Child Poverty Bill

My Lords, I, too, have an amendment at this point of the Bill, which I shall move shortly, and it is more flexible than this one. Although all the groups listed here should be considered, the amendment tabled by the noble Lord does not cover all children and families who are most at risk of poverty, according to the households below average income statistics. Current HBAI data tell us that the at-risk groups include large families, families with a disabled child or adult, lone-parent households, families with young children and some BME groups. Not all these at-risk groups are covered in this amendment, but there is a strong case for having better data on children in families where one or more members are in prison, as there is a strong association between parental imprisonment and adverse outcomes for children. A recent Barnardo’s report found that prisoners’ families are vulnerable to financial instability, poverty, debt and potential housing problems. However, any data would have to be collected at the earliest possible opportunity so that the needs of children could be addressed.