Video: Iain Duncan Smith: 'welfare reforms will pass' Mr Duncan Smith insisted that his welfare reform plans are not designed to "punish" anyone and they would make it through the Lords despite promised opposition from Liberal Democrats peers. He appealed to the Lords not to block his proposals which plan to cap the amount of benefits paid to a single household at £26,000 a year, the equivalent of £35,000 before tax. Peers will debate two amendments to the Government's Welfare Reform Bill, which Lord Ashdown, the former Liberal Democrat leader, has already said he cannot support in their current form. Mr Duncan Smith said that the public and Labour supporters "overwhelmingly supported the bill" and the reforms were about "restoring fairness to the system." He said already that there were already exemptions in place for disabled people, war widows and those in work.