Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Gregor Poynton and Alex McIntyre

Monday 23rd June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Gregor Poynton (Livingston) (Lab)]

2. What steps she is taking to reduce the number of children in poverty in the Livingston constituency.

[Alex McIntyre (Gloucester) (Lab)]

4. What steps she is taking to reduce the number of children in poverty in Gloucester.

[The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Liz Kendall)]

If I may briefly say so, I am very proud that the spending review delivered the largest ever investment in employment support for sick and disabled people—quadrupling what we inherited from the last Government to over £1 billion a year, or a total of £3.5 billion over this Parliament—so that those who can work get the support they need, while we protect those who can never work.

Tackling child poverty is my personal priority, so I am proud that the Education Secretary and I are bringing in free school meals for all children in families on universal credit, lifting 100,000 children out of poverty—a down payment on our child poverty strategy. We are also delivering the first ever three-year funding settlement for the household support fund, including for holiday hunger, and we are committed to funding the holiday activities and food programme, stopping kids going hungry while they are at school and during the holidays, too.