Government Policies To Tackle Imequality

Question 1

What is estimated to happen to poverty

Answer 1

The resolution foundation estimates that by the end of the year there will be an increase of over 3 million people living in poverty in the UK

Question 2

When and why was the education maintenance allowance introduced

Answer 2

The education maintenance allowance(EMA) was introduced in the UK in 2004/5 months o help children from poorer backgrounds stay on at school and gain good qualifications

Question 3

What qualifies someone for EMA

Answer 3

EMA is completely dependent on the income of the parent - households with one dependent child must be earning £24,421 per year or less. Children start qualifying for this when they turn 16. They are able to earn £30 per week but only if they have 100% attendance to all timetabled classes.

Question 4

How many people get EMA

Answer 4

For example, in 2017/18 more than 29,000 students were given the allowance

Question 5

EMA has not helped to reduce inequalities

Answer 5

There is no substantial evidence for EMA actually leading to better qualifications. For example, around 26% of children are in relative poverty as of 2019/20 which is an increase from 23% in 2018/19

Question 6

Scotland introduced MUP in 2018

Answer 6

The policy means each unit of alcohol must cost at least 50p. It has increased the cost of the cheapest supermarket ciders by about £4

Question 7

The MUP policy has helped

Answer 7

for example, recent evidence published in 2021 found that alcohol sales had reduced by 8% since the introduction of MUP

Question 8

Poorer people prioritise alcohol over other essentials

Answer 8

A study from Sheffield university found that some people who are economically vulnerable were having difficulty affording alcohol, which led them to cut back on more important expenses such as heating and food. Findings indicate that the policy has not reduced the number of underage drinkers

Question 9

National minimum wage rates

Answer 9

The NMW in the UK as of 2024 is £6.40 for those under 18 and the NLW for those over 21 is £11.44

Question 10

How has NMW helped

Answer 10

NMW has helped to tackle low pay and has raised the pay of around 1.3 million people since its introduction. It has helped to increase the income of over 1 million workers, 78% of whom were women