To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of raising the value of child benefit for all children to the rate payable for the first child; how many children would be removed from poverty by such an increase; and if he will make a statement. (95739)

The cost in 2006-07 of raising the value of child benefit for all children to the rate payable for the eldest child is £1.7 billion.

Based on a 60 per cent. contemporary median income poverty threshold, it is estimated that this could lower child poverty by between 250,000 and 300,000 children, depending on the choice of equivalisation scale for household incomes.