* One in four people in the UK was living in poverty in 1991-2 compared with under one in 10 in 1979. The “poverty line” - 50 per cent of average income after housing costs - is drawn at Pounds 63 a week for a single adult, Pounds 115 for a couple with no children, Pounds 191 for a couple with three children.
* Children are even more likely to be living in poverty -nearly one in three in 1991-2, a total of 4.1 million. There are, in fact, now more children than pensioners living in poverty. And single parents are among those most at risk - six out of 10 single parents, more than 2 million, are poor.
* Research shows that providing enough food at each meal is the main problem for poor parents. One in 10 children goes hungry each month and many families are short of basic household amenities such as beds,bedding and adequate floor covering in their main living area.
From “Poverty: the facts” by C Oppenheim, (Child Poverty Action Group Ltd, 1993).
