AQW 35248/22-27 Written question to the Minister for Communities
To ask the Minister for Communities to detail the number of (i) households affected by the two-child limit policy; (ii) children living in these households; and (iii) children not eligible for benefit support as a result of the two-child limit, in the most recent year available.
Asked by Sian Mulholland MLA on 11 November 2025
- Answered
- Written
- Priority
- Tabled
- 11 November 2025
- Answer due by
- 19 November 2025
- Answered
- 17 November 20256 days after tabling
- Department
- Department for Communities
- Priority question
- Yes
Answer
The table below shows (i) households affected by the two-child limit policy; (ii) children living in these households; and (iii) children not eligible for benefit support as a result of the two-child limit, by month, in the most recent year available.
| Date | Households affected | Number of children in affected households | Number of children not eligible for child element |
| Jun-24 | 10,830 | 37,590 | 13,230 |
| Jul-24 | 11,240 | 38,980 | 13,710 |
| Aug-24 | 11,590 | 40,220 | 14,370 |
| Sep-24 | 12,260 | 42,670 | 15,250 |
| Oct-24 | 12,910 | 45,120 | 16,100 |
| Nov-24 | 13,260 | 46,380 | 16,570 |
| Dec-24 | 13,410 | 46,920 | 16,780 |
| Jan-25 | 13,660 | 47,850 | 17,140 |
| Feb-25 | 13,890 | 48,700 | 17,460 |
| Mar-25 | 13,710 | 48,110 | 17,260 |
| Apr-25 | 13,820 | 48,430 | 17,390 |
| May-25 | 13,810 | 48,380 | 17,410 |
Notes:
| Data Source: Universal Full Credit System (UCFS) at May 2025. Due to retrospection of UCFS data these figures are subject to change. |
| Due to instances of missing data around children declarations and dates of birth please treat these figures as estimates. |
| Not all children who are the third or subsequent child will be impacted by the two child policy. The number of children born before the policy will determine how many children in the household are counted towards the UC award calculation. Some children may also be exempt from the policy |
| All figures are rounded to the nearest ten. Totals may not sum due to rounding. |