A Bill to make provision for establishing a new government Ministry, the Ministry for Poverty Prevention; to make provision for the objectives and powers of that Ministry; to make provision that the Ministry can only be abolished or combined with another department by an Act of Parliament; to make provision for reporting requirements on the Ministry’s work; to make provision for a power to create binding poverty reduction targets; to make provision for a reporting system for all government spending in relation to poverty; and for connected purposes.
House of Lords
30 January 2025
May contain errors — check source documents for definitive information.
The Bill would create a new Ministry for Poverty Prevention and set strong safeguards, including formation by Order in Council within six months of enactment and protection from abolition or merger except by Act of Parliament. It would require binding poverty-reduction targets within a year, with ongoing delivery metrics and Parliament-to-Parliament reporting, and it would establish a system to track all poverty-related government spending with parliamentary scrutiny. The provisions apply to England and Wales and take effect when the Act is enacted.
The Bill has completed its first stage in the Lords and is at the second reading. The public document trail shows the initial Lords publication with core provisions but does not yet record any amendments or committee recommendations.
Generated 21 February 2026
29 Jan 2025
First reading took place on 29 January. This stage is a formality that signals the start of the bill's journey through the Lords.
What happens next?
Second reading - the general debate on all aspects of the bill - is yet to be scheduled.
The bill would create the Ministry for Poverty Prevention by Order in Council within six months, and it can only be abolished or merged by an Act of Parliament. It requires the Secretary of State to set binding poverty-reduction targets within a year (and yearly thereafter), with a defined delivery timeframe and metrics, and to report Parliament on compliance. It also establishes a PECC reporting system to track all poverty-related spending within six months and to increase transparency, with regulations subject to parliamentary scrutiny; the Act applies to England and Wales and takes effect on enactment.
No recorded votes for this bill yet.
