Oral Answers to Questions

Mohammad Yasin Excerpts

Monday 30th November 2020 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Mohammad Yasin (Bedford) (Lab)]

What recent assessment she has made of the effect of the benefit cap on families with children.

[The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Dr Thérèse Coffey)]

The most recent statistics, released last week, show that 140,000 households with children have had their benefit capped. The proportion capped remains low by comparison with the overall universal credit case load. New and existing claimants can benefit from a nine-month grace period when their benefit will not be capped if they have a sustained work history, and exemptions of course also remain in place for vulnerable claimants. Since the introduction of the cap, 190,000 households are no longer capped under such benefits and nearly 80,000 are no longer capped under UC.

[Mohammad Yasin [V]]

The number of households with children receiving universal credit who are subject to the benefit cap in my Bedford and Kempston constituency rose by a staggering 186% between January and May this year, so will the Minister guarantee that the £20 UC uplift will reach the families who need it?

[Dr Coffey]

My understanding is that 460 households with children were subject to the UC cap in the Bedford local authority area. I am conscious that that is a higher number than the hon. Gentleman may wish, but I point out to him that we can also make the effort to encourage people to go for vacancies, so that they can start to earn more money, which at some point triggers a removal of the benefit cap.