Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Oral Answers to Questions

Kerry McCarthy Excerpts
Tuesday 29th January 2019

(5 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Elizabeth Truss Portrait Elizabeth Truss
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That is one of the reasons—rising demand—that we have put extra money into the NHS: up to £20 billion per year. But as part of the spending review we will be looking across the board to make sure that services are integrated and we are investing to get the best possible results for people.

Kerry McCarthy Portrait Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East) (Lab)
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9. What plans he has to tackle child poverty.

Elizabeth Truss Portrait The Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Elizabeth Truss)
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We are working to tackle the root causes of poverty by getting people into work and giving children the best possible education. A record number of children are now in working households and there are 630,000 fewer children in workless households than there were in 2010.

Kerry McCarthy Portrait Kerry McCarthy
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A number of Members have been involved in the children’s future food inquiry, and we have heard some shocking stories recently about children going to school hungry, packed lunches consisting of maybe two slices of white bread with nothing in between and worse stories. What is the Treasury doing to help the UK to meet the sustainable development goal on zero hunger because it seems at the moment that it is doing very little?

Elizabeth Truss Portrait Elizabeth Truss
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I point out to the hon. Lady that 1 million fewer people are now in absolute poverty than in 2010, including 300,000 fewer children, but of course we continue to look at the best way to help children in school—I know that the Department for Education is looking at this—to make sure that children are properly nourished.