Child Poverty appears here as a parliamentary thread from the Commons Chamber on 24 Jun 2026, with 3 speakers contributing 7 speeches.

#Child Poverty, #Department for Education, #Two Child Limit, #Free School Meals, #Childcare, #Breakfast Clubs, #Family Hubs, #Attainment Gap, #Children's Literacy, #Libraries

MPs questioned the Chancellor on what the Government is doing to ease rising household costs in Falkirk, with Labour pointing to Budget measures such as higher minimum pay, the pension triple lock, free school meals and VAT cuts on some summer attractions. The main pressure point was whether any future help with energy bills should include working families, as concerns grow about prices later in the year.

#Cost of Living, #Falkirk, #Energy Bills, #HM Treasury, #VAT, #Free School Meals, #Middle East Conflict

Mike Kane pressed the Chancellor on what the Government is doing to ease living costs for his constituents, and whether universal credit should be set through an independent process so it better covers essentials. Rachel Reeves pointed to Budget measures already in place, including freezing prescription charges and rail fares, cutting £150 from energy bills, protecting pensioners through the triple lock, ending the two-child limit, and expanding free breakfast clubs and school meals for children on universal credit.

#Cost of Living, #Universal Credit, #Two Child Benefit Cap, #Wythenshawe and Sale East, #Free School Meals, #HM Treasury, #Department for Work and Pensions

Ministers said updated school food standards, the first in 10 years, will be published in September alongside an expansion of free school meals, but defended phasing in some secondary school drink changes until September 2028 so schools have time to prepare.

Education ministers faced questions on early years inspections, free school meals, teacher pay, school sport and support for children with special educational needs, promising 3,000 extra Ofsted visits, expanded meals, a state apology over forced adoptions and safeguarding reforms by March.

The Lords welcomed plans to scrap the two-child benefit limit and expand free school meals, but questioned whether the strategy can cut poverty enough without firmer targets and action on the benefit cap, housing costs and low pay; ministers said it should lift 550,000 children out of poverty and promised a summer baseline report to track progress.