House of Commons Amendments

House of Commons

Session 2008 - 09
Internet Publications
Other Bills before Parliament

43

House of Commons

Notices of Amendments

given on

Thursday 22 October 2009

For other Amendment(s) see the following page(s) of Supplement to Votes:

Child Poverty Bill Committee 31-42

Public Bill Committee

Child Poverty Bill

Steve Webb

John Barrett

52

Clause  8,  page  4,  line  22,  at end insert ‘and family and friends carers who take on

the care of a child for more than 28 days per year in the following circumstances:

‘(i)
where the child comes to live with the carer as a result of plans

made within a section 47 Children Act 1989 child protection

enquiry; or

(ii)
where a child comes to live with the carer following a section 37

Children Act 1989 investigation;

(iii)
where a carer has secured a Residence Order or Special

Guardianship Order to avoid a child being looked after, and there

is professional evidence of the impairment of the parents’ ability

to care for the child; and/or

(iv)
where the carer has a Residence Order or Special Guardianship

Order arising out of care proceedings; or

(v)
where the carer has a Residence Order or Special Guardianship

Order following the accommodation of a child,’.

Steve Webb

John Barrett

53

Clause  17,  page  9,  line  33,  at end insert—

‘ “family and friends carer” means a person who is raising a child (who is

not living with his or her parents) and is related to the child or otherwise

connected to them.’.

Steve Webb

John Barrett

Ms Karen Buck

54

Clause  14,  page  9,  line  2,  at end insert—

Notices of Amendments: 22 October 2009
44

Child Poverty Bill, continued

‘(2)
The report under section 13 (3) must include a statement on the numbers and the

percentage of children living with family and friends carers in qualifying

households, including:

(a)
the percentage of these households that fell within the relevant income

group for the purpose of section 2;

(b)
the percentage who for the purposes of section 3 are living in households

that fell within the relevant income group and experiencing material

deprivation;

(c)
the percentage of these households that fell within the relevant income

group for the purposes of section 4;

(d)
the percentage of these households during the survey years (as defined by

section 5 (2) which relate to the target year who have lived in households

that fell within the relevant income group for the purposes of section 5 in

at least 3 of the survey years.’.

Steve Webb

John Barrett

55

Clause  21,  page  12,  line  26,  at end insert ‘including the number and needs of

children living with family and friends carers;’.

Steve Webb

John Barrett

56

Clause  9,  page  5,  line  22,  leave out ‘or’ and insert ‘and’.

Steve Webb

John Barrett

57

Clause  22,  page  13,  line  14,  leave out ‘or’ and insert ‘and’.

Mr David Gauke

Andrew Selous

Mr John Baron

58

Clause  8,  page  4,  line  23,  after ‘services’, insert ‘and improving the well-being of

children’.

Mr David Gauke

Andrew Selous

Mr John Baron

59

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  10,  at end add—

‘(e)
the reductions in the causes of poverty targets in section 6.’.

Notices of Amendments: 22 October 2009
45

Child Poverty Bill, continued

The reductions in the causes of poverty targets

Mr David Gauke

Andrew Selous

Mr John Baron

NC3

To move the following Clause:—

‘(1)
The Secretary of State shall make regulations setting out the causes of poverty

targets.

(2)
Such targets may include, but are not limited to:

(a)
low educational attainment and erratic school performance;

(b)
school leavers not in education, employment or training;

(c)
registrations on the Child Protection Plan;

(d)
teenage smoking and obesity;

(e)
teenage pregnancy;

(f)
children in homes with drug and alcohol addiction;

(g)
children growing up in jobless households;

(h)
serious personal debt.’.

Minimum income standards

Mr Graham Stuart

NC4

To move the following Clause:—

‘(1)
In the exercise of his duties, the Secretary of State shall have regard to minimum

income standards.

(2)
It shall be the duty of the Secretary of State to commission research into the

minimum levels of household incomes necessary to sustain a healthy diet, other

necessities, safety and wellbeing for children (in this Act referred to as

“Minimum Income Standards”).’.

Mr Graham Stuart

60

Clause  8,  page  4,  line  25,  at end add—

‘(e)
the development of specific policies to tackle child poverty in rural

areas.’.

Mr Graham Stuart

61

Clause  15,  page  9,  line  21,  at end insert ‘including with regard to any statutory duty

to reduce public borrowing’.

Member’s explanatory statement

The purpose of this amendment is to explore the relationship between the Child Poverty Bill and

the Fiscal Responsibility Bill proposed in the Prime Minister’s Labour Party Conference speech

of 29 September 2009. The Fiscal Responsibility Bill will apparently impose a legally binding

obligation on the Government to reduce the levels of public borrowing. The amendment seeks to

obtain clarification as to whether the Secretary of State, in preparing a UK strategy, and the

Commission, in considering advice, will need to take into account this obligation should the Fiscal

Responsibility Bill be enacted.

Notices of Amendments: 22 October 2009
46

Child Poverty Bill, continued

Mr Graham Stuart

62

Clause  19,  page  11,  line  3,  at end add—

‘(i)
a Mental Health Trust.’.

John Howell

63

Clause  24,  page  14,  line  7,  leave out from ‘of’ to ‘section’ in line 8.

Ms Karen Buck

64

Clause  8,  page  4,  line  22,  at end insert ‘and family and friends carers who take on

the care of a child for more than 28 days in the following circumstances:

(a)
where the child comes to live with the carer as a result of plans made

within a section 47 Children Act 1989 child protection enquiry; or

(b)
where a child comes to live with the carer following a section 37 Children

Act 1989 investigation;

(c)
where a carer has secured a Residence Order or Special Guardianship

Order to avoid a child being looked after, and there is professional

evidence of the impairment of the parents’ ability to care for the child;

and/or

(d)
where the carer has a Residence Order or Special Guardianship Order

arising out of care proceedings; or

(e)
where the carer has a Residence Order, Special Guardianship Order

following the accommodation of a child.’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This would require the Secretary of State to consider what measures ought to be taken re the

provision of financial support for family and friends carers who are raising children because the

parent is unable to care for the child and there is judicial or professional evidence to verify this.

Ms Karen Buck

65

Clause  17,  page  10,  line  6,  at end add ‘A “friends and friends carer” means a person

who is raising a child (who is not living with his parents) and is related to the child or

otherwise connected to them.’.

Ms Karen Buck

66

Clause  21,  page  12,  line  26,  at end insert ‘including the number of, and needs of,

children living with family and friends carers.’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This aims to ensure that regulations setting out what local authority child poverty needs

assessment covers includes children who are being raised by family and friends carers.