PBR yet another missed opportunity to reach Child Poverty targets – Plaid AM
26 November 2008
Plaid Cymru Spokesperson on Child Poverty, Bethan Jenkins AM, has today criticised the UK Government’s Pre-Budget Report and claims the Government has missed yet another opportunity to reach it’s own Child Poverty targets.
The UK Government has promised to halve Child Poverty by 2010 and abolish Child Poverty by 2020. But Ms Jenkins has joined charities in concluding that the target could be missed by decades.
Speaking from the Senedd today, Ms Jenkins said:
“The incomes of the poorest 10 per cent have fallen by over 2 per cent in the last year and recent research shows that Child Poverty has actually risen for the first time in seven years – 100,000 children are estimated to have fallen into poverty last years.
“Charities hoped Alastair Darling would provide a £1 billion of funding to target financial help to low-income families in order to keep on course to halve Child Poverty by 2010. At this rate, that target won’t be met until 2024. This pre-Budget Report is yet another missed opportunity.
“The package announced in the Pre-Budget Report amounts to a meagre extra 48p a week for a child living in poverty.
“I support calls by Save the Children for real investment in maintenance and child tax credits as well as targeted assistance through seasonal grants to help families during periods of high costs such as help with winter fuel costs and support during summer holidays where no free school meals are available.
“The Chancellor has abandoned the most vulnerable in our communities. He can find cash to bail out the banks but helping the most vulnerable in society through the current economic crisis appears not to be high on his priority list.”
ENDS
