Passage 4 Child Trust Funds Fail Poorer Families, Say Conservatives
儿童信托基金何去何从 《卫报》

[00:01]Child trust funds fail poorer families, say Conservatives.
[00:07]The government's child trust funds,
[00:10]designed to give all children a good start in life,
[00:14]are failing to help those from poorer families because take-up
[00:20]is higher among wealthy parents, the Conservatives have said.
[00:25]Official statistics show that while more than
[00:29]four-fifths of parents in the most affluent areas claim the funds,
[00:35]in the most deprived parts of the country only two- thirds do so.
[00:41]In Bradford West, where a quarter of children lived in deprived households,
[00:48]only 57% of families claim the 250 they are entitled to.
[00:56]When the government launched the child trust fund (CTF) in 2005,
[01:03]Gordon Brown, then chancellor,
[01:07]said it would "enable all young people to have more of the choices
[01:12]that were once available only to some".
[01:16]But in the poorest 10 parliamentary constituencies,
[01:21]where on average 39% of children live in households officially classified
[01:28]as deprived, only 69% of families claim the money,
[01:35]which is to be invested tax free in an account
[01:39]that parents can pay a maximum of 1,200 into each year.
[01:48]In the 10 wealthiest constituencies,
[01:51]where only 4% of children live in deprived households, the figure is 83%.
[02:00]A CTF voucher for 250 is sent to all children born on
[02:07]or after 1 September 2002 as soon as they are registered for child benefit,
[02:16]but it is up to parents to redeem it, open an account and pay the money
[02:23]and future deposits - into it. If parents do not redeem the voucher,
[02:29]the Inland Revenue nominally opens an account on their behalf,
[02:35]but the Tories said the family was unlikely to be aware of its existence
[02:40]and would not use it for its intended purpose,
[02:44]as a basic savings account to which they can add money over time.
[02:50]The government adds another 250 at age seven,
[02:56]and children in lower income families
[02:59]get an extra 250 at birth and again at seven.
[03:07]The figures also show that parents in less wealthy regions
[03:12]pay substantially less into the accounts. In London,
[03:17]they put an average of 368 per year into their child's CTF,
[03:25]whereas in the north-west just 225 is paid in.
[03:32]If elected, the Conservatives would abolish CTFs for all
[03:37]but the poorest one- third of families and disabled children.
[03:43]The shadow families spokesman, David Willetts, said:
[03:48]"The aim of encouraging parents
[03:50]to save for their children's future is a laudable one.
[03:55]"But it is deeply worrying to learn
[03:58]that those who could benefit the most from child trust funds
[04:02]are among the least likely to use them.
[04:06]"In their current form, child trust funds simply
[04:11]are not reaching the children who need them most.
[04:15]"Our proposals to concentrate government contributions
[04:19]on the poorest third of families,
[04:22]while maintaining a universal savings product for all families,
[04:27]will ensure that money reaches the children who really need it."