CHILD POVERTY IN THE SOUTH WEST

Early day motion 228, tabled 15 October 2001 by Lord Cotter (Liberal Democrat). Signed by 32 members.

That this House notes with regret the recent findings of the Invisible Children Report published by Barnardos, which reveals that 132,000 children in the South West are living in poverty; notes with concern that a quarter of all families studied do not have enough money to provide for their children's development because of inadequate benefits; recognises the difficulty which families have in repaying social fund loans; and calls upon the Government to take immediate action to eliminate child poverty by establishing a minimum income standard to maintain the health and welfare of children, instigating a regular poverty audit, replacing the social fund loan system with a system of grants and reviewing policies on concessions to give poorer children better access to recreational activities.

Signatures by party: Liberal Democrat 20, Labour 11, Labour/Co-operative 1.