Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number of pupils that have experienced hygiene poverty in each of the last five years.

This government is committed to tackling child poverty as part of our mission to break down the barriers to opportunity for every child.

Child poverty has gone up by 700,000 since 2010, with over four million children now growing up in a low-income family. This not only harms children’s lives now, but it also damages their future prospects and holds back our society and economy.

The Child Poverty Taskforce recognises families' ability to afford essentials, including hygiene essentials, as a fundamental aspect of child poverty. Addressing acute poverty, including access to essentials, is a core focus of the work being developed through the Child Poverty Strategy. This is set out in more detail in the 23 October publication ‘Tackling Child Poverty: Developing our Strategy’, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tackling-child-poverty-developing-our-strategy.