The current welfare system in Northern Ireland is broken and “traps people in a cycle of dependency and poverty”, according to the Conservative Party’s Northern Ireland election manifesto.

Speaking in Belfast on Friday, Northern Ireland secretary of state Theresa Villiers said the manifesto “sets out what the next Conservative government will do to build a brighter more secure future for Northern Ireland”.

“This general election is the most important in a generation,” she said. “Here in Northern Ireland, people can be proud of the contribution you’ve made to get the UK back on its feet.”

In the manifesto, the party says the current welfare system – which has led to a logjam in Northern politics - is “broken”.

“It is expensive and it fails too many people by trapping them in a cycle of dependency and poverty,” the manifesto says. “Conservatives believe that the welfare system should help people off benefits and out of poverty by ensuring that work always pays, continue to support those in need and be fair to the taxpayer who foots the bill.”

The party “strongly supports” welfare reforms, including further reducing the benefits cap to £23,000, the equivalent of a salary of over £29,000 before tax.

It also pledges to “ensure that nobody can claim more in benefits than the average family earns by going out to work”.

On health, the party claims the NHS in Northern Ireland has benefited from additional resources through the block grant as a result of the decision by Conservatives to increase spending on health in England. “This will continue in the new parliament,” it says.

“Supported by a strong economy, the NHS will stay free for everyone in Northern Ireland to use, although we think that the devolved Executive should give serious consideration to whether certain prescription charges should be reintroduced,” it adds.