Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Budget on families where parents are unable to work in long-term employment.

The government is committed to helping low-income families with the cost of living. Support provided includes the new £500m Household Support Fund to help vulnerable households with costs for essentials such as food, clothing and utilities over this Winter. The fund is ringfenced so at least 50% will be spent on households with children.

Within the welfare system, the government is maintaining the increase to Local Housing Allowance rates for private renters on Universal Credit and Housing Benefit in cash terms in 2021-22. This increase was worth over an extra £600 on average in 2020-21 for more than 1.5 million households.

The government is also providing over £200 million per year through the Spending Review to continue the holiday activities and food programme, providing healthy food and enriching activities for disadvantaged children in England.

Further support has been put in place through the twelfth consecutive year of freezing fuel duty in 2022-23, with the average car driver paying around £15 less fuel duty per tank and saving a cumulative £1900 since 2011, compared to the pre-2010 escalator.