Catholic Bishops seek clarity from Scottish Government as they back plans to end two-child benefit cap

The Catholic Bishops of Scotland have encouraged the Scottish Government to provide “more detail” over the promise announced in last week’s budget to end the two-child benefit cap in Scotland.

In a statement, the Catholic bishops “welcomed” the plans to mitigate the two-child benefit cap, which are expected to impact on the benefits available for more than 15,000 children currently in poverty in the nation, and stated their hope “that it will be lifted as quickly as possible to allow more children and families to receive support they so badly need”.

The two-child benefit cap is a UK-wide policy introduced by the Conservative government in 2017, and has been retained by the current Labour government since they came to power in the summer. In all but exceptional cases, the cap equates to a limit that denies families universal credit support for third and subsequent children, worth up to £3455 a year for each child. It is recognised as the biggest driver of child poverty across the UK, with 1.6m children already affected by the limit, and this figure tracked to rise in the next three years. [3]

Finance Secretary Shona Robison said last week it was the Scottish Government’s intention for payments to start to be made to families of three or more children in receipt of universal credit by April 2026 – a month before the next Holyrood election. [2] Scotland’s bishops have long been opposed to the cap which unfairly targets families across the country who are most in need. In their statement, the bishops emphasise the need for action to remove the cap in Scotland at the earliest opportunity.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

  1. The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland (BCOS) is the official assembly of the Roman Catholic bishops in Scotland. Through BCOS, the bishops work together to undertake nationwide initiatives through their Commissions and Agencies. The members are the Bishops of the eight Scottish Dioceses, and they meet regularly throughout the year. Home
  2. Scrapping the two child benefit cap would immediately reduce poverty while investing in the future | The BMJ
  3. Two-child benefit: SNP government vows to scrap cap – BBC News

 

BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE OF SCOTLAND STATEMENT ON SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT ENDING THE TWO-CHILD BENEFIT CAP, 9TH DECEMBER , 2024

The Catholic Bishops of Scotland have welcomed the Scottish Government’s vow to lift the two-child benefit cap, which could potentially result in benefits being paid out to families of 15,000 children. The bishops look forward to seeing more detail on how the Scottish Government intends to lift the cap and hope that it will be lifted as quickly as possible to allow more children and families to receive support they so badly need.