31

House of Commons

Thursday 22 October 2009

Public Bill Committee

New Amendments handed in are marked thus

Amendments which will comply with the required notice period at their next appearance

Child Poverty Bill

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Note

The Amendments have been arranged in accordance with the Order of the

Committee [20 October 2009].

Steve Webb

John Barrett

21

Clause  1,  page  1,  line  11,  at end insert—

‘(3)	The Secretary of State shall also ensure that interim targets for child poverty are

met in relation to the United Kingdom in the financial year beginning with 1 April

2015, where such interim targets are specified by the Child Poverty

Commission.’.

Steve Webb

John Barrett

22

Clause  2,  page  1,  line  13,  leave out ‘10’ and insert ‘5’.

Public Bill Committee: 22 October 2009

32

Child Poverty Bill, continued

Mr David Gauke

Andrew Selous

James Duddridge

13

Clause  2,  page  1,  line  13,  leave out from ‘of’ to ‘fall’ in line 14 and insert

‘qualifying households’.

Mr David Gauke

Andrew Selous

James Duddridge

14

Clause  3,  page  2,  line  3,  leave out from ‘of’ to ‘fall’ in line 4 and insert ‘qualifying

households’.

Ms Sally Keeble

17

Clause  3,  page  2,  line  5,  at end insert ‘, and

(c)	experience bad housing conditions.’.

Ms Sally Keeble

18

Clause  3,  page  2,  line  12,  at end add—

‘(4)	Regulations must specify the circumstances in which a child is to be regarded for

the purposes of subsection (1) (c) as experiencing bad housing conditions.’.

Ms Sally Keeble

19

Clause  3,  page  2,  line  12,  at end add—

‘(4)	Regulations must specify the circumstances in which a child is to be regarded for

the purposes of subsection (1) (b) as experiencing material deprivation in relation

to housing.’.

Mr David Gauke

Andrew Selous

James Duddridge

15

Clause  4,  page  2,  line  14,  leave out from ‘of’ to ‘within’ in line 15 and insert

‘qualifying households fall’.

Public Bill Committee: 22 October 2009

33

Child Poverty Bill, continued

Mr David Gauke

Andrew Selous

James Duddridge

16

Clause  5,  page  2,  line  29,  leave out from ‘of’ to ‘households’ in line 31 and insert

‘qualifying’.

Steve Webb

John Barrett

23

Clause  5,  page  2,  line  37,  leave out ‘2015’ and insert ‘2012’.

Steve Webb

John Barrett

24

Clause  6,  page  3,  line  13,  at end insert—

‘(f)	The publication of analysis of the sensitivity of the estimates of child

poverty under sections 2, 3, 4 and 5 to the methodological assumptions

which underlie those estimates.’.

Steve Webb

John Barrett

25

Clause  6,  page  3,  line  13,  at end insert—

‘(f)	How poverty among children who are not included in household surveys

is to be assessed.’.

Steve Webb

John Barrett

26

Clause  6,  page  3,  line  13,  at end insert—

‘(f)	How the statistical surveys used to calculate poverty rates are to be re-

weighted to reflect under-reporting of specified groups.’.

Steve Webb

John Barrett

28

Clause  6,  page  3,  line  14,  leave out subsection (2).

Steve Webb

John Barrett

27

Clause  6,  page  3,  line  18,  at end add ‘and the costs associated with disability.’.

Public Bill Committee: 22 October 2009

34

Child Poverty Bill, continued

Steve Webb

John Barrett

48

Clause  7,  page  3,  leave out lines 29 to 32.

Mr David Gauke

Andrew Selous

James Duddridge

9

Schedule  1,  page  16,  line  12,  at end insert—

‘(1A)

The appointment of the chair under sub-paragraph (1)(a) must be approved by

a resolution of the House of Commons within three months of the appointment.

(1B)	Before appointing a chair under subparagraph (1)(a), the Secretary of State

must consult the Treasury, Work and Pensions, and Children, Schools and

Families Committees of the House of Commons, or their successors.’.

Steve Webb

John Barrett

49

Schedule  1,  page  17,  line  20,  at end insert ‘The sums under 9(c) shall include

resources to commission independent research as required.’.

Mr David Gauke

Andrew Selous

James Duddridge

10

Schedule  1,  page  17,  line  24,  at end insert—

‘(2)	All such remuneration, allowances and expenses must be published monthly

online.’.

Mr David Gauke

Andrew Selous

James Duddridge

1

Clause  8,  page  4,  line  21,  at end insert ‘and the promotion of economic enterprise’.

Ms Karen Buck

50

Clause  8,  page  4,  line  23,  after ‘education’, insert ‘childcare’.

Steve Webb

John Barrett

30

Clause  8,  page  4,  line  24,  after ‘housing,’, insert ‘transport,’.

Public Bill Committee: 22 October 2009

35

Child Poverty Bill, continued

Mr David Gauke

Andrew Selous

James Duddridge

2

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

‘(e)	reducing family breakdown

(f)	assisting children in families with disabilities

(g)	assisting children from minority ethnic backgrounds.’.

Ms Sally Keeble

20

Clause  8,  page  4,  line  25,  at end insert ‘, and

(e)	the criminal justice system.’.

Steve Webb

John Barrett

47

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

‘(e)	childcare’.

Ms Karen Buck

51

Clause  9,  page  5,  line  16,  at end insert—

‘(3A)

If after receiving advice from the Commission the Secretary of State lays before

Parliament a strategy or a revised strategy, he shall lay with the strategy or the

revised strategy a copy of the advice from the Commission and a statement

showing:

(a)	the extent to which he has, in framing the strategy, given effect to the

advice of the Commission; and

(b)	in so far as effect has not been given to the advice of the Commission, his

reasons why not.’.

Mr Stephen Timms

33

Clause  10,  page  6,  line  19,  at end insert—

‘( )	The Scottish Ministers must, on or before each report date relating to a Scottish

strategy, lay before the Scottish Parliament a report which—

(a)	describes the measures taken by the Scottish Ministers in accordance

with the Scottish strategy,

(b)	describes the effect of those measures in contributing to the meeting of

the targets in sections 2 to 5, and

(c)	describes other effects of those measures that contribute to the

achievement of the purpose mentioned in subsection (2)(b).

( )	The report dates relating to a Scottish strategy are each anniversary of the day on

which it was laid before the Scottish Parliament, other than an anniversary which

falls—

Public Bill Committee: 22 October 2009

36

Child Poverty Bill, continued

(a)	on or after the date on which a subsequent Scottish strategy is so laid, or

(b)	after the end of the target year.’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment requires the Scottish Ministers to lay before the Scottish Parliament an annual

report describing how measures taken in accordance with the current Scottish strategy have

contributed to meeting the targets and to ensuring that children in Scotland do not experience

socio-economic disadvantage.

Mr Stephen Timms

34

Clause  11,  page  6,  line  32,  leave out ‘relevant Northern Ireland department

proposes’ and insert ‘Northern Ireland departments propose’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment replaces the reference to the relevant Northern Ireland department with a

reference to the Northern Ireland departments. The intention is to recognise that departments

other than the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister will take measures in

accordance with the Northern Ireland strategy.

Mr Stephen Timms

35

Clause  11,  page  6,  line  44,  leave out ‘relevant Northern Ireland department

intends’ and insert ‘Northern Ireland departments intend’.

Member’s explanatory statement

See Member’s explanatory statement for amendment 34.

Mr Stephen Timms

36

Clause  11,  page  7,  line  3,  leave out ‘relevant Northern Ireland department intends’

and insert ‘Northern Ireland departments intend’.

Member’s explanatory statement

See Member’s explanatory statement for amendment 34.

Mr Stephen Timms

37

Clause  11,  page  7,  line  7,  leave out ‘relevant Northern Ireland department intends’

and insert ‘Northern Ireland departments intend’.

Member’s explanatory statement

See Member’s explanatory statement for amendment 34.

Mr Stephen Timms

38

Clause  11,  page  7,  line  12,  leave out ‘relevant Northern Ireland department’ and

insert ‘Northern Ireland departments’.

Member’s explanatory statement

See Member’s explanatory statement for amendment 34.

Mr Stephen Timms

39

Clause  11,  page  7,  line  19,  at end insert—

Public Bill Committee: 22 October 2009

37

Child Poverty Bill, continued

‘( )	The relevant Northern Ireland department must, on or before each report date

relating to a Northern Ireland strategy, lay before the Northern Ireland Assembly

a report which—

(a)	describes the measures taken by the Northern Ireland departments in

accordance with the Northern Ireland strategy,

(b)	describes the effect of those measures in contributing to the meeting of

the targets in sections 2 to 5, and

(c)	describes other effects of those measures that contribute to the

achievement of the purpose mentioned in subsection (2)(b).

( )	The report dates relating to a Northern Ireland strategy are each anniversary of the

day on which it was laid before the Northern Ireland Assembly, other than an

anniversary which falls—

(a)	on or after the date on which a subsequent Northern Ireland strategy is so

laid, or

(b)	after the end of the target year.’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment requires the relevant Northern Ireland department to lay before the Northern

Ireland Assembly an annual report describing how measures taken in accordance with the current

Northern Ireland strategy have contributed to meeting the targets and to ensuring that children in

Northern Ireland do not experience socio-economic disadvantage.

Mr Stephen Timms

40

Clause  13,  page  8,  line  3,  leave out from beginning to ‘lay’ and insert ‘The

Secretary of State must, on or before each report date relating to a UK strategy’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This amendment (with amendments 41, 42, 43 and 45) clarifies the wording of clause 13. The

laying of each UK strategy triggers an obligation to lay annual reports on the implementation of

that strategy, until either the next strategy is laid or the end of the target year is reached.

Mr Stephen Timms

41

Clause  13,  page  8,  line  7,  leave out ‘current’.

Member’s explanatory statement

See Member’s explanatory statement for amendment 40.

Mr Stephen Timms

42

Clause  13,  page  8,  line  8,  leave out subsection (2) and insert—

‘(2)	The report dates relating to a UK strategy are each anniversary of the day on

which it was laid before Parliament, other than an anniversary which falls—

(a)	on or after the date on which a subsequent UK strategy is so laid, or

(b)	after the end of the target year.’

Member’s explanatory statement

See Member’s explanatory statement for amendment 40.

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Revised 22 October 2009