Child Poverty Bill 2008-09 to 2009-10

Latest news on the Bill

The Bill has completed its Public Bill Committee Stages and is awaiting a date to Report to the House.

A carry-over motion was also made that allows for any proceedings not completed at the end of this Session of Parliament to be resumed in the next Session. 

Summary of the Bill

The Bill would provide a statutory basis to the commitment made by the Government in 1999 to eradicate child poverty by 2020. Its stated purpose is to give new impetus to the Government’s commitment, and to drive action across departments. It also aims to define success in eradicating child poverty and create a framework to monitor progress at a national and local level.

Key areas

• places a duty on the Secretary of State to meet four United Kingdom-wide income poverty targets by the end of the financial year 2020
• places a duty on the Secretary of State to publish a child poverty strategy evaluating progress towards the four income targets and setting out future action. The strategy, which is to be revised every three years, may make reference to measures that the devolved administrations propose to take to tackle child poverty.

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