| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
26 Nov 2008 : Column 1830W—continued
| Table 3: Number of children aged three to five in working age workless households in Carshalton and Wallington constituency, London and England, April to June in each year 1997 to 2008 | |||
| Carshalton and Wallington | London | England | |
| Table 4: Proportion of children aged three to five in working age workless households in Carshalton and Wallington constituency, London and England, April to June in each year 1997 to 2008 | |||
| Percentage | |||
| Carshalton and Wallington | London | England | |
| n/a = denotes data not available to avoid the disclosure of individuals. Notes: 1. Numbers of children in working age workless households have been rounded to the nearest 1,000 children. Proportions of children in low income households have been rounded to the nearest 0.1 percentage point. 2. The table is not adjusted for households with unknown economic status. 3. Percentages are based on children living in working age households with known economic status. Some individuals on the LFS within the household have unknown economic status. Source: Labour Force Survey | |||
The Government's preferred measure of relative low income poverty for children is defined as being in a household with a household income of less than 60 per cent. of the contemporary median income on a ‘Before Housing’ cost basis.
Specific information regarding low income for the United Kingdom is available in ‘Households Below Average Income 1994/95-2006/07’.
The data source does not allow us to provide robust numbers for estimates below the level of Government office region or inner and outer London for the London Government office region. Information on the numbers of children below 60 per cent. of national contemporary median income is set out in the following tables. Three survey year averages are given as robust single year estimates for regions cannot be produced because of volatility in estimates.
| Table 5: Numbers (million) and proportions of three to five-year-olds living in households below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income for England and London (Before Housing costs) | ||||
| England | London | |||
| Number (million) | Proportion (percentage) | Number (million) | Proportion (percentage) | |
| Notes: 1. Low income statistics are based on Households Below Average Income data. 2. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. The reference period for Households Below Average Income figures is single financial years. Three sample years have been combined for London as regional single year estimates are subject to volatility. 4. The income measures used to derive the low income estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication ‘Households Below Average Income’ series, which uses disposable household income, adjusted (or “equivalised”) for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 5. The low income figures are based on OECD equivalisation factors. 6. Low income figures have been presented before Housing costs, which is consistent with the child poverty PSA target. For before Housing costs, housing costs (such as rent, water rates, mortgage interest payments, structural insurance payments and ground rent and service charges) are not deducted from income. 7. Numbers of children in low income households have been rounded to the nearest 100,000 children, while proportions of children in low income households have been rounded to the nearest percentage point. 8. Totals may not sum due to rounding. | ||||
Children: Obesity
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children in each year group have opted out of the National Child Measurement Programme in each year since its inception. [237220]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) was established in 2005 and is an important part of the ‘Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives’ strategy. The NCMP aims to weigh and measure all children in reception year (four to five years old) and year 6 (10 to 11 years old) in primary schools.
The rates of participation for each year group for the first two years of the NCMP are as follows:
2005-06: 57 per cent. for reception year (297,600 children measured); 42 per cent. for year 6 (240,800 children measured).
2006-07: 83 per cent. for reception year (435,927 children measured); 78 per cent. for year 6 (440,489 children);
The results for 2007-08 will be published in December 2008.
Records are not kept of the reasons that children give for not participating in NCMP, so further detail cannot be provided. Reasons include parents taking up the option to withdraw their child from the programme, children themselves choosing not to take part or being unable to participate due to sickness absence.
Children: Poverty
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will estimate the number of children living in poverty who are not entitled to free school meals; and if he will make a statement. [236316]
Beverley Hughes: It is estimated that around half of children living in poverty are not entitled to free school meals.
Free school meals are available only to children whose parents/guardians are in receipt of one or more of the following benefits:
Income Support
Income-Based Jobseeker’s Allowance
Employment and Support Allowance (Income Related)—from 27 October 2008
Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
Families in receipt of Child Tax Credit will also qualify provided that (a) they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit, and (b) their annual income, as assessed by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs does not exceed £15,575 as at 6 April 2008 (subject to annual review).
Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
Child poverty is defined as children living in families with equivalised income before housing costs below 60 per cent. of median household income. This is measured using data from the Family Resources Survey, and figures are published annually in Households Below Average Income.
Children: Protection
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance other than that relating to the Criminal Records Bureau checking procedures he provides on the measures for schools to take to ensure the safety of their students. [234652]
Beverley Hughes: It has not proved possible to respond in the time available before Prorogation.
Mr. Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many referrals to social services were made where there was a concern about a child's safety in the year ending March (a) 2004, (b) 2005, (c) 2006, (d) 2007 and (e) 2008; [237698]
(2) how many children were on the child protection register in the year ending March (a) 2004, (b) 2005, (c) 2006, (d) 2007 and (e) 2008. [237699]
Beverley Hughes: Information on the number of referrals of children to children's social care services is shown in table 1. The reason for the referral is not collected centrally by the Department.
| Table 1: Referrals of children to children's social care services( 1)( ,)( 2) , years ending 31 March 2004 to 2008—England | ||||
| Numbers | Percentages | |||
| All referrals during year | of which: Referrals within 12 months of a previous referral( 3) | All referrals during year | of which: Referrals within 12 months of a previous referral( 3) | |
| (1)Figures are rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000 and to the nearest 10 otherwise. (2)Figures for referrals include unborn children. (3)Re-referrals relate to a previous referral to the same authority only. Source: CPR3. | ||||
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |