Parents Against Injustice
Parents Against Injustice
THE TORYS AND THE FAMILY
By Andrew Porter, Political Editor
Published: 10:00PM GMT 20 Jan 2010
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/7029230/Duncan-...
Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, said all the evidence showed that children from “two-parent families” do far better in life.
It came as Labour prepared to unveil its plans for new family policies ahead of the general election.
Mr Duncan Smith has been proposing a series of measures which would see marriage recognised in the tax system. David Cameron has now said that within a parliament tax breaks will be given to married couples, but has yet to commit to a specific policy.
Today, Mr Duncan Smith points to new findings which he says dispels the “myth” of stable long-term cohabitation. A study of Census data found that stable long term cohabitation is much rarer than commonly assumed, with just 3 per cent of unmarried couples staying together until their child is 15 years old.
Harry Benson, of Bristol Community Family Trust, said: “This is a stunning new finding. It’s commonly assumed that parents can bring up children perfectly well without getting married.
“The reality is that only one in seven unmarried couples stay unmarried whereas two thirds of married couples stay married”.
Mr Duncan Smith will today counter Labour’s own green paper by highlighting the damage Labour has done to the family. He will say that more than 40 per cent of children are now born outside marriage and the UK has the fourth highest teenage pregnancy rate in the world.
Last night he said: “Thirteen years of Labour misrule have inflicted grave damage on the family. All the evidence shows that children brought up in two-parent families do far better in life. Yet under Labour, rates of family breakdown have soared.
“Labour should be ashamed of their record. The UK spends more public money on children than most other advanced countries, and gets some of the worst results.
“Only by recognising and supporting marriage in the tax system, and abolishing the couple penalty in the benefit system, will we begin to restore the British family to health.”
Ed Balls, the Schools and Families Secretary, will set out new measures including giving “support to all parents, grandparents and carers in sustaining strong and resilient relationships.”
Grandparents will for the first time be legally recognised for the “informal but essential role” they play in helping raise children.
He said: “Removing the barriers that grandparents face in courts, when they wish to see their grandchildren through times of divorce and separation, will relieve an enormous burden currently placed on grandparents.
“Often when parents separate, grandparents are a valuable source of support for children and young people, providing them with the stability they need during difficult and emotional times.”
Published: 10:00PM GMT 20 Jan 2010
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/7029230/Duncan-...
Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, said all the evidence showed that children from “two-parent families” do far better in life.
It came as Labour prepared to unveil its plans for new family policies ahead of the general election.
Mr Duncan Smith has been proposing a series of measures which would see marriage recognised in the tax system. David Cameron has now said that within a parliament tax breaks will be given to married couples, but has yet to commit to a specific policy.
Today, Mr Duncan Smith points to new findings which he says dispels the “myth” of stable long-term cohabitation. A study of Census data found that stable long term cohabitation is much rarer than commonly assumed, with just 3 per cent of unmarried couples staying together until their child is 15 years old.
Harry Benson, of Bristol Community Family Trust, said: “This is a stunning new finding. It’s commonly assumed that parents can bring up children perfectly well without getting married.
“The reality is that only one in seven unmarried couples stay unmarried whereas two thirds of married couples stay married”.
Mr Duncan Smith will today counter Labour’s own green paper by highlighting the damage Labour has done to the family. He will say that more than 40 per cent of children are now born outside marriage and the UK has the fourth highest teenage pregnancy rate in the world.
Last night he said: “Thirteen years of Labour misrule have inflicted grave damage on the family. All the evidence shows that children brought up in two-parent families do far better in life. Yet under Labour, rates of family breakdown have soared.
“Labour should be ashamed of their record. The UK spends more public money on children than most other advanced countries, and gets some of the worst results.
“Only by recognising and supporting marriage in the tax system, and abolishing the couple penalty in the benefit system, will we begin to restore the British family to health.”
Ed Balls, the Schools and Families Secretary, will set out new measures including giving “support to all parents, grandparents and carers in sustaining strong and resilient relationships.”
Grandparents will for the first time be legally recognised for the “informal but essential role” they play in helping raise children.
He said: “Removing the barriers that grandparents face in courts, when they wish to see their grandchildren through times of divorce and separation, will relieve an enormous burden currently placed on grandparents.
“Often when parents separate, grandparents are a valuable source of support for children and young people, providing them with the stability they need during difficult and emotional times.”
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