A report this week by the Commons Select Committee on Work and Pensionssays that there are still 2.8 million children living in poverty, andone in five families with a disabled child has had to cut back onfood.
The report concludes that the Government must 'accelerate its efforts'if its child poverty targets are to be met and calls for a long-termstrategy on income for those who are unable to work. It says benefitsshould be increased in line with earnings, rather than inflation, toprevent the gap widening between those at work and those onbenefits.
The MPs agree that getting parents into long-term employment should bethe focus of the child poverty strategy. But they highlight a number ofproblems facing parents looking for suitable childcare, including cost,quality, flexibility, opening hours and availability in deprivedareas.
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