Poverty: Children

(asked on 12th October 2026) - View Source

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what additional steps his Department is taking to reduce child poverty in Birmingham, following the removal of the two-child benefit cap.


Answered by
Lilian Greenwood Portrait
Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
This question was answered on 20th October 2026

We have extended Free School Meals eligibility to all pupils in households receiving Universal Credit, delivered the first sustained above-inflation increase in the standard allowance of Universal Credit, benefiting around 4 million households, and delivered a £1 billion package to reform crisis support.

We are also investing £39 billion in social and affordable housing, and our £15 billion Warm Homes Plan will lift one million households out of fuel poverty by 2030. To strengthen local services, we are investing £500 million to roll out Best Start Family Hubs, with a commitment to create up to 1,000 hubs across the country by the end of 2028 and investing £500 million in the UK-wide Better Futures Fund, breaking down barriers to opportunity for up to 200,000 vulnerable children and young people.

We are committed to long-term, lasting change beyond this Parliament, ensuring child poverty remains a priority, and we will continue to work across Government and with our stakeholders and partners to ensure we deliver.

Reticulating Splines