Savings Accounts and Health in Pregnancy Grant Bill

I agree. The Government are not in touch with the difficulties of raising a child or of meeting the costs when children reach the age of 18. The child trust fund is worth £500 to each child over their lifetime, but is worth £1,000 to the poorest children. The Minister will know that the previous Labour Government also introduced a disability living allowance payment on top of £100 or £200 for those entitled to DLA. That measure was introduced to take into account the significant extra challenges that disabled people face at that important time in their lives. When that measure passed through Parliament earlier this year, under the previous Labour Government, the Conservative party did not oppose that addition. Indeed, the Financial Secretary said that"““we recognise that additional support is required for children with disabilities, and we have no objections to this statutory instrument.””—[Official Report, Eighth Delegated Legislation Committee, 10 February 2010; c. 4.]" The Liberal Democrats' spokesperson at the time said they were happy to support the regulations. Quite simply, the Government say one thing in opposition and another in government. As young people reach 18, the financial challenges—not least those imposed on them by the current Government—will be more difficult. If individuals do not come from a wealthy background, the prospect of stumping up extra money for tuition fees is an eye-watering one. Not everyone will have a trust fund of their own to manage those resources. The children's trust fund would have provided young people with an extremely welcome lump sum, would have helped people with education and training from the age of 18, and would have helped people to save who had never saved before, to supplement their future income.