Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the number and proportion of families subject to the two-child benefits cap using foodbanks.

This government is committed to understanding and addressing poverty which is why we have published official estimates of foodbank use for the first time in March 2023.

National statistics on food bank use for 2021/22 are available here. We aim to publish statistics for 2022/23 in March 2024.

In 2021/22, 20% of individuals in families with three or more children in receipt of UC, or 0.3m people, were living in households where a food bank has been used in the 12 months prior to the interview. For children, this figure is 20% (0.2m children). Not all these families will be subject to the two-child benefit cap.

Since 6 April 2017, families can claim support for up to two children, and there may be further entitlement for other children if they were born before 6 April 2017 or if an exception applies.

DWP is committed to supporting families and helping parents into work. This requires a balanced system that provides strong work incentives and support for those who need it, but that also ensures a sense of fairness to the taxpayer and many working families who do not see their incomes rise when they have more children.