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 effect of the measures in Budget Statement 2015 on levels of child poverty in (a) in-work and (b) out-of-work families.

This Government is committed to working to eliminate child poverty and improving life chances for children.

We know that work is the best route out of poverty, which is why we are focused on ensuring people have the skills and the opportunities to move into employment.

The Government has carefully considered the impact of the tax and benefit reforms introduced in the Summer Budget. The intended impact of these reforms is to incentivise work, ensure work always pays, and then allow people to keep more of what they earn.