Guaranteed Minimum Pensions Increase Order 2009

Any minute, my Lords. There we are. That will provide the most up-to-date figure. I should say also in relation to Jobcentre Plus that the claimant count may be rising, but people are still finding work. People are coming off jobseeker’s allowance, although, sadly more are going on. The noble Lord—I was going to say, waxed lyrical, but I am not sure that that is fair, because I do not agree with him—gave an economic analysis about where inflation was heading. I would not accept that inflation is bound to rise. We know that it looks as if in the short term it is going in very much the reverse direction. It is not predicted, but we have made clear that should inflation go to zero or even lower, there is no question of reducing benefits. Obviously, what happens will have to be assessed at the time, but we are also committed to uprate the state pension by 2.5 per cent whatever as a minimum. I give the noble Lord that reassurance, but I would not accept the assertion that inflation is bound to rise. I would not accept the description of quantitative easing as printing money. That is too simplistic an analysis of what is happening. The noble Lord, Lord Kirkwood, asked about child poverty. I confirm that our declared aim is to eradicate child poverty by 2020. Our goal is a society where no child’s life is scarred by poverty and every child has the chance to realise their potential to achieve extraordinary things. Our record demonstrates that we are seeking to tackle that, reversing two decades of a rising trend. Our policies have already lifted 600,000 children out of poverty, and halved absolute poverty. In September last year, the Prime Minister demonstrated the Government’s renewed impetus to tackle child poverty by signalling his intention to legislate to end it. We will have that legislation before the House some time soon. When this Government came to power, there were 3.4 million children living in poverty. There are currently 2.9 million, a fall of 600,000, so we are addressing that issue. The noble Lord, Lord Kirkwood, slightly conflated the issues of child poverty and couples without children. He rightly identified that we have to prioritise in these situations, and we have prioritised the importance of supporting families and children. We need to break that cycle of deprivation if we are to have a long-term impact on our country and everyone’s life chances. I hope that I have responded to all of the points that were raised, although the noble Lord, Lord Skelmersdale, looks as though he is going to challenge me on something.