Child Poverty Bill

House of Commons

Session 2008 - 09
Internet Publications
Other Bills before Parliament

Child Poverty Bill

Child Poverty Bill
Schedule 2 — Continuing effect of targets after target year
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Schedule 2
Section 16

Continuing effect of targets after target year
Interpretation of Schedule
1
In this Schedule—
“renewed target year” means—
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(a)
a financial year in relation to which the Secretary of State is
required by paragraph 2 to ensure that the targets are met, or
(b)
a financial year specified under paragraph 3(a);
“the targets” means the targets in sections 2, 3 and 5 and, subject to
paragraph 9, the target in section 4;
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“target statement”—
(a)
in relation to the target year, means the report required by
section 13(3), and
(b)
in relation to a renewed target year, means the statement
required by paragraph 8.
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Duty to maintain targets
2
If the target statement relating to the target year or a renewed target year
indicates that the targets have been met in relation to that financial year, the
Secretary of State must ensure that they are also met in relation to the
financial year following that in which that target statement is laid before
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Parliament.
Duty to make regulations requiring targets to be met in specified financial year
3
If the target statement relating to the target year or a renewed target year
indicates that any of the targets has not been met in relation to that financial
year, the Secretary of State must make regulations under this paragraph—
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(a)
requiring the Secretary of State to ensure that the targets are met in
relation to a later financial year specified in the regulations,
(b)
requiring the Secretary of State, the Scottish Ministers and the
relevant Northern Ireland department to publish strategies,
(c)
requiring consultation by the Secretary of State, in relation to any
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strategy prepared by the Secretary of State, with the persons
mentioned in section 9(4)(a) to (c) and consultation by the Scottish
Ministers and the relevant Northern Ireland department, in relation
to strategies prepared by them, with the persons whom they are
required to consult under section 12(3)(a) to (c), and
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(d)
requiring the Secretary of State to publish annual reports on the
implementation of any strategy prepared by the Secretary of State.
4
Regulations under paragraph 3 must be made as soon as reasonably
practicable after the time when the target statement referred to in that
paragraph is laid before Parliament.
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5
Regulations under paragraph 3 may confer or impose functions on the
Commission.

Child Poverty Bill
Schedule 2 — Continuing effect of targets after target year
21

6
The provision that may be made by regulations under paragraph 3 includes
provision corresponding to that made (in relation to financial years not later
than the target year) by any of the following—
(a)
sections 8 and 9 (UK strategies);
(b)
sections 10, 11 and 12 (Scottish and Northern Ireland strategies);
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(c)
section 13 (reports);
(d)
paragraph 16 of Schedule 1 (provision of advice by Commission).
Economic and fiscal circumstances
7     (1)
The matters mentioned in section 15(2) must be taken into account—
(a)
by the Secretary of State in preparing a strategy under regulations
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under paragraph 3;
(b)
by the Commission in considering any advice to be given under any
such regulations.
      (2)
In preparing a strategy under regulations under paragraph 3, the Scottish
Ministers or the relevant Northern Ireland department must have regard to
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the matters mentioned in section 15(3)(a) and (b).
Statement as to whether targets are met in relation to renewed target year
8     (1)
The Secretary of State must, as soon as reasonably practicable after the end
of each renewed target year, lay before Parliament a statement of—
(a)
the percentage of children living in qualifying households in the
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United Kingdom in the renewed target year who were living in
households that fell within the relevant income group for the
purposes of section 2 (the relative low income target);
(b)
the percentage of children living in qualifying households in the
United Kingdom in the renewed target year who were for the
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purposes of section 3 (the combined low income and material
deprivation target) living in households that fell within the relevant
income group and experiencing material deprivation;
(c)
if the absolute low income target in section 4 applies in relation to the
renewed target year, the percentage of children living in qualifying
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households in the United Kingdom in the renewed target year who
were living in households that fell within the relevant income group
for the purposes of that section;
(d)
the percentage of children who have lived in qualifying households
during the survey years (as defined by section 5(2)) which relate to
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the renewed target year who have lived in households that fell
within the relevant income group for the purposes of section 5 (the
persistent poverty target) in at least 3 of the survey years.
      (2)
The statement must be based on statistics that the Statistics Board has
designated under section 12 of the Statistics and Registration Service Act
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2007 (assessment) as National Statistics.
      (3)
Whether the targets have been met in relation to a renewed target year is to
be determined by reference to the percentages given in the statement.
      (4)
If any of the targets has not been met, the statement must explain why it has
not been met.
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Child Poverty Bill
Schedule 2 — Continuing effect of targets after target year
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Power to exclude or modify absolute low income target
9     (1)
Regulations may—
(a)
amend the percentage specified in subsection (1) of section 4 (the
absolute low income target) or the base year specified in subsection
(4) of that section in their application in relation to any financial year
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later than the target year, or
(b)
repeal section 4, and the reference to that section in section 24(3)(a).
      (2)
Regulations made by virtue of sub-paragraph (1)(b) do not affect the
application of section 4 in relation to the target year or any other financial
year before the regulations are made.
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