Iain Duncan Smith has been criticised for suggesting it was a waste of money giving benefits to parents addicted to drink or drugs.
The work and pensions secretary said higher benefits will not solve child poverty in homes where the money is being spent on feeding parental addiction.
Speaking at the Kids Company charity in London, he argued that a child’s life chances are more endangered by parents with drug and alcohol problems than with lack of income.
Increased welfare ‘will not address the reason’ why a poor family with addicted parents finds itself in difficulty in the first place, he added.
His comments drew an angry response from anti-poverty campaigners who insisted that addiction was only a problem in a small proportion of families.
‘The vast majority of families in poverty are struggling because they can’t afford the basics, not because they are wasting cash on drink and drugs,’ said Matthew Reed of the Children’s Society.
‘We know from our extensive work with families that parents are doing their very best. Every day they are making harsh choices between heating their home, buying school shoes or putting a hot meal on the table.’
Rhian Beynon, of Family Action, said: ‘Iain Duncan Smith must not sideline income poverty. Money matters desperately to the families we support. Having enough income means food on the table and money in the meter.’