Low-income Families: Benefits Freeze Debate

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Department: Department for Work and Pensions

Low-income Families: Benefits Freeze

Lord Bishop of Durham Excerpts
Monday 13th January 2020

(4 years, 9 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Lord Bishop of Durham Portrait The Lord Bishop of Durham
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My Lords, in the coming years, the main driver in increasing child poverty will be the two-child limit. Low-income families are particularly detrimentally impacted by this. It is predicted that, by 2023-24, this policy will tip 300,000 children into poverty. What plans do Her Majesty’s Government have to stem the rising child poverty levels caused by current policies, primarily the two-child limit?

Baroness Stedman-Scott Portrait Baroness Stedman-Scott
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The right reverend Prelate has been absolutely consistent on the issues around this particular benefit. I was delighted that he could come to our office to talk about them; he put the case to the Minister for Welfare eloquently. We have to keep on, okay? I stand by the right reverend Prelate in doing that. We must also keep on looking at other benefits to make sure that we make life better.