Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016

4 Publication of data on children living in low-income households

(1) Before the end of the financial year beginning with 1 April 2016 and each subsequent financial year the Secretary of State must publish data on the percentage of children in the United Kingdom—

(a) who live in households whose equivalised net income for the relevant financial year is less than 60% of median equivalised net household income for that financial year;

(b) who live in households whose equivalised net income for the relevant financial year is less than 70% of median equivalised net household income for that financial year, and who experience material deprivation;

(c) who live in households whose equivalised net income for the relevant financial year is less than 60% of median equivalised net household income for the financial year beginning 1 April 2010, adjusted to take account of changes in the value of money since that financial year;

(d) who live in households whose equivalised net income has been less than 60% of median equivalised net household income in at least 3 of the last 4 survey periods.

(2) The published data must be accompanied by information on how the Secretary of State has approached the following for the purpose of the data—

(a) the meaning of “child”;

(b) the meaning of “household”;

(c) when a child is or is not living in a household;

(d) what is the income of a household for a financial year;

(e) what deductions are made in calculating the net income of a household;

(f) how net household income is equivalised;

(g) when a child experiences material deprivation;

(h) how household income is adjusted to take account of changes in the value of money since the financial year beginning 1 April 2010;

(i) the meaning of “survey period”.

(3) The published data may be accompanied by information as to how and when the references in subsections (1) and (2) to the financial year beginning 1 April 2010 are to be read as references to a later financial year.

(4) In this section—

• “equivalised”, in relation to household income, means adjusted to take account of variations in household size and composition;

• “financial year” means the 12 months ending with 31 March;

• “relevant financial year”, in relation to a financial year in which data is to be published, means the most recent financial year for which the data is available.