13+-+government+aid-+poverty

The government is trying to reduce the amout of people who are living in poverty drastically by 2020. However there has been a problem in meeting the targets that they have set themselves.

Tony Blair pledged in 1999 to eradicate child poverty by 2020 - and to have cut it from 4.1m to 3.1m by April 2005. Department for Work and Pension figures show the number of children in poverty has fallen by 700,000 since 1999, missing the target by 300,000. Ministers say the government remains committed to wiping out poverty within a generation, but opposition MPs called it "disappointing" and "disturbing". A family is considered to be officially poor if they are living on less than 60% of Britain's median (average) level of household income. This means a single person is currently judged to be living in poverty if they have an income of less than £100 per week, said Peter Kenway from the New Policy Institute think tank. He said a household of two adults with two children was living in poverty if it had a weekly income of less than £260. Poverty campaigners say good progress has been made but they want further investment in benefits schemes to help lift more families above the breadline. Shadow work and pensions secretary Philip Hammond said: "These figures are further proof that, despite the progress that has been made, the state alone cannot eradicate child poverty. "We must employ the skills of the private, voluntary and social enterprise sectors to create opportunities for parents who are struggling to get back into work." David Laws MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said the figures were "extremely disturbing" and called for an urgent review of the child poverty target.
 * The government has missed the first target in its bid to end child poverty.**
 * 'Urgent review'**
 * DEFINITION OF POVERTY Anyone living on less than 60% of the UK average (median) incomeFor a single person it means an income of less than £100 per week after tax, housing costs and benefits, says the New Policy InstituteFor a family of two adults and two pre-school children it means living on a weekly income less than £260, says the institute ||

The governement is trying, but it seems like it is not enough. But many people believe that the governments of richer countries, like the USA or Great Britain, should pay off all the debts that the poorer countries owe, allowing them to re- gain economical status.

There are disadvantages and advantages of the governments plans for destroying poverty. The advantages are simple, and all relate to the fact that a world without poverty will be a better balanced place to live. However if the whole world lived the same way like the USA or Great Britain then, we would need three planets to sustain us all. The Government has got a lot of work to do before they are any where near close to getting rid of poverty. Will they be able to do it?

( the news report was taken from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4788270.stm )