Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
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.
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:
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.