Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Universal Credit in reducing in-work poverty among families with children.

The Government is clear that work should be a route out of poverty and is acting both to support people into work and to improve incomes for working families. Children living in households where no adults work are around 4 times more likely to be in poverty than those in households where all adults are in work. However, most children in poverty are in families where at least one adult works, with low hourly wages and low working hours among the factors associated with in-work child poverty. That is why supporting parents into work and helping them progress and increase their earnings is central to our approach.

Through the Get Britain Working programme we are reforming employment, health and skills support to help people overcome barriers to employment, move into good work and progress in their careers. We are also strengthening employment rights to deliver more secure and flexible work and expanding access to affordable childcare so parents can take up and progress in employment. Our Child Poverty Strategy also tackles the cost of essentials, including housing, childcare and food, to ease the pressures on working families, and takes action to strengthen support and services for children and families.