Universal Credit: Children

(asked on 8th April 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Child Poverty Action Group's recent report on universal credit, published on 6 April 2019, what assessment she has made of the two-child limit policy on compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.


Answered by
Alok Sharma Portrait
Alok Sharma
COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
This question was answered on 11th April 2019

The Government has assessed the impact of the two-child policy from an equality and human rights perspective throughout its development and in preparation for its implementation. Therefore, we consider that we have met our obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty and ensured compliance with the Human Rights Act 1998, the Equality Act 2010 and the UN convention on the Rights of the Child.

The Government’s view is that providing support for a maximum of two children in Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit, ensures fairness between claimants, and to those taxpayers who support themselves solely through work. Families on benefits should face the same financial choices when deciding to grow their family as those supporting themselves solely through work. A benefits structure adjusting automatically to family size is unsustainable.

The Government continues to take action to help families with the cost of living, including raising the national living wage, reducing the UC earnings taper, raising the income tax personal allowance, introducing tax-free childcare and 30 hours a week of free childcare for 3 and 4 year olds.

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