Support for the Campaign to End Child Poverty - 21st of Oct, 2008
ePolitix.com asked a group of MPs to give their views on the Campaign to End Child Poverty and the government’s plans to enshrine in law the target of abolishing child poverty by 2020. Their comments are outlined below.
Comment from Harry Cohen MP:
Child poverty is a seriously awful blight on innocent lives. It makes them vulnerable to unnecessary health risks, taking many years off lives. It swiftly brings educational disadvantage, leading on to damage to life chances. It has social disorder consequences and, again unnecessary, suffering.
Also, Britain needs to take advantage of all its human talents, not have many ending up a cost.
Of course, there are exceptions but social mobility, up to better quality of living and prosperity, is low in Britain. A cycle of child poverty through generations sets in unless dealt with.
The Government target of ending child poverty by 2020 must be met. I would be dismayed if there were distractions which stopped its attainment and that of the 2010 interim target to halve it.
Comment from Barbara Keeley MP:
The work of the End Child Poverty Campaign is invaluable in keeping child poverty at the top of the Government's agenda. The thousands who marched earlier this month to 'Keep the Promise' shows how strongly the British people support measures to eradicate child poverty. I was delighted to hear the Prime Minister's promise to introduce legislation to enshrine in law Labour's pledge to end child poverty by 2020. In areas of my own constituency, families living in deprived areas need continuing action to help them lift their family incomes. The introduction of the minimum wage, the New Deal, Child Tax credits, and the Child Trust Fund have all contributed to improving children's lives. But continuing action is also needed to ensure that in the future no child in this country lives in poverty.
Comment from John Battle MP:
Following the successful End Child Poverty 'Keep The Promise' demonstration in London, the banners that urged the Government to fulfil its pledge to reduce child poverty by 50 per cent by 2015 need to be carried into Parliament and fixed in position as a reminder to Government and all politicians that in this present climate of financial crisis and economic downturn, it is even more imperative that coordinated action to eradicate child poverty is stepped up.
Comment from: Hilary Armstrong MP:
In 1999 Tony Blair set the goal to end child poverty by 2020, and halving it by 2010. No government in history has demonstrated this scale of ambition for its children – it is a historic and ambitious goal. Since 1997 positive government action has now turned this around. However we still face a huge challenge with 2.9 million children still living in poverty. To answer this challenge we must move beyond universal provision, towards personalised interventions and targeting of those most at risk, of sharing data and information across agencies, and of identifying what works and what doesn't so the right people receive the right response to their unique needs. It's a two way process – with positive action taken by government agencies, but at the same time rights with responsibilities means a real commitment and partnership from those receiving support.
Comment from: Annette Brooke MP:
It is important that we, as MPs, play a central role in eradicating child poverty. Through giving families the support they need, this can and must become reality by the Government's target of 2020. Helping parents back to employment is key, but so is providing a fairer taxation and benefits system, so it is not the poorest who are hit disproportionately. Education and support are crucial factors in the fight against poverty and indeed in breaking into the vicious circle of poverty – every child in this country deserves the right to high-quality education. It is up to us to give children and families the necessary tools to improve their lives.
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