22 March 2004
A report published today shows that the government has halted and begun to reverse some trends in social exclusion and sets out plans to continue the progress.
Children and families have benefited the most from a reversal in the steady rise in poverty. The report from the Social Exclusion Unit shows that:
- The number of children living in relative low-income households has fallen by half a million since 1997;
- The number of people sleeping rough fell by 70 per cent since 1998; and
- 200,000 lone parents have moved into work since 1997.
Yvette Cooper, Minister in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, said:
"The last few decades of the 20th century saw child poverty, unemployment and social exclusion reach breaking point. By tackling the economic causes of social exclusion this government has halted and started to reverse deep-rooted and powerful trends."
She said that while good progress has been made, there is still a long way to go. Only 53 per cent of single parents are in work, for example, 18 per cent of pensioners and 16 per cent of children are living in persistent poverty and Bangladeshi and Pakistani households are three times more likely to be on a low income.
The report sets out likely trends in the UK - such as an ageing population, greater ethnic diversity and a growing proportion of single person households. The Minister said the government must design policy with these trends in mind to prevent new types of social exclusion.
The Social Exclusion Unit was set up by the Prime Minister in 1997 to find joined-up solutions to the joined-up problems of social exclusion.
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