Prime Minister David Cameron and Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith today unveiled a package of welfare reforms which they said would deliver "the most ambitious, fundamental and radical changes to the welfare system" since it was created.
Incentives to work and sanctions for those who turn jobs down were among the measures outlined in the Welfare Reform Bill, which aims to make savings of £5.5 billion over the next four years
A single "universal credit" will replace the complex system of separate benefits, while payments to any one family will be capped at around £26,000.
Prime Minister David Cameron said:
"Never again will work be the wrong financial choice. We're finally going to make work pay -- especially for the poorest people in society.
And he added, "And we're going to provide much greater support for unemployed people to find work -- and stay in work."