Last week in the House of Lords there were several questions for supporting children in the UK, organised by the Bishop of Durham, Paul Butler. On Tuesday there was a session entitled “Coram’s Charter for Children” and eight other members of the House of Lords asked questions. All of the Government responses came from Diana Barran. On Thursday the Bishop submitted a written question with the headline “Child Benefit“, his question was answered by Charlotte Vere who was once a former conservative candidate for Brighton Pavilion. There has been one positive and one negative public response to the answer from the Government, so here is the beginning of the Coram Charter theme:

Paul: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of Coram’s Charter for Children, and what steps they plan to take to implement its recommendations to create better chances for children.

Diana: My Lords, we welcome the publication of Coram’s Charter for Children and are grateful for its work in supporting children, young people and families. All children need love and stability to be happy and to grow up capable of fulfilling their potential. The Government are committed to prioritising the needs of children, ensuring that their best interests are at the centre of policy- and decision-making.

Paul: I thank the Minister for her Answer. The charter outlines a social contract between society and children which seeks to ensure that they get a fair share, a secure future and an equal chance. It states clearly that, at the moment, life is not getting better for children and young people in our country. Will His Majesty’s Government ensure that children’s best interests are always preserved by having child impact assessments and finally appointing a Cabinet- level Minister for children?

Diana: The Government absolutely accept that Covid in particular had a marked effect on our children, but we already have a Cabinet-level Minister for children—the Secretary of State for Education, who represents the interests of children in Cabinet. We also have a child rights impact assessment that government departments can use.

Here is the written question and the response:

Paul: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the positive impacts of the Canada Child Benefit that was introduced in 2016, and what lessons they have learned from it in developing their own policies.

Charlotte: We keep Child Benefit under regular review and part of that includes considering international comparisons.