The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 16th June 2023:
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government, whether they intend to abolish the benefit cap following their research which found that only five per cent of affected households moved into work as a result of it.
Viscount Younger of Leckie (Con): The benefit cap continues to provide a work incentive and fairness for hard-working taxpaying households, whilst providing a reasonable safety net of support for the most vulnerable. The Government firmly believes that where possible it is in the best interests of children to be in working households and the benefit cap provides a clear incentive to move into work.
The lower benefit cap had a positive impact with an additional 5.1% of households moving into employment as a result of it. An additional 2.6% of households left the cap as a result of their benefit entitlements being updated to include an exempting benefit and an additional 1.8% of households left the cap by moving property, at Census Output Area (COA) level, to reduce their rental costs.
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government whether they will publish the advice provided to them as part of the statutory review of benefit cap levels.
Viscount Younger of Leckie: Under S96A of the Welfare Reform Act 2012, the Secretary of State is required to undertake a review of the benefit cap levels at least once every five years. There is no statutory requirement to publish any advice given to inform that review; and as such there are no plans to do so. This has been the policy under this and previous Governments.
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of people who would no longer be in poverty if the benefit cap were (1) abolished, and (2) returned to its original levels.
Viscount Younger of Leckie: It is not possible to produce a robust estimate of the effect of the impact of the removal of the benefit cap on the number of people in poverty. The benefit cap continues to provide a strong work incentive and fairness for hardworking taxpaying households, whilst providing a reasonable safety net of support for the most vulnerable.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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