CORNISH peers were divided on a key vote in the House of Lords on the Government's contentious Welfare Reform Bill.

Members were seeking changes to the Bill aimed at capping benefit payments at £26,000 a year.

A series of amendments were tabled last week including one much publicised change intended to remove child benefit from the formula used to limit benefits.

A group of bishops had put forward the amendment which had received support from a large number of peers. It was eventually successful, albeit on a close vote, with 252 in favour and 237 against.

Peers in the Lords from Cornwall or with Cornish connections include former MPs Paul Tyler and Matthew Taylor, and former MEP and current Cornwall councillor Robin Teverson. Other Cornish Peers include Paul Myners and Judith Jolly.

Lords Tyler, Taylor, former MP for Truro, and Myners all voted in favour of the amendment to exclude child benefit from the cap, but Jolly and Teverson both voted against. Voting details for all five amendments show Teverson and Jolly voted against every one – in line with the Government. Lord Myners of Truro voted in favour in the four out of five he took part in, while Lord Taylor voted in favour of three amendments and against one. Lord Tyler voted in favour of just the amendment concerning child benefit, voting against the other four key amendments.

The amendment to exclude child benefit from the cap was supported by the Children's Society, whose chairman of trustees is the Bishop of Truro, the Right Rev Tim Thornton.

Benefit

The Children's Society welcomed the support shown by the Lords, saying: "The Children's Society is delighted that the Lords have seen sense and excluded child benefit when calculating the benefit cap. Children should not be held responsible and penalised for the employment circumstances of their parents.

"Child benefit is a non-means tested benefit paid to working and non-working families. It's a benefit all households with children are entitled to and is there to help with the cost of having children.

"If the intention of the benefit cap is to promote fairness, it is totally unfair that a small family with a household income of £80,000 a year receive it, yet a large family with a benefit income of £26,000 are excluded. The Government must not ignore the fact that the Lords have spoken out to defend the plight of some of the country's most disadvantaged children."