Nursery World - Cross-party MPs call on ministers to look into impact of Covid-19 on low-income families

The Government is being urged to commission in-depth research examining the impact of the pandemic on struggling families and children living in poverty.

The Committee of cross-party MPs said it was concerned the the Government has not published any research on the impact of Covid-19 on low-income families PHOTO Adobe Stock

The Work and Pensions Committee is calling on the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to commission research into the impact of Covid-19 on low-income families and publish the results alongside its March 2022 Households Below Average Income statistics.

In its new report, ‘Children in Poverty: Measurement and targets’, the Committee states that ‘To date, DWP [Department for Work and Pensions] has not published any additional, dedicated, research or analysis on the impact of the pandemic on children and families in low-income.

It says it was ‘encouraged to hear that DWP is working with the Department of Health and Social Care and the Office for National Statistics to understand better the impact of the pandemic on family outcomes. However, it is ‘surprising that the DWP has not published any more research or analysis on the impact of Covid-19 on children and families in low incomes, bearing in mind its responsibilities for poverty.’

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