Debate contribution: Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill: Legislative Consent Motion
Debate contribution by Mr Maurice Bradley on .
- MLA
- Mr Maurice Bradley
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 3 March 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Executive Committee Business
- Heading
- Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill: Legislative Consent Motion
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5434877
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I support the legislative consent motion (LCM) and what it means in practical terms. Across Northern Ireland, there are families who work hard to raise three or four children and do everything that is asked of them, yet they find that support simply stops after their second child. The Bill did not stop. The cost of food does not stop, nor does the price of heating, clothing and school essentials, but their support does. That is the reality that many larger families have faced. The removal of the two-child limit restores a basic fairness. A child should not count for less, simply because they happen to be the third or fourth child in a family. Parents do not budget for their children in policy terms but provide for each one of them equally. Our support system should recognise that reality. This change will mean real money going back into household budgets. It means less pressure at the kitchen table, less anxiety for parents trying to make ends meet and greater stability for the children growing up in homes already stretched by rising living costs. Let me also address the financial point directly. This support is funded by His Majesty's Treasury through established parity arrangements and does not come out of the Northern Ireland block grant. It does not take a single pound away from our hospitals, schools or policing. Supporting this legislative consent motion is therefore the responsible decision, delivering help quickly, maintaining parity across the United Kingdom and doing so without placing additional pressure on devolved finances. This is about fairness, practicality and supporting families who are doing their best in difficult circumstances. For those reasons, I support the legislative consent motion.
283 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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