Debate contribution: Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill: Legislative Consent Motion

Debate contribution by Mrs Ciara Ferguson on 3 March 2026.

MLA

Mrs Ciara Ferguson

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

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 5434886

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Sinn Féin has consistently opposed and directly challenged the British Government since the introduction of the two-child limit. It was the most unconscionable policy. It was a direct attack on working families, and it created hardship among families here. We opposed it because targeting vulnerable children in particular is indefensible. Repeated calls to scrap the cap were in recognition of the fact that that British Government austerity policy punished financially families with more than two children. More than 17,000 children here were left ineligible to receive vital financial support of over £3,500 per child per year through the child element of universal credit. Next month, thanks be to God, we will all finally see the policy's long-awaited removal. I personally thank the Cliff Edge Coalition, Barnardo’s, the Trussell Trust, the Resolution Foundation, the NI welfare mitigations review independent advisory panel, the Women's Support Network, Save the Children and many others for their relentless campaigning. I also thank them for their briefing papers to us in particular to support that view. Sinn Féin is clear that freedom from poverty is a fundamental right. Removing the two-child limit will be a significant step forward in protecting that right. The two-child cap forced families in all our communities to make an unjustifiable decision about family planning on the basis of their income. We need to see that step further bolstered by a strong anti-poverty strategy, the revitalisation of the Housing Executive and a sustainable means of cutting childcare costs for families and support providers. For its part, Sinn Féin is taking action to tackle poverty by introducing legislation today to make consistent holiday hunger payments and to tackle school uniform costs. We will also press the Minister for Communities today to deliver on the anti-poverty strategy, which will have a real impact on people's lives. Let us have clear actions, clear timelines and clear targets and ensure that the strategy is genuinely shaped by the lived experience of people here. When Sinn Féin had responsibility for the Department for Communities, we stood over the benefits mitigations and prevented the British Government's cruel bedroom tax from being introduced here. We also continued to press the British Government to address the significant waits that people had for their first universal credit payment, to relink housing costs to housing support and to raise the tax-free childcare support rate. Poverty is a political choice perpetuated by austerity, low wages and inadequate social protections. Although we all continually stand up for our hard-pressed workers and families and seek to mitigate austerity and cuts, ultimately, the long-term and only real solution is to free ourselves from decision-making from London and prevent ourselves being tied to the punitive policies that successive British Governments have imposed.

455 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:02 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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