Kerry McCarthy - Labour MP

The Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy tells ePolitix.com about her work with the End Child Poverty Campaign and the forthcoming Keep the Promise rally in central London.

Question: You have been very active on child poverty. What inspired you on this issue and what have you done?

Kerry McCarthy: My main motivation for choosing to get involved in politics was growing up seeing people around me - particularly children - living in poverty and not having the same opportunities or advantages that others take for granted.

I saw the lasting damage that growing up in poverty could do to a child's development, health, educational prospects and life chances, and knew that such children could thrive if only they were given a helping hand.

The drive to eradicate child poverty by 2020, with an interim milestone of halving child poverty by 2010, is one of the government's key pledges. It is ambitious, but achievable, with political will and the right policies. After being elected to Parliament in 2005, I linked up with various children's charities, including Save the Children, the Children's Society, the Child Poverty Action Group, Barnardos, Every Disabled Child Matters and the Single Parent Action Network, which has its national headquarters in my constituency.

At their request, I convened a group of Labour backbenchers with an interest in child poverty issues, including the chair of the work and pensions select committee, Terry Rooney, and former ministers John Battle, Karen Buck and Fiona Mactaggart. The aim of the group is to ensure that child poverty is kept on the political agenda; that the government isn't allowed to take its eye off the ball.

We've met with several government ministers to discuss these issues, and take every opportunity we can to raise child poverty issues in the Commons chamber. Three of us also managed to get a private meeting with the prime minister, where we discussed in some detail what further measures could be taken.

Also as part of this drive to raise the profile of child poverty issues, I have had a couple of Westminster Hall debates, one on child poverty and one on the role of local authorities in tackling child poverty, and have taken part in others. I've also chaired meetings in Parliament and at Labour Party conference where young people have had the opportunity to quiz senior politicians.

Before last year's Budget we had a march round Whitehall involving several hundred children, which was followed by a session at No. 11 Downing Street where young people put questions to Alistair Darling, Ed Balls, Peter Hain and Jane Kennedy. I also organised a letter to the Observer, calling for the government to include measures on child poverty in the 2008 Budget; this was circulated to fellow Labour MPs and, within 24 hours, 80 of them had signed up in support.

The government now needs to do more in its next two Budgets if it is to have any hope of meeting its interim target, so we will continue to keep up the pressure. We know that government ministers are very sympathetic to our cause, but we have to ensure that tackling child poverty remains the government's number one priority.

Question: The "End Child Poverty" campaign is holding an event on October 4 that you are involved with. Can you tell us about this event?

Kerry McCarthy: On October 4, the 'Keep the Promise' march and rally will be taking place in central London. It has been organised by the End Child Poverty Campaign, and tens of thousands of children with their families and supporters are expected to take part, making it the biggest ever child poverty event.

The day begins with a march along Millbank, leaving at 12.30pm from near Lambeth Bridge. The marchers will pass Parliament and Downing Street, eventually arriving in Trafalgar Square where they will be entertainment for the children, speeches and a 'mass moment' calling for an end to child poverty.

Several government ministers, including the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions are expected to attend. There will also be a church service before the march sets off, at St Margaret's Church, Westminster Abbey at 11.30am.

Question: What sort of policies need to be implemented to reach the 2010 goal of halving child poverty?

Kerry McCarthy: Much of the government's drive to end child poverty has focused on getting parents into work and, importantly, making work pay. This has included the New Deal for lone parents, the minimum wage, tax credits, record rises in child benefit, child care tax credits, and free nursery places. The simplest way of meeting the 2010 target would be to increase some of these payments; the ECP coalition says that an extra £3bn of spending is needed. 

One of the main objectives of the Labour Child Poverty group of MPs has been to identify inconsistencies in welfare rules and other factors (transport costs, lack of childcare) which can mean that parents are not always better off in work. 

Various groups within the End Child Poverty coalition have advocated other measures to boost family incomes; for example, Save the Children wants to see seasonal grants (lump sum payments in the summer and before Christmas to help households meet additional one-off costs), whereas the CPAG has campaigned for the equalisation of child benefit (for example, so that the second, third, fourth children in a family receive the same amount as the first-born, which would help large families, who are more likely to be living in poverty).

But it is not just about putting more money into people's pockets, although this is important. The government also measures material deprivation, and measures to tackle poor health and poor housing, for example, are important (for example, the government is looking seriously at introducing universal free school meals, has introduced the decent homes standard, and is building more affordable social housing).

I have suggested that local authorities could do much more, particularly in their role as social housing providers, as local education authorities, through social services and in the administration of housing benefit (which I believe needs substantial reform as administrative problems related to housing benefit often acts as a deterrent to people moving from welfare into work, or makes life difficult for those who do).

Children who live in poverty often fall behind at school, perhaps because their parents have no educational qualifications or do not believe education to be important. Sometimes, if they live in overcrowded accommodation, they do not have the space to study and they are less likely to have computers or books at home. The Extended Schools initiative is therefore important, as it allows students to use school facilities after hours; I know pupils in my constituency make good use of this opportunity.

The government is already providing laptops for some children's use and at this year's Labour conference, Gordon Brown announced that one million poor families would be helped with the cost of broadband.

The prime minister also announced at conference that the goal of eradicating child poverty by 2020 would be made a statutory obligation, which means that the government could be challenged in the courts if it fails to implement policies which would help achieve this goal. This has been welcomed by the ECP coalition.
 

Question: What are the roots of child poverty that the government must address in its long-term planning?

Kerry McCarthy: Unemployment is obviously one factor, although around 50 per cent of children living in poverty have one or more parent in work, so it is not just about getting parents into work, but making sure they are better of in work and can stay in work.

Children brought up in poverty are far more likely to be poor themselves as adults. We need to break this cycle of deprivation. Low aspiration is a real problem, which is being tackled by working with families from when children are very young - for example, through Sure Start schemes, children's centres and the so-called 'Super-Nanny' parenting schemes. 

Sometimes there are complex family circumstances which make tackling child poverty more problematic. For example, a parent may be addicted to alcohol or drugs, or have mental health problems or a physical disability. Some might be involved in criminal activity which means they are in and out of prison. Some might be the victims of domestic violence or in abusive relationships which affect their ability to do their best for their children.

The government's Families at Risk review looks at ways of identifying and working with families with five or more factors which put them at risk of social exclusion (which include things like unemployment, poor mental health, and addictions). In such cases, putting more money into parents' pockets may not in itself be enough, and greater intervention and family support is needed.