PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Social Security Benefits: Lone Parents (8 November 2016)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many lone-parent households who will be affected by the changes in the benefit cap have a child aged (a) between 0 and two and (b) 0 and four years of age.

Asked by:
Debbie Abrahams (Labour)

It is estimated that around 20,000 lone-parent households with a child aged between 0 and two, and 37,000 lone-parent households with a child aged between 0 and four will be affected by the new lower cap.

Notes:

1. Estimates assume no behavioural responses - any behavioural responses to the lower cap, such as claimants moving into employment, would cause the number of households affected to reduce.
2. The number of capped households has been rounded to the nearest 1,000 households
3. The methodology used to estimate the households affected by the cap and the average reduction is based on static estimates of households affected by the cap using November 2015 data adjusted to reflect the future policy regime. This means there is a high level of uncertainty when estimating the number with young children. It is consistent with that described in the latest impact assessment published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/welfare-reform-and-work-act-impact-assessment-for-the-benefit-cap

The benefit cap will be lowered from 7th November from £26,000 to £20,000, except in London where it will be lowered to £23,000 (a lower cap applies to single adult households). To help ensure Local Authorities are able to protect the most vulnerable Housing Benefit claimants and to support households adjusting to our welfare reforms, the Government will provide £870m funding for Discretionary Housing Payments over the next 5 years from 2016/17. Information about this and other measures to ease the transition for families affected by this policy change is included in the latest impact assessment at the link above.

Answered by:
Caroline Nokes (Conservative)
14 November 2016