We fully support the aim of the Child Poverty Bill to reduce the  number of children in poverty, which using the relative measure of assessing family income after payment of housing costs and taxation is currently 4 million and more.

Our main concerns about the Bill include:
 - Enforceability of obligations
 - Incorporation of well being principle
 - Minimum income standards
 - Measuring success

Read : Our proposed amendments to the Bill 

The need for research into minimum income standards

Why this need?

• A full time earner on the national minimum wage of £5.73 an hour cannot achieve a minimum income standard, based on Joseph Rowntree Foundation's research, and therefore is not able to come out of poverty.
• Health of babies during pregnancy and their subsequent health have been found to be determined by the healthy nutrition of women before and after conceiving. Poor maternal nutrition at conception and during pregnancy leads to substantially increased risk of developmental brain disorder in the child. The wider cost of mental health problems are estimated to cost the country £77 billion a year, mainly due to people with stress related and mental health problems being unable to work. (ODPM, 2004) reported by Dr Jo Nurse, Head of Mental Health Services at the Department of Health.

  However, it is found that the unemployment benefit for woman aged between 18-25 is £50.95 a week (to be increased to £51.85 a week in April 2010) but the minimum found by Joseph Rowntree Foundation to be needed for adequate nutrition is £43 a week. Should a young woman want to eat healthily for the sake of her child, she will be left with c£7 a week for utility bills and other basic necessities. 

Z2K is proposing two new clauses in the Child Poverty Bill :

• Assessments of needs - The government shall have regard to assessments of the minimum weekly costs of a healthy diet, fuel, clothes, transport and other necessities when deciding the levels of statutory minimum incomes which affect the wellbeing of children.
• Safeguarding the incomes of pregnant women - Provision will be made in regulations to ensure pregnant women have sufficient income remaining to purchase an adequate diet, fuel, clothes, transport and other necessities after enforcement of their debts or fines.. 

 For further reading :