Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016

Life chances U.K.

5 Workless households and educational attainment: reporting obligations U.K.

In the Child Poverty Act 2010, before section 1 insert—

“PART A1 U.K. LIFE CHANCES

Children: reporting obligations U.K.

A1A Workless households and educational attainment

(1) The Secretary of State must publish and lay before Parliament a report containing data on—

(a) children living in workless households in England;

(b) children living in long-term workless households in England;

(c) the educational attainment of children in England at the end of Key Stage 4;

(d) the educational attainment of disadvantaged children in England at the end of Key Stage 4.

(2) The report must set out how the Secretary of State has interpreted the following terms for the purposes of the report—

(a) child;

(b) household;

(c) worklessness;

(d) long-term worklessness;

(e) educational attainment;

(f) disadvantage.

(3) The data contained in the report, and the provision about how the terms used in it are to be interpreted, must, so far as practicable, be derived from any relevant official statistics.

(4) The first report must be published before the end of the financial year ending with 31 March 2017.

(5) Later reports must be published before the end of each subsequent financial year.

(6) In this section—

• “Key Stage 4” means the fourth key stage, within the meaning of Part 6 of the Education Act 2002;

• “official statistics” has the meaning given by section 6(1) of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.”

6 Social Mobility Commission U.K.

(1) After section A1A of the Child Poverty Act 2010 (inserted by section 5) insert—

“Social Mobility Commission U.K.

A1B Social Mobility Commission

(1) The body established by section 8 of this Act continues in existence.

(2) On and after the commencement date the body is to be called the Social Mobility Commission (in this Act referred to as “the Commission”).

(3) “The commencement date” is the date on which section 6 of the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 comes into force.

(4) The Commission's functions are those conferred on it by or under this Act.

(5) Schedule 1 contains further provision about the Commission.

A1C Promotion of social mobility, advice and reports

(1) The Commission must promote social mobility in England.

(2) The Commission must on request give advice to a Minister of the Crown about how to improve social mobility in England.

(3) Advice given under subsection (2) must be published.

(4) The Commission must publish a report setting out its views on the progress made towards improving social mobility in the United Kingdom.

(5) The report must also describe, in the case of a report made after the appointed day for Northern Ireland, the measures taken by the Northern Ireland departments in accordance with a Northern Ireland strategy.

(6) The report may be published as one or more documents as a Minister of the Crown may direct.

(7) The first report must be published before the end of the financial year ending with 31 March 2017.

(8) Later reports must be published before the end of each subsequent financial year.

(9) A Minister of the Crown must lay a report under this section before Parliament.

(10) A Minister of the Crown may direct the Commission to carry out any other activity relating to improving social mobility in England or Northern Ireland.”

(2) In Schedule 1 to the Child Poverty Act 2010, for the title substitute “ Social Mobility Commission ”.

7 Other amendments to Child Poverty Act 2010 U.K.

(1) Sections 1 to 11, 15, 17 and 19 to 25 of, and Schedule 2 to, the Child Poverty Act 2010 are repealed.

(2) In the italic heading before section 11, omit “Scottish Ministers and”.

(3) In section 12 (Northern Ireland strategies)—

(a) in subsection (2), omit paragraph (a) (and the “and” immediately after it);

(b) in subsection (3), for “after the beginning of the target year” substitute “ after 31 March 2020 ”;

(c) in subsection (4)(a), for “before the end of the target year” substitute “ before 1 April 2021 ”;

(d) in subsection (4)(a), omit sub-paragraph (i);

(e) in subsection (4)(a)(ii), omit “other”;

(f) in subsection (4)(b), for “by the end of the target year” substitute “ by 31 March 2021 ”;

(g) in subsection (4)(b), omit “otherwise than by contributing to the meeting of the targets”;

(h) in subsection (5), omit paragraph (b) (and the “and” immediately after it);

(i) in subsection (5)(c), for “other” substitute “ the ”;

(j) in subsection (7), omit paragraph (b) (and the “and” immediately after it);

(k) in subsection (7)(c), for “other” substitute “ the ”;

(l) in subsection (8)(b), for “after the end of the target year” substitute “ after 31 March 2021 ”;

(m) in subsection (9)(a), for “before the beginning of the target year” substitute “ before 1 April 2020 ”;

(n) in subsection (9)(b), for “ending with the target year” substitute “ ending with 31 March 2021 ”.

(4) In section 13 (consultation: Scotland and Northern Ireland)—

(a) in subsection (3), omit “a Scottish strategy or”;

(b) in subsection (3), for “devolved administration”, wherever occurring, substitute “ relevant Northern Ireland department ”;

(c) omit subsection (3)(a);

(d) omit subsection (4);

(e) in the section heading, omit “Scotland and”.

(5) In section 16 (economic and fiscal circumstances)—

(a) omit subsections (1) and (2);

(b) for subsection (3) substitute—

“(3) In preparing a Northern Ireland strategy, the relevant Northern Ireland department must have regard to—

(a) the resources that are or may be available to the Northern Ireland departments, and

(b) the effect of the implementation of the strategy on those resources.”

(6) In section 18 (interpretation of Part 1)—

(a) for subsection (1) substitute—

“(1) In this Part—

• “child” means—

  (a)

  a person under the age of 16, or

  (b)

  a person who is a qualifying young person for the purposes of Part 9 of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 (child benefit);

• “parent” means—

  (a)

  any individual who has parental responsibility for a child, or

  (b)

  any other individual with whom a child resides and who has care of the child.”;

(b) after subsection (1) insert—

“(1A) In paragraph (a) of the definition of “parent” in subsection (1), the reference to “parental responsibility” is to be read in accordance with the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995.”;

(c) omit subsections (2) and (3).

(7) For the heading to Part 1 substitute “ Strategies: Northern Ireland ”.

(8) For section 27 (general interpretation) substitute—

“27 General interpretation

(1) In this Act—

• “the Commission” means the Social Mobility Commission;

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

• “Minister of the Crown” has the same meaning as in the Ministers of the Crown Act 1975;

• “Northern Ireland strategy” has the meaning given by section 12(2);

• “the relevant Northern Ireland department” means the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister.

(2) In this Act “appointed day for Northern Ireland” means such day as a Minister of the Crown may by order with the consent of the Northern Ireland Assembly appoint (and different days may be appointed for the purposes of different provisions of this Act).”

(9) In section 28 (regulations and orders)—

(a) in subsections (1), (2) and (3), omit “regulations or”;

(b) omit subsections (4) and (5);

(c) in the section heading, omit “Regulations and”.

(10) In section 30 (extent)—

(a) omit subsection (2);

(b) in subsection (3), for “Section 12” substitute “ Part 1 ”;

(c) in subsection (4), for “Part 2 and section 26 extend” substitute “ Section 26 extends ”.

(11) In Schedule 1 (Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission), in paragraph 1(1) (membership), omit paragraphs (b) and (c).

(12) The Child Poverty Act 2010 may be cited as the Life Chances Act 2010, and accordingly, in section 32 of that Act (short title) for “Child Poverty” substitute “ Life Chances ”.