All mothers should be supported to focus on their own wellbeing and their baby’s health, both during pregnancy and after birth and I am committed to ensuring that every child has the best possible start in life. Tackling child poverty is a top priority.

A ministerial taskforce, established shortly after the Government took office, is developing a Child Poverty Strategy that will deliver lasting change. You asked me about the two-child limit on social security payments. The taskforce is exploring all available options, including reforms to social security, to tackle the root causes of child poverty with both long- and short-term action.

The recent Spending Review took substantive steps as a down payment on the Child Poverty Strategy. This includes expanding Free School Meals to reach more children, lifting an estimated 100,000 children out of poverty. The Government is also launching a new Crisis and Resilience Fund, backed by £1 billion a year, to prevent families from falling into hardship and ensure children do not go without meals during the holidays. Local authorities will be responsible for directing this funding where it is most needed.

Best Start Family Hubs will be rolled out to every local authority by April 2026, relieving pressure on parents and giving half a million more children the very best start in life. This comes on top of decisive action already taken by the Government to help families, like expanding free breakfast clubs, increasing the minimum wage and supporting 700,000 of the poorest households by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions.

I was elected on a pledge to review the parental leave system, so that it offers the best possible support to working families. This was fulfilled with the launch of the parental leave and pay review. All parental pay entitlements will be considered as part of the review process, which will improve living standards for families and prioritise the health of mothers as its first objective. The review will run for 18 months and conclude with a roadmap for future reform.

Thank you to those constituents who have contacted me about this important issue.

Best wishes

Rt Hon Hilary Benn
MP for Leeds South
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland