Child poverty 'get out' claim

Education is seen as a key route out of poverty

MPs have challenged the government over its UK-wide child poverty targets, saying there is a "get out" clause.

A new bill published last week puts a legal duty on the government, councils and various bodies to work together to lift children out of poverty.

But MPs on the Work and Pensions Committee say a clause in the bill could allow government to sidestep its duty because of economic circumstances.

Financial Secretary Stephen Timms insists the strategy will be funded.

He was appearing in front of the Commons' committee, which has been examining the Child Poverty Bill.

Committee Chairman Terry Rooney, a Labour MP, said a clause talked of the strategy to combat child poverty being "subject to affordability" and the need to have "regard to the economy".

"We think that's quite an efficient get out clause," he said, adding later that "any future government can just say it's not affordable".

"It's either a priority or it's not."

'Value for money'

But Financial Secretary Stephen Timms insisted the strategy would be properly resourced - although it needed to represent value for money.

"The bill says the strategy needs to take account of economic circumstances. There is nothing here to say targets are being lessened," he said.

"If the strategy is not resourced we won't get to the target."

Earlier, Mr Timms had said the targets were legally binding and the only way an administration could get round that would be to repeal the legislation.

The latest figures available, for 2007-08, put the number of children living in poverty at 2.9 million.

Under the new bill, the Westminster government and the devolved authorities in the UK will be obliged to work together and with other bodies to support families and work to cut child poverty.

It sets out four targets with the aim of cutting child poverty, to be met by 2020 across the UK.

Later, Mr Timms said: "The duty to meet the targets in the child poverty bill is absolute. Responses to the consultation argued that there should be no 'get out' from ending child poverty and the Bill reflects that position.

"We must have a sustainable approach to tackling child poverty. Any strategy must take into account the economic position. If not it may, in the long term, undermine our progress in eradicating child poverty. This doesn't have any impact on the binding nature of the child poverty targets."