Today the Treasury Committee, of which Kerry is a member, released its report on its inquiry on the 2007 Budget. The report confirms that the measures taken by the Government in the Budget will bring 200,000 children out of poverty.
The report, draws on evidence given to the Committee by independent experts, such as the Institute for Fiscal Studies, as well as by the Treasury and the Chancellor.
The independent experts agreed with the Government’s claim that its Budget measures – such as increases in Child Tax Credit and Child Benefit – would lift 200,000 children out of poverty.
Labour has brought 600,000 children out of poverty since coming into power in 1997; the UK now has the fastest falling rate of child poverty in Europe.
But Chancellor Gordon Brown told the Committee during the inquiry that despite Labour’s achievements on child poverty, he was still committed to reaching the Government’s goal of eradicating child poverty by 2020.
The Chancellor said, “We had the worst record for child poverty as a country in 1997. We have taken significant numbers of children out of poverty but there is a lot more that we have to do. … Any statistics that show there is a bigger challenge to meet makes me want to redouble our eVorts to achieve our goals.”

View or download the report at the Treasury Committee’s webpage, here.