Welfare Reform

Lord Mawhinney Excerpts

Tuesday 5th October 2010 Lords Chamber

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

The question that has to be asked is whether it is reasonable to ask somebody who is earning something like £25,000 a year to contribute through the tax system to the child benefit of people earning that sort of money.

[Lord Mawhinney]

My Lords, what is the Government’s estimate of what a means-testing system would have cost, had they decided to go down that road?

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

I do not have any figures to answer the noble Lord. The current child benefit system is very straightforward to administer, and that must be a great advantage in its favour.