04.10.13
8,400 affected by £500 a week benefit cap
The benefit cap affected 8,400 households between April and August this year, DWP figures show.
The cap was introduced in April to stop families receiving more than £500 a week in total benefit payments, and the 10 week rollout was completed last week. The cap is £150 for a single adult.
It was previously estimated that 40,000 households will be affected in total. The figures showed that 77% of those affected so far have lost up to £100 a week as a result.
Work and pensions secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, said: “Benefits should be a safety net – but not something that gives claimants an income out of reach of many hard-working families.
“We have now successfully delivered a cap on benefits so that out-of-work households know they can no longer claim more than the average family earns and we have returned fairness to the benefits system.”
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Image c. Rui Vieira and PA Wire