UK: Poverty

Lord McKenzie of Luton Excerpts

Monday 25th March 2013 Lords Chamber

[Lord Freud]

My Lords, we provide very significant support to families in need. Working-age benefits stood at £96 billion in 2010 and have been moving up faster than average earnings. Disability payments now stand at 2.4% of GDP, which is much higher than the norm in the EU where the average is 1.4%. We are designing universal credit to target our support efficiently on the poorest families.

[Lord McKenzie of Luton]

My Lords, would the Minister include in his definition of poverty circumstances where families have routinely to resort to food banks to survive?

[Lord Freud]

My Lords, we have a benefits system that is designed to provide the basic needs of people who are poor. Clearly, there is increasing local provision of food banks. Actually, it expanded very dramatically under the previous Government. Interestingly, the really big expansion has been since September 2011 when jobcentre advisers were allowed for the first time to direct people towards them.