Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the potential effect on child poverty of a freeze on (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) universal credit, (c) income support, (d) the work-related activity group component of employment and support allowance and (e) local housing allowance rates in housing benefit in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
Under this Government, the number of children in relative poverty has fallen by 300,000.
This Government has no plans to freeze the main rates of (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) universal credit, (c) income support, (d) the work-related activity group component of employment and support allowance and (e) local housing allowance rates in housing benefit.
As such, there are currently no plans to provide estimates of the potential effects on child poverty of a freeze to any of these benefits. Such assessments would only be provided in reference to Government policy.