Child Poverty

Lord Roberts of Llandudno Excerpts

Tuesday 24th January 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord Freud]

My Lords, I was trying to answer that question just now. The IFS projections are valuable and important, but they do not absorb changes in future policy and they do not make any assumptions as to behavioural change; many of the policies that we are driving are trying to get people back into work and reduce worklessness in that way. In particular, as regards universal credit, the report does not take into account the reduction in workless families that we are expecting.

[Lord Roberts of Llandudno]

My Lords, if the reforms going through the House at the moment are carried, many families lose their homes and children are put into care, the cost will be £2,900 a week for each child who is in care. Have the Government taken that into consideration?

[Lord Freud]

As noble Lords will know, we are not expecting that kind of change as a result of our policies. We have in that sense taken that into account.