Tag: benefits

Universal Credit Bill: Bishop of Newcastle raises impact of bill on disadvantaged communities

The Bishop of Newcastle spoke at the second reading of the Universal Credit Bill on 22nd July 2025, expressing concern regarding the potential impact of the bill on those with disabilities and the need to tackle the underlying causes of poverty and ill health:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, I begin by offering my congratulations to the noble Baroness, Lady Shawcross-Wolfson; I look forward to her maiden speech, and acknowledge the valedictory speech of the noble Baroness, Lady Bryan. I also thank Ministers for listening to concerns about the Bill when it was initially brought forward.

A functional social security system tackles poverty and supports people to live full lives. With that, the system needs to retain public confidence, expressing the best of our values. It must also strike a balance between supporting people who are able to work and ensuring that people who cannot work are protected and cherished for who they are. We need economic growth—that is not disputed; this is, after all, a money Bill—but I am concerned for those who are left behind or who do not fit the model of financial productivity at the rate that seems to be desired.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about impact of benefit cuts on vulnerable groups

The Bishop of Southwark asked a question on benefit cuts impacting the vulnerable and disabled on 12th June 2025, following a government statement on the Winter Fuel Payment:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, like other Peers, I welcome this decision. The other day, I asked the Minister something to which he did not respond, and I wonder if I might ask it again. Is one of the lessons learned from this for the Government that, should they be making further cuts in spending, they might not look to vulnerable or disabled people.

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Bishop of Southwark asks about impact of future benefit cuts on the vulnerable and disabled

The Bishop of Southwark asked a question on the restoration of winter fuel payments to the elderly on 10th June 2025, asking the government to confirm they would not introduce further cuts impacting vulnerable or disabled people:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: My Lords, I welcome the reversal of the decision on winter fuel payments, having spoken, like others, cautioning against so many pensioners who are vulnerable and in need being deprived of it—not against the principle of changing it and restricting it to some degree. I just wonder whether, in terms of lessons learned, a more general principle might be acknowledged that in future cuts, the Government will not look to making them from vulnerable or disabled people.

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Bishop of Leicester asks about impact of reforms to disability benefits

The Bishop of Leicester received the following written answer on 28th April 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact of reforms to incapacity and disability benefits on the employment rate of people with disabilities; and what plans they have to evaluate and monitor the impact of these reforms once they have been introduced.

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Bishop of Leicester asks about impact of disability benefit reform

The Bishop of Leicester received the following written answers on 22nd April 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to evaluate the impact of disability benefits reform on the employment rate of people with disabilities.

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Bishop of Leicester asks about impacts of welfare reform

The Bishop of Leicester asked a question on the government’s planned welfare reforms and the DWP’s report on a resultant increase in relevant poverty on 27th March 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, I appreciate the work that the Government are doing to stimulate the economy and to get people back into work. I understand the dilemma that the Government face with the spiralling costs of welfare. But I am left to wonder: how is it that the DWP’s own impact assessment, which I understand includes the £1 billion investment that the Minister referred to, does also state that 250,000 people will be pushed into relative poverty, including 50,000 children? How can the Government of one of the richest countries in the world justify policies that push people into poverty?

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Bishop of Newcastle asks about child poverty and benefits system

The Bishop of Newcastle received the following written answers on 24th October 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the financial impact that the five-week wait has on those awaiting their first Universal Credit payment.

Baroness Sherlock (Lab, DWP): No assessment has been made of the financial impact of the 5-week-wait. The Government is committed to reviewing Universal Credit so that it makes work pay and tackles poverty.

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Bishop of Norwich asks about support for low income households

The Bishop of Norwich received the following written answers on 16th October 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich asked  His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of introducing a minimum floor for Universal Credit so that benefit deductions and the benefit cap do not push people into financial hardship.

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Bishop of Sheffield supports motion to regret on changes to winter fuel payments

The Bishop of Sheffield spoke in a debate on changes to Winter Fuel Payments on 11th September 2024, supporting a regret motion and asking the government to reconsider the eligibility bar for payments:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: My Lords, I speak in broad support of the regret Motion in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Palmer. I appreciate the very tight fiscal constraints under which the Government are having to operate, and the need for tough choices to be made. I also accept the recent Statement by the Prime Minister that tough choices are almost by definition unpopular choices. Tough choices must also be wise choices, however, and I confess that I harbour misgivings about the wisdom of this proposal for two reasons.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about proposed review of personal independence payments

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on how the government’s proposed review of personal independence payments (PIP) would affect those with severe lifelong disabilities on 23rd April 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, yesterday I visited National Star, an FE college that serves young people with severe lifelong disabilities. Many of them are being subjected again and again to reassessment throughout their lives. That is not only traumatising but a complete waste of time and resources. What will the Government do to take this into consideration so that people with severe lifelong disabilities are not subjected to reassessment again and again, unless, of course, that disability is generative?

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