Oral Answers to Questions

David Mackintosh Excerpts

Monday 27th March 2017 Commons Chamber

[Damian Green]

I am sure the hon. Lady knows that no one standing at this Dispatch Box would ever comment on speculative leaks. She will know as well that we are about to enter a negotiation. We are confident that we will get a good result for the people of Britain, and that is what we will be doing.

[David Mackintosh (Northampton South) (Con)]

13. What assessment he has made of whether the benefit cap encourages people into work.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Welfare Delivery (Caroline Nokes)]

The evaluation of the previous cap speaks for itself: capped households were 41% more likely to move into work than similar uncapped households, contributing to the record levels of employment we see today. Since 2013, over 26,000 previously capped households have moved into work.

[David Mackintosh]

Can my hon. Friend give me some examples of how the benefit cap is working in my constituency?

[Caroline Nokes]

In Northampton South, of 110 house- holds capped since April 2013, 90 are no longer capped. Of those, about 48%—40 households—have moved into work, demonstrating that my hon. Friend’s constituency is outperforming the national average.