Oral Answers to Questions

Russell Brown Excerpts

Tuesday 26th June 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hoban]

The scheme is designed to encourage lending not just to small businesses and households but across the board to all businesses. We want to make sure that when banks put collateral to the Bank of England, it is in response to their having lent more. That is absolutely vital for a scheme that encourages lending and we will make sure that we design the scheme to do so.

[Mr Russell Brown (Dumfries and Galloway) (Lab)]

12. What assessment he has made of the effect of the Government's fiscal policies on the level of child poverty.

[The Economic Secretary to the Treasury (Miss Chloe Smith)]

The Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission is being set up and will provide an assessment of child poverty using a wide range of measures, including income.

[Mr Brown]

Before the 2010 election, the Prime Minister said:

“Poverty is relative—and those who pretend otherwise are wrong.”

Why are the Government now planning to abolish that measure of child poverty?

[Miss Smith]

The Government have confirmed their commitment to child poverty targets and we are going further by consulting on better measures of child poverty in the autumn. We seek a range of views on that.