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BBC News1 min read
Stop families who choose not to work getting unlimited benefits, Tories say
TL;DR
The Conservatives propose to limit benefit payments for households that do not work by reforming the household benefit cap. They aim to save at least £1 billion annually by only exempting working households from the cap.
Key points
- Conservatives propose limiting benefits for non-working households
- Reform targets the household benefit cap
- Only working households would be exempt from the cap
- Automatic exemptions for some benefits would be removed
- Proposals aim for £1 billion in annual savings
The Conservatives say they would stop some households being able to get unlimited benefit payments, by reforming the household benefit cap.
The cap is a limit on the total amount of benefit payments most working age people can receive.
However, there are exemptions for people on some benefits, including Personal Independence Payment (Pip), and for households on universal credit which earn £881 or more a month.
If they win power, the Tories have said they would only exempt households from the cap if all adults who can work do so, while receiving benefits such as Pip would no longer be an automatic exemption.
The party said its proposals would deliver at least £1bn of savings annually.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the plans would "stop those who abuse the system getting almost unlimited welfare payments".
A total of 111,000 households in Great Britain are affected by the cap, according to the latest government figures.
However, the Tories said more than 2.3 million households were claiming benefits above the cap due to exemptions, including work.
The level of the cap depends on whether someone lives in or outside Greater London, whether they are single or part of a couple, and whether someone has children.
For example, for a couple living outside Greater London, the cap is £1,835 per month.
The measure was introduced under the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in 2013, with the aim of increasing the incentive to work and reducing long-term dependency on benefits.
However, critics argue that limiting the amount part-time, low-income or out-of-work households can receive in benefits traps families in poverty.
While the cap also applies in Northern Ireland, there is a system of supplementary payments to mitigate the impact on families with children.
Under the Tory proposals, where a couple can both work, they would both have to work at least 16 hours a week to be exempt from the household benefit cap.
Where there is only one person who can work, they would need to work 16 hours a week - the same as at present.
Under the current system, where one member of the household receives an exempting benefit - such as Pip or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) - then the whole household's benefits are uncapped.
The Tories said they would change this so if a member of a household receives one of these exempting benefits, the cap is no longer automatically lifted.
Q&A
What changes are the Conservatives proposing for benefit payments?
The Conservatives propose to reform the household benefit cap to limit payments for households where not all adults work.
How would the proposed benefit cap reform affect exemptions?
Under the new proposal, only households where all adults can work will be exempt from the cap, removing automatic exemptions for those on benefits like Personal Independence Payment.
What is the current household benefit cap in the UK?
The household benefit cap limits the total amount of benefit payments most working-age individuals can receive, but specific exemptions exist for certain benefits and income levels.
How much savings do the Tories expect from their benefit cap reform?
The Conservatives estimate that their proposed reforms could save at least £1 billion annually.
