The revelation was made during the second reading of the Child Poverty Bill, currently going through Parliament.
The bill will enshrine the government's pledge to eradicate child poverty by 2020 in legislation. But ministers have come under criticism for failing to mention the 2010 target in the last budget announcement in April. The omission was the first of its kind since the government made its pledge to end child poverty.
During the latest debate on the bill, Stephen Timms, financial secretary to the Treasury, claimed the halfway target has not been forgotten. Responding to a direct question on how much progress has been made in meeting the 2010 target, Timms admitted that based on current statistics the government will only be two-thirds of the way there come next year, blaming the economic crisis.
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