Written question asked by Lord Touhig (Labour), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Sassoon (Conservative) on Wednesday, 17 November 2010.

Spending Review 2010

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Sassoon on 20 October (HL Deb, col. 858), what impact they expect protecting the NHS budget will have on the number of disabled persons who live below the poverty line.

Answer: The Government are committed to reducing the deficit in a way that is fair and provides the appropriate support to those who need it most. The measures of poverty currently used by the Government are largely income-based. It is not possible to provide a robust estimate of the impact of changes in public service spending on individuals’ incomes, including those of disabled people. It is therefore not possible to measure accurately the impact of departmental spending on relative income poverty. Some of the methodological issues are discussed in Annex B of the Spending Review 2010 document.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 3524; 722 c217WA
Session: 2010-12
Related items: Comprehensive Spending Review
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Parliamentary proceedings
House of Lords
Subjects: Disability Poverty Public expenditure Cuts
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk