Work of the CSJ praised during 2nd Reading of Welfare Reform and Work Bill in the House of Lords
The work of the CSJ was mentioned in a number of speeches given in the House of Lords on Tuesday.
Lord Lupton:
Lord Lupton made his maiden speech and highlighted the CSJ’s Five Pathways to Poverty as elements of an interconnected problem that income-only based definitions of poverty fail to cover: 'It is right to highlight that income may be important in measuring poverty, but it is not the only measure. The Centre for Social Justice report, Reforming the Child Poverty Act,
highlights the five measures of: worklessness, family breakdown, educational failure, addiction and serious personal debt as elements of an interconnected problem that income-only based definitions of poverty fail to cover. To end poverty in this country, we cannot afford to just play with statistics; we have to strike at its underlying causes.'
He went on to mention that effective parenting is not available to all children because – quoting from the CSJ Report: Fully Committed? How government could reverse family breakdown (2014): ‘Many of these parents received poor parenting themselves when they were children so the cycle continues unless the right intervention is given’.
Baroness Stedman-Scott:
Baroness Stedman-Scott followed Baroness Stroud and remarked on her work with the CSJ on Breakdown Britain and Breakthrough Britain. Baroness Stedman-Scott praised the CSJ saying: ‘We worked at the CSJ on Breakdown Britain and Breakthrough Britain, and I compliment her [Baroness Stroud] on identifying not just problems but the solutions that make a real difference to the lives of people.’
The Earl of Listowell:
The Earl of Listowell praised the work of the CSJ and Iain Duncan Smith’s leadership of the think tank before entering government: ‘He [Iain Duncan Smith] spoke knowledgeably and passionately about the work he had been doing at the Centre for Social Justice ... to tackle some of the long-standing social issues in Britain. We found it very refreshing to hear from a politician who was so committed and understood the issues at hand so well’.