Commons Sense

Hansard-based summaries and metrics

Two-child Benefit Cap 2025-03-17

2025-03-17

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Response quality

Questions & Answers

Q1 Partial Answer
Joshua Reynolds LD
Maidenhead
▸ Context
The two-child benefit cap was introduced by the Conservative government ten years ago, leading to an increase in child poverty. A BMJ study found that people in food poverty have diets with worse health outcomes.
What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of removing the two-child benefit cap? A BMJ study found that people in food poverty have diets with worse health outcomes including more fat, sugar and salt, so what conversations has the Minister had with the Health Secretary about how lifting the two-child benefit cap could improve diet and reduce costs for the NHS?
The Minister for Employment (Alison McGovern)
The Health Secretary and I talked about child poverty many times as we sat on the Opposition Benches watching the situation for our kids get worse and worse every year. The Member makes a very serious and important point about the wide-ranging consequences of poverty and, if I may, I would encourage him to submit the evidence he mentioned to the child poverty taskforce so that we can take full account of it.
▸ Assessment & feedback
Specific conversations regarding lifting the two-child benefit cap were not detailed.
Response accuracy
Q2 Partial Answer
Meg Hillier Lab/Co-op
Hackney South and Shoreditch
▸ Context
There is speculation that the child poverty taskforce could lift the two-child benefit cap for under-fives, which would affect fewer than 20,000 households compared with the 440,000 currently affected by the cap.
Can the Minister reassure the House and the country that the child poverty taskforce is looking to support all children in poverty, whatever decisions it comes up with, and not just a small segment of them?
The Minister for Employment (Alison McGovern)
Yes, I can. All children matter. We are taking account of a considerable range of different policy options, carefully working through the impact that they would have, but all the children in this country matter.
▸ Assessment & feedback
The minister did not specify which segments of children will be affected by specific decisions made by the taskforce.
Response accuracy