Jobless benefits to be £3bn more than expected He said that all people on benefits "will still see cash increases in every year of this parliament." It is thought that although claimant numbers have fallen, those still in the system have received generous increases, pushing the total bill up by billions of pounds every year. George Osborne, the Chancellor, used the Autumn Statement earlier this month to announce a cap on total government welfare spending that will start in 2015. If the cap is breached over the five years of the next parliament, the Government will have to explain why and hold a vote. Mr Osborne also said that a future Conservative government would seek to cut welfare by "billions." He hinted that he is prepared to lower further the £26,000 cap on what a household can receive in benefits, a move likely to put the Tories in conflict with their Coalition partners. A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: "We have taken a firm hold on spending, while protecting the most vulnerable - after the cost of benefits rose by 20 per cent in real terms in the decade before the financial crisis."