Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what additional steps his Department is taking to reduce child poverty in Birmingham, following the removal of the two-child benefit cap.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

We have extended Free School Meals eligibility to all pupils in households receiving Universal Credit, delivered the first sustained above-inflation increase in the standard allowance of Universal Credit, benefiting around 4 million households, and delivered a £1 billion package to reform crisis support.

We are also investing £39 billion in social and affordable housing, and our £15 billion Warm Homes Plan will lift one million households out of fuel poverty by 2030. To strengthen local services, we are investing £500 million to roll out Best Start Family Hubs, with a commitment to create up to 1,000 hubs across the country by the end of 2028 and investing £500 million in the UK-wide Better Futures Fund, breaking down barriers to opportunity for up to 200,000 vulnerable children and young people.

We are committed to long-term, lasting change beyond this Parliament, ensuring child poverty remains a priority, and we will continue to work across Government and with our stakeholders and partners to ensure we deliver.