Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent steps the Government has taken to reduce the number of people in work who are in poverty.

Work is the best route out of poverty. Universal Credit allows people who work to keep more of the money that they earn by introducing work allowances, which, in most cases, are more generous than the current system. The Department for Work and Pensions estimates that 2.4 million working families will be better off, potentially by £167 per month, as a result of Universal Credit. Furthermore, additional support for childcare costs for families on Universal Credit will see 500,000 working families getting more out of the money they earn.