Lords examines Welfare Benefits up-rating Bill committee stage day two

05 March 2013

The Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill continues committee stage, line by line scrutiny, in the Lords today (Tuesday 5 March).

Members of the Lords will discuss proposals to assess the impact of welfare benefit changes on child poverty and review the levels of market rents. They will also examine the allowances, calculations and/or conditions for welfare benefits such as income support, housing benefit, universal credit and working tax credit.

Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill summary

The Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill implements an announcement by the Chancellor in the 2012 Autumn Statement that increases in certain working-age welfare benefits and tax credits would be limited to one per cent, rather than increasing them in line with inflation.

Previous stages of the Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill

What is committee stage?

Detailed line by line examination of the separate parts (clauses and schedules) of the bill takes place during committee stage, starting from the front of the bill and working to the end. Any member of the Lords can take part.

It usually starts no later than two weeks after the second reading and can last for one to eight days or more.

The day before committee stage starts, amendments (changes) are published in a marshalled list - in which all the amendments are placed in order.

During committee stage every clause of the bill has to be agreed to and votes on the amendments can take place. All proposed amendments can be discussed and there is no time limit, or guillotine, on discussion of amendments.

Further information

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