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Child Poverty Bill

To suggest that nothing has happened since the last Green Paper simply is not right. In the past 12 years, the Government have introduced new legislation, developed groundbreaking new policies on children and families and invested very significant public funds in improving support. I mention, for example, that leave entitlements for parents have been transformed and many more families now have access to high-quality childcare. The Every Child Matters programme has been embraced in every area across government. The noble Baroness, Lady Meacher, talked about the importance of education. I agree with that. The Government believe that all young people should receive a comprehensive programme of sex and relationships education. The provision of SRE should be a partnership between parents and schools, with parents leading on instilling values in their children. However, schools have a clear role to play in giving young people accurate information and helping them to develop the skills that they need to make safe and responsible choices.