Opinion: Debate - Are benefit rises the best way to end childpoverty?

YES - Caroline Abrahams, chair, End Child Poverty campaign

Benefit rises are essential to top up low pay and provide children whoseparents cannot work with a decent standard of living. But raisingbenefits isn't enough on its own. To end child poverty we must createmore sustainable jobs and provide high-quality affordable childcare soparents can take them. Poor children also need opportunities to realisetheir potential and high-quality services to support them, so access togood schools and to integrated children's services matter too.

NO - David Laws MP, work and pensions spokesman, Liberal Democrats

The root cause of child poverty is not simply financial poverty, but thepoverty of opportunity. Ensuring that those on low incomes have enoughto live on is important and extra financial support may be needed to cutchild poverty, but we must also encourage aspiration and offer laddersout of poverty. Investment in early years education, as well as givingparents opportunities and responsibilities in employment and tacklingthe housing crisis, will help to confront poverty head on.