DUP minister Gordon Lyons highlights cost of SDLP motion on Universal Credit 'two child limit'

The issue was being debated as part of Opposition Day at Stormont on Tuesday, when the SDLP take control of the Assembly’s agenda.

​Sinn Fein and the DUP were accused of showing a lack of respect on the issue of child poverty after the SDLP criticised their turnout.

SDLP MLAs had tabled a motion calling on Minister Lyons to draw up a plan to remove the two-child limit on Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit benefit payments. It means families only receive support for only their first two children, with no further support paid out for a third child or subsequent children.

Leader of the Opposition Matthew O'Toole said despite his party being the smaller than each of the Executive parties “we still have more MLAs in the chamber now than the two main parties combined, who have nearly 60 MLAs between them”.

Later in the debate, Gordon Lyons addressed the issue of attendance and rejected the SDLP claims – questioning the SDLP's own non-attendance at a debate on housing last week.

Mr Lyons also made clear he was opposed to the two-child limit. But he cited the cost implications of removing it in Northern Ireland while it remained in place elsewhere in the UK.

He said it would cost Stormont more than £56 million a year - a total that excluded the associated IT and administrative costs of setting up a different system.

"I am certainly not in any way supporting or defending that two-child limit, I don't think it is of benefit to people here in Northern Ireland," he said.

"I however have to look at the cost of what mitigating that would be if we were to take that cost on for ourselves."

During the debate, several MLAs raised particular concerns around the policy's so-called "rape clause".

It allows women who give birth to a third or subsequent child as a result of non-consensual sex to claim addition benefit support, but only if they provided evidence confirming they were a victim of rape.

Mr Lyons branded the clause "horrendous".