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Social Security Benefits: Poverty

Asked by Nadia WhittomeLabourDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled Answered 4 September 2025UIN 71438

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of (a) the potential impact of the benefit cap on poverty rates among larger families and (b) the potential merits of its abolition.

Answered by Sir Stephen Timms

No assessment has been made.

This government is committed to tackling child poverty and the Child Poverty Taskforce is progressing work to publish the Child Poverty Strategy in autumn, that will deliver fully funded measures to tackle the structural and root causes of child poverty. We are considering all available levers, including considering social security reforms, to give every child the best start in life as part of our strategy.

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