Church welcomes House of Lords vote to protect children

Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN), the social action arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, last night welcomed the House of Lords vote to exclude Child Benefit from the proposed household benefit cap, calling it “vital to protect children facing poverty.”

The amendment to the Welfare Reform Bill, tabled by the Lord Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, was carried by 252 votes to 237, and comes after numerous faith groups and charities expressed concern over the impact that the cap will have on children.

In a letter published in the Times last week Archbishop Peter Smith echoed warnings from CSAN that families may be left struggling to pay for basic essentials or even risk losing their homes as a result of the benefit cap, which according to the latest government impact assessment will see approximately 67 000 households lose an average of £83 per week. He called for Child Benefit to be excluded in order to “avoid forcing large numbers into poverty.”

On the eve of the vote, the Archbishop joined other faith leaders from the Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities in a further statement, emphasising that the cap will principally affect children and could leave tens of thousands homeless.

Responding to the vote CSAN stated: “We are pleased that the House of Lords has voted in favour of this very sensible amendment. Excluding Child Benefit from the cap will allow a degree of flexibility in recognition of children’s basic needs, and will mitigate the impact on some of the poorest and most vulnerable families in our society.

We hope that the government will take account of the concerns expressed by those working to support these families and will review this area before the Welfare Reform Bill returns to the House of Commons.”

Source: CCN