'THINK' July - August 2024 Edition

Living Wage NI Launched At Stormont

Advice NI has launched Living Wage NI, an initiative aimed at increasing the Real Living Wage amongst employers across Northern Ireland. As the official regional partner for the Living Wage movement, Advice NI will advocate for fair wages and support employers in achieving the Living Wage accreditation.
 
Living Wage NI is supported by the Department for the Economy and will receive £125,000 funding to promote the programme. Its launch event took place at Parliament Buildings today attended by Northern Ireland’s Economy Minister, Conor Murphy, and he emphasised the importance of this initiative:
 
"There is compelling evidence, backed up by research, that paying workers the Living Wage increases productivity, and leads to better physical and mental health. Supporting this partnership between Advice NI and the Living Wage Foundation is an important part of a wider policy agenda to promote good jobs, one of my four economic priorities. I am pleased to confirm that my Department will provide funding of £125,000 per year to raise awareness of the Living Wage and increase Living Wage Accreditation among employers here – a very sound investment in our economy and society. Everyone should be paid a wage that provides them and their family with a decent standard of living, and I look forward to continuing to work with Advice NI and the Living Wage Foundation in the time ahead with the aim of achieving this goal.”
 
Living Wage NI Regional Manager Mary McManus, who has long been an advocate for the Real Living Wage, added:
 
"The Living Wage addresses in-work poverty by enabling workers to live decently and reducing the risk of financial difficulty. Businesses increasingly recognise that paying the real living wage is not only the right thing to do but also benefits their operations through improved recruitment, employee motivation, and productivity. It also has broader societal benefits by encouraging more businesses to join the movement."
 
Advice NI launches Living Wage NI to boost fair pay across Northern Ireland

 

Northern Ireland Lagging Behind Rest of UK on Real Living Wage

A BBC report has highlighted the gap between Northern Ireland and other parts of the UK on the Real Living Wage. Whilst more than 15,000 businesses across the UK have signed up to the voluntary scheme only 100 of those are based in Northern Ireland. Mary McManus, Regional Manager for Living Wage NI, highlighted the statistic that whilst the population of Scotland was three times higher than Northern Ireland it had 40 times the amount of real living wage employers.
 
Official wage figures for last year show 15.6% of employee jobs in Northern Ireland last year were below the Real Living Wage, which is one of the highest proportions in the UK, well above the UK average (12.9%), Wales (12.9%) and Scotland (10.1%). That means an estimated 190,000 people in Northern Ireland are earning below the threshold.
 
Madison Kryt, supervisor of Bullhouse East bar in east Belfast, explained the impact of finding a job which has paid her the Real Living Wage:
 
"It makes a big difference. In a lot of my previous jobs I've fought for a living wage going for new positions so being on a living wage now is huge, it means I am able to afford to live here and have a life outside of work as well."
 
Bullhouse managing director William Mayne said it made business sense:
 
"It has been useful for us when it comes to recruiting new staff and retaining staff. The hospitality industry is classed as a low-pay industry, but we don't think it has to be."
 
Real Living Wage: Northern Ireland lagging behind rest of UK

 

Listen Back to Radio Foyle Broadcast on Real Living Wage

Kevin Higgins, Head of Policy at Advice NI, spoke to North West Today about rates of low pay, and emphasised the ‘big job’ to be done following the establishment of a Real Living Wage project in Northern Ireland.
 
Speaking about the regional variation in rates of pay, Kevin pointed to sharp contrasts between the proportion of employees paid less than the Real Living Wage in constituencies like Foyle and East Londonderry, with rates roughly double those in constituencies such as Lagan Valley and Belfast South.
 
Listeners also heard from Anne Marie Gallagher, Project Manager at St Columb's Trust in Londonderry, a charity that has signed up to pay its employees the Real Living Wage.
 
You can listen back to the programme until 1 September, and the report on the Real Living Wage starts from 18:45.
 
North West Today - 02/08/2024 - BBC Sounds

 

Learn How the Real Living Wage is Calculated

Nye Cominetti, Principal Economist at the Resolution Foundation, who calculate the Real Living Wage on behalf of the Real Living Wage Foundation, spoke to the first episode of the Invisible Worker podcast about the development of the minimum wage and how the Real Living Wage differs from the government’s own calculation of the National Living Wage.
 
The episode is available via the Financial Wellbeing Forum’s YouTube channel.
 
Who calculates the living wage?

 

Advice NI Campaign Page Goes Live

You can find further information about the Real Living Wage in Northern Ireland at Advice NI’s website, which now has a dedicated page for our work on the Real Living Wage.
 
Paying the real Living wage has several benefits for both employers and employees. This includes:

• Better employee retention
• Increased productivity
• Improved employee relations
• Enhanced employer reputation

The page also includes an expression of interest form for employers who may be interested in signing up to become a Real Living Wage employer.
 
Living Wage NI

 

Government to Change Calculation of Minimum Wage

The new government has announced that it will instruct the Low Pay Commission (LPC), the independent body that advises on the National Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage, to factor in the cost of living to its calculations. This will be in addition to the LPC’s existing remit to consider the impact on business, competitiveness, the labour market and the wider economy.
 
In addition, the government also intends to equalise the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage, making rates the same for everyone, regardless of age.
 
Responding to the announcement, Katherine Chapman, Director of the Living Wage Foundation, said:
 
“It's great to hear that the minimum wage will, for the first time, take into account living costs. We look forward to working with the Low Pay Commission and Government on how this can be taken forward and effectively work alongside our real Living Wage rates. The real Living Wage remains the only wage rate based solely on the cost of living, and we encourage all employers who want to show leadership on low pay to join the growing movement of over 15,000 Living Wage Employers.”
 
Nye Cominetti, Chief Economist at the Resolution Foundation, reviewed the published remit for the LPC, and concluded that the cost of living change is not especially radical and may not have a significant impact on minimum wage rates for 2025. On the other hand, changes to the age band rates ‘will mean big pay rises for the ~750k young workers below the NLW.’
 
What changes are we making to the Minimum Wage?
National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage: updated Low Pay Commission remit 2024
Living Wage Foundation responds to change in UK minimum wage

 

Concerns Mount About Tax Credits Claimants Not Completing ‘Move to UC’

Advice NI is concerned that the first phase of 'Move to UC' affecting tax credits-only cases may see a significantly higher ‘drop-out’ rate than expected, and is worried about how these households will cope without income from either Tax Credits or Universal Credit.
 
Speaking about this issue, Kevin Higgins, Head of Policy, Advice NI said:
 
“We understand that there were about 30,000 households in receipt of Tax Credits and none of the other legacy benefits, and so in scope to receive a Migration Notice letter between October 2023 and April 2024. These claimants then had 3 months from the date of their letter to make a claim for UC. As we reach the end of that phase, official statistics provided by the Department for Communities evidence that, by February 2024, there were only 6,880 migrated households, representing less than 25% of the total for this phase.
 
We know that many households would not have received a Migration Notice by the end of February, some will have delayed their claim to Universal Credit until they secured their full benefit uprating in April, and others are still within the 3-month migration window. However, the latest update we have received from the Department indicates that approximately 40% of those contacted so far are yet to make a claim for UC.”
 
Figures from the Department for Work and Pensions in Great Britain suggest a relatively high proportion of Tax Credits recipients are not making the transition to UC at all. As a result, many people, for whatever reason, risk depriving themselves of income at a time when everyone is struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and making ends meet.
 
Kevin Higgins continued:
 
“We believe it is especially important to make prospective ‘Move to UC’ claimants aware of the special transitional protection measures in place to ensure that those
Advice NI has been working closely with the Department for Communities to flag issues of concern and to try to ensure that the 'Move to UC' process is as smooth and supportive for claimants as possible. This ongoing engagement is appreciated and has already led to significant improvements, for example in relation to how applications from self-employed claimants are processed by Universal Credit. Albeit monthly reporting for self-employed groups such as farmers still presents a significant challenge.”
 
Advice NI calls on tax credit claimants to act “before it’s too late”
 
Our concerns are backed up by the latest statistics on the Move to UC published by the Department for Work and Pensions, which show that this is a national issue. 284,660 people issued a migration notice in the reporting period did not make a claim for UC before the claim deadline and have had their legacy benefit awards terminated.
 
Completing the move to Universal Credit: Statistics related to the move of households claiming Tax Credits and DWP Benefits to Universal Credit: data to end of June 2024

 

Executive Agrees Latest Budget Settlement

An update to the budget settlement for the Northern Ireland departments has been agreed by the Executive following a monitoring review by the Department of Finance. The announcement was made despite the pre-election period ahead of the General Election which took place on 4 July.
 
This includes allocations of:

• £122 million for the Department of Health to provide additional funding for vital services.
• £43.7 million to the Department of Education for the Education Authority pay and grading Review and a further £44.5 million - £29.5 million towards pressures in the education system and £15 million for capital works to improve the school estate.
• £35 million to help address pressures across the justice system.
• £20 million for the Department for Communities for New Build Social Housing and £10 million towards discretionary support and the Supporting People programme, as well as for homelessness interventions.

However, in her statement to the Assembly on the June monitoring round the Finance Minister laid bare the scale of the funding gap that exists:
 
“Given the pressures identified in the Budget it will come as no surprise that both the Resource and Capital bids in this monitoring round far outweigh the level of resources available.
 
“For every £1 we had to allocated for day-to-day funding for public services we had 6 times as many demands with bids totalling some £1.27bn.
 
“Similarly for every £1 we have to spend on capital we had 9 times as many demands with bids in excess of £520m.
 
“There is quite simply not enough funding available to do all the things we would wish to do.”
 
Executive agrees June monitoring allocations

 

Welcome News on Changes to Debt Relief Orders

Advice NI has welcomed significant forthcoming changes to the Debt Relief Orders (DRO) scheme in Northern Ireland. Set to be introduced in the Assembly in early July, it brings Northern Ireland's debt relief measures in line with those in England and Wales.
 
DROs are a formal insolvency procedure to help individuals deal with debts they can’t afford to repay. The long-awaited update will provide crucial support to individuals burdened by debt, offering them a valuable lifeline.
 
New legislation will see transformative adjustments to the DRO eligibility including the removal of the £90 administration fee, the maximum debt threshold for DRO eligibility rise from £20,000 to £50,000 and an increase in monthly surplus income threshold from £50 to £75. It will also see the property value limit increase from £1,000 to £2,000 and a separate piece of legislation by the Department of Justice will increase the vehicle exemption limit from £2,000 to £4,000. If approved, the changes will come into effect on 8 July 2024.
 
Sinead Campbell, Head of Money, Debt, and Quality at Advice NI expressed her support for the changes:
 
“These legislative amendments are a significant step forward for debt relief in Northern Ireland. Advice NI has long advocated for changes that would provide fairer and more effective support to those struggling with debt. With these new measures, individuals will have greater access to relief, reducing the immense stress and hardship caused by overwhelming debt.
 
"The removal of the £90 application fee is particularly noteworthy. For many, this fee has been a substantial barrier to seeking help. Its elimination ensures that the DRO process is more accessible to those who need it most. By aligning our debt relief measures with those in England and Wales, Northern Ireland is taking a crucial step towards economic fairness and support for our most vulnerable citizens."
 
The changes follow the restoration of the Assembly earlier this year and are part of ongoing efforts to update Northern Ireland's financial support systems.
 
Advice NI is urging households and businesses facing financial difficulties to proactively seek support and get in touch with its free, impartial, and confidential Debt & Money Service.
 
Debt Relief Orders changes to be implemented In Northern Ireland
Official Report of Assembly debate on the draft Insolvency (Monetary Limits) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2024

 

Increase to UC Earnings Threshold for Free School Meals and Uniform Grants

Education Minister Paul Givan has announced an interim change to the eligibility criteria for families applying for free school meals and uniform grants.
 
The annual net earnings threshold that applies to free school meals and uniform grants applicants who are in receipt of Universal Credit has been raised from £14,000 to £15,000 (equivalent to £1250 per month).
 
The increased threshold will take effect from when the Education Authority (EA) opens its application portal in June 2024 for applications and is an interim rise pending completion of the ongoing review of the eligibility criteria for free school meals and uniform grants.
 
Claimants must attach all pages of their most recent Universal Credit claimant statement to their application. The statement can be found by logging into their Universal Credit online account and clicking on most recent payment details.
 
The Education Authority advises claimants whose income varies from month to month to apply again after receiving future UC statements which show a lower take-home pay. However, it will be the claimant’s responsibility to inform the Education Authority if subsequent statements show a monthly income which is higher than £1250 per month.
 
A number of other benefits also passport entitlement to free school meals and uniform grants:

• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• support under the Immigration and Asylum Act                                       
• Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit with an annual taxable income of £16,190 or less
• Working Tax Credit “run-on” – the payment someone may receive for four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Guarantee element of State Pension Credit

Interim change to eligibility criteria for free school meals and uniform grants
Frequently Asked Questions: Free School Meals/Uniform Grants

 

Significant Boost to Early Years Childcare Budget

Education Minister Paul Givan has announced a £25million package of measures to support children, parents and providers with early learning and childcare in 2024/25.
 
The package of measures is designed to stabilise and support expansion of the early learning and childcare sector, offer all children 22.5 hours pre-school education per week and reduce childcare bills for working parents through a Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme.
 
Speaking after Executive approval of the support measures, the Minister said:
 
“This is an ambitious package of measures for early learning and childcare representing the most significant enhancement of early years investment in Northern Ireland in decades. This investment clearly demonstrates that, despite an extremely challenging budget position, the Executive remains committed to making support for young children, their families and the services they rely on, a top priority.”
 
Education Minister announces £25million package of measures for early learning and childcare in Northern Ireland
 
Further information has since been shared with stakeholders, and we now know that the package will provide funding for three core policies:

• A new Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy which will provide a 15% contribution to the cost of childcare for children who are under primary school age, from September 2024.
• Emergency support for childcare providers.
• Standardisation of pre-school provision to 22.5 hours.

Further information about the Childcare Subsidy scheme has also been revealed:

• For eligible working parents with children below primary school age.
• Provide a 15% subsidy towards the cost of childcare for all below school age children whose parents are eligible for and using Tax-Free Childcare.
• Due to start in September 2024.
• Subsidy will be paid through registered childcare providers.
• Parents and childcare providers will not be liable for any tax or National Insurance Contributions on the subsidy payments.

Update on support package for childcare including Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme
New Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme to help with childcare costs

 

Health Minister Commits to Automatic Passporting to Help With Health Costs for UC Claimants

Following extensive lobbying from the independent advice network, the Department of Health has committed to taking steps to establish automatic entitlement to help with health costs for claimants in receipt of Universal Credit. Under existing rules, UC claimants can only access help with health costs by applying through the low-income scheme. This has been a significant barrier to access to health services for UC claimants.
 
Public confirmation was provided by the Minister of Health in his response to a question in the Assembly reproduced below.

 

Advice NI Raises Alarm Over Rising Debt Caused by Childcare Costs

Statistics show that over half of NI households rely on credit cards and overdrafts to cover childcare during school holidays, which has trained the spotlight once again on the financial strain childcare costs impose on families across Northern Ireland.
 
Recent data from Advice NI member, Employers for Childcare, revealed that nearly 60 per cent of family’s resort to credit cards and loans to cover childcare expenses, with the average weekly cost £157 per child. Advice NI believes that this reliance on credit highlights an urgent need for action and reform to mitigate the financial risks to households facing debt. Calls to the Advice NI helpline from families in need of support spike during this time of year, particularly as costs are increasing.
 
Employers for Childcare’s 2023 NI Childcare survey also revealed that 1 in 5 parents relied on an overdraft to pay their childcare bill and 1 in 10 used a credit card where the balance was not paid off in full the following month.
 
Sinead Campbell, Head of Money, Debt, and Quality at Advice NI said:
 
“Our debt advisers are acutely aware from calls with parents that they are taking on debt to cope – a burden that unfortunately doesn’t disappear when the school-term resumes. It’s important to highlight too that it’s no longer just single parents or low-income families, but increasingly more high earners are struggling to keep up with escalating costs and are falling into the cycle of debt. Action is needed now including short-term and long-term interventions to provide a lifeline for those struggling whilst trying to do the best for their children.”
 
Advice NI warns rising childcare costs may push parents into long-term debt

 

UC Warning to Public Sector Workers Who Receive Backdated Pay Awards

Advice NI has urged healthcare and other public sector workers in receipt of Universal Credit (UC) and who have received or are due to receive backdated pay awards from their employer to be mindful of the impact of increased pay on their benefit award.
 
Under UC rules all earnings received in an assessment period will be included in the calculation of the claimant’s award during that month, which will mean that claimants receiving backdated payments from their employer may not be entitled to UC during that assessment period. In addition, there may be a risk that entitlement to UC may be affected in subsequent months as a result of the Department carrying forward ‘surplus earnings’ in certain circumstances.
 
Kevin Higgins, Head of Policy at Advice NI, commented:
 
“This is obviously a very unsatisfactory situation particularly for claimants who may see their Universal Credit award reduced to zero and will cause anxiety for many claimants already struggling to make ends meet. There is also the potential for knock-on impacts for example with rent and rates payments and on what are called 'passported benefits' such as free school meal entitlement, help with health service charges for example with eye care and dental services.
 
It is vital that affected Universal Credit claimants exercise caution, understand the impact of receiving this additional income and budget accordingly. It is important that claimants engage with Universal Credit via their UC Journal or via the UC Helpline.”
 
Advice NI urge ‘caution’ for healthcare and other public sector workers in receipt of Universal Credit who are in line to receive pay awards

 

Commons Amendment on Two-Child Limit Defeated

An amendment to the King’s Speech tabled by the Scottish National Party which called on the government ‘to immediately abolish the two-child limit’ has been defeated in a Commons vote.
 
Mr Flynn called the policy a "disgrace" and said it must be "scrapped immediately".
He said: "It's shameful that Keir Starmer has made the political choice to continue imposing Tory austerity cuts, instead of delivering the change that people in Scotland were promised.”
 
Seven Labour MPs defied the whip in order to vote in favour of the amendment. In the Guardian, former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell explained the rationale for the rebellion:
 
“A campaign to scrap the cap attracted the support of more than 120 civil society organisations, including the main national poverty campaigns, religious bodies and trade unions. The pressure from this campaign and Labour MPs resulted in ministers announcing last week the setting up of a taskforce on child poverty.
 
“However, the king’s speech contained no commitment to scrapping the cap, no timescale for the taskforce’s work to be completed, and no deadline for decision-making on issues such as the cap.
 
“The concern grew that the reason for not committing to scrapping the cap was neither funding nor the timescale for practical implementation by the taskforce. Instead, the fear is that, behind the scenes, party strategists were looking at polls and focus groups, and seeing that the cap was popular among some potential supporters. Not wanting to alienate them would mean ignoring a few hundred thousand children in poverty.”
 
SNP tables amendment to scrap two-child benefit cap
Labour suspends seven rebels who voted to scrap two-child benefit cap
My vote was a plea for Labour to tackle child poverty. Its response? To suspend me

 

Cliff Edge Coalition Highlights Impact of Two-Child Limit

The Cliff Edge Coalition has this week submitted a briefing to the Public Accounts Committee Inquiry into Child Poverty in Northern Ireland that draws particular attention to the two-child limit, which is one of the main drivers of rising child poverty in Northern Ireland.
 
Removal of the two-child limit is one of the Coalition’s key asks to help alleviate poverty in Northern Ireland. A recent motion in the Assembly calling on the Executive to develop plans to remove the limit received broad support, but the Coalition’s briefing notes that this proposal was amended by DUP intervention. As a result, the Minister is instead committed to considering the merits of a Better Start Larger Families payment.
 
Cliff Edge briefing to Public Accounts Committee Inquiry into Child Poverty

 

New Government Establishes Child Poverty Taskforce

The Prime Minister has appointed the Work & Pensions Secretary and the Education Secretary as the joint leads of a new ministerial taskforce to begin work on the Child Poverty Strategy.
 
A new Child Poverty Unit in the Cabinet Office - bringing together expert officials from across government as well as external experts - will report into the taskforce. The new unit will explore how the government can use all the available levers across government to create an ambitious strategy. 
 
In the immediate term, the taskforce is expected to consider how we can use levers related to household income as well as employment, housing, children’s health, childcare and education to improve children’s experiences and chances at life.
 
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:
 
“For too long children have been left behind, and no decisive action has been taken to address the root causes of poverty. This is completely unacceptable - no child should be left hungry, cold or have their future held back.
 
“That’s why we’re prioritising work on an ambitious child poverty strategy and my ministers will leave no stone unturned to give every child the very best start at life.”
 
Ministerial taskforce launched to kickstart work on child poverty strategy

 

Major Charities Call for Planned WCA Reforms to be Scrapped

Several GB-based charities, including Child Poverty Action Group, Disability Action and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, have signed an open letter to the incoming Labour government calling on them to scrap proposed reforms to the Work Capability Assessment put forward by the previous government earlier this year.
 
The letter states:
 
“Disabled people are already more likely to live in poverty, and recent research has shown that two thirds of people currently living in destitution are Disabled or have a long-term health condition. We believe these plans would serve to exacerbate this inequity. Particularly as, in recent years, the real-terms value of the basic rate of benefits has hit a 40-year low, meaning that people losing ‘Limited Capability for Work or Work Related Activity’ status are likely to find themselves unable to afford essentials.
 
“The potential impact of this on the health of people with serious mobility or mental health problems is clear. There is also a growing body of evidence that suggests inadequate social security can in fact make it harder to get a job – whether because of being unable to meet costs associated with job-seeking, or because your time is taken up with trying to manage on a very low income.”
 
Scrap Tories Proposed WCA Reforms: Open Letter From DR UK And Allies To New Work And Pensions Secretary

 

Managed Migration of State Pension Age Claimants From Tax Credits

Amendments enacted through the Social Security (State Pension Age Claimants: Closure of Tax Credits) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 provide for the managed migration of Tax Credits claimants who have reached State Pension age to either Universal Credit or Pension Credit.
 
As the Explanatory Memorandum explains, on the basis of the existing rules ‘some pensioner households would, without intervention, see a reduction in income from April 2025 when their tax credit award ended’ without action to remedy the situation. Therefore, the amendment provides for these claimants to be transferred to the benefit which is most appropriate to their working status. As such, those pensioners who remain in work and receive Working Tax Credit will be instructed to make a claim for Universal Credit, whilst those only receiving Child Tax Credit should apply for Pension Credit.

Provision is made for transitional protections to be incorporated into both UC and PC accordingly. With respect to those who claim UC this includes the following amendments to the Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016:

• provide for transitional protection to cease after an initial period of 12 months in the case of single claimants or couples who have reached the PC qualifying age and whose earnings have fallen below a threshold for three consecutive months;
• insert a new regulation 61A providing for the waiver of the upper age limit in UC, where the relevant claimants are entitled to Working Tax Credit and have been issued with a migration notice;
• insert a new regulation 61B which provides an exemption from the notional income rule for persons who have deferred their state or non-state pension;
• insert a new regulation 61C exempting persons over the qualifying age from the benefit cap.

For those transferring to PC, the following amendments are made to the State Pension Credit Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003:

• provide a 52-week exemption from the notional income rule for persons who have deferred their state or non-state pension;
• insert a new Schedule 2B which provides for a new transitional additional amount to be included in the guarantee element of PC.

In addition, the Housing Benefit (Persons who have attained the qualifying age for state pension credit) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 are amended to exempt these households from the two-child limit.
 
Finally, the Social Security (Widow’s Benefit and Retirement Pensions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1979 and the Social Security (Deferral of Retirement Pensions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005 are amended to provide that a single person does not accrue any deferral benefits while that person is in receipt of UC, bringing the provisions concerning when deferral benefits may be accrued by a single person into line with those already applicable to couples.
 
Social Security (State Pension Age Claimants: Closure of Tax Credits) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024
ADM Memo 4/24

 

Interpretation of Self-Sufficiency for EEA Nationals

Decision Making Services (DMS) have issued guidance on the interpretation of self-sufficiency in the light of the Upper Tribunal’s judgement in the WV case, which deals with the meaning of self-sufficiency in relation to a European Economic Area national relying on their United Kingdom partner’s legacy benefits to be considered self-sufficient as a right to reside for the purposes of access to benefits.
 
The Upper Tribunal decision in WV found that European Economic Area nationals who rely on their United Kingdom partners’ legacy benefits may be considered as self-sufficient under specific circumstances and so potentially entitled to Universal Credit. The Upper Tribunal decision was handed down on 19 May 2023 and it will affect cases from that date.
 
DMS advise that the following European Economic Area nationals may be considered as having been self-sufficient for the purpose of claiming Universal Credit if they satisfy all of the following conditions:

1. have Pre-settled Status
2. do not have any other right to reside
3. rely on their United Kingdom partner’s legacy benefits (for which the benefit award was calculated at the couple rate) to be considered as self-sufficient and
4. then make a joint claim to Universal Credit with their United Kingdom partner.

However, due to an appeal against the decision by the Secretary of State in Great Britain DMS is instructing decision makers to proceed with determining equivalent cases on the grounds that affected claimants continue to be ineligible partners unless some other right to reside exists.
 
ADM Memo 3/24 – Self-Sufficiency and the WV decision

 

Upper Tribunal Finds Policy of Delaying EUSS Applications Unlawful

The Upper Tribunal has made an important ruling in the case R (LK) v. Secretary of State for the Home Department & Independent Monitoring Authority, concluding that the Home Office must consider the individual circumstances of EU citizens and EEA nationals before delaying determination of their EUSS applications pending criminal prosecutions.
 
In the case before the tribunal the applicant’s likely penalty for his criminal charge was minor and on conviction and sentencing could never have led to his Settled Status application lawfully being refused under applicable Withdrawal Agreement standards. In addition, the delay in deciding his application meant that he couldn’t access housing assistance and Universal Credit. Without legal representation, there was a strong chance he could have become homeless.
 
In its judgement the Upper Tribunal found that:

• The Home Office’s policy to pause EUSS applications because of pending prosecutions has been unlawfully directing Home Office caseworkers in their decision making.
• The policy has breached the EU law rights of those subject to it.
• There is a cohort of EU citizens/EEA nationals, like the applicant, who have had their application paused under this policy but could never have had their application refused on consideration of the criminal penalty following conviction on their pending criminal charge.
• In order to act lawfully, Home Office decision-makers must consider an applicant’s length of residence, the applicable Withdrawal Agreement standard of protection, and whether a delay is proportionate before deciding to pause an EUSS application.
• The unlawful policy has robbed deserving EU citizens/EEA nationals of ‘security of mind and confidence in future planning’.

Home Office policy of refusing to determine thousands of EUSS applications for leave to remain by EU citizens/EEA nationals found to be unlawful

 

Managed Migration for Tax Credits Claimants

Law Centre NI has published a new guide to the managed migration of Tax Credits claimants to Universal Credit. It is designed to help claimants and advisers in Northern Ireland better understand the complex issues raised by Managed Migration for Tax Credit claimants. It includes a detailed breakdown of the transitional protection, including the calculation of the transitional element.
 
The document also provides helpful guidance, including template letters, for requesting additional support from the Department for Communities as a claimant with complex needs.
 
Guide to Managed Migration – Tax Credit Claimants

 

Expert Guidance on LCWRA and UC Migration From CPAG

CPAG has made its article from the June edition of its Welfare Rights Bulletin on the migration of LCWRA cases to Universal Credit free to access. The article addresses a number of scenarios where this process can be less than straightforward, despite apparent legal protections in place.
 
As the article explains, ‘a claimant already determined as having LCWRA outside the UC system at the time of their UC claim should as a matter of law:

• be treated as having LCWRA for the purposes of UC; and
• have the LCWRA element included in the award from the first assessment period – ie, not be subject to the default ‘relevant period’ of three assessment periods before that element is included.’

Legislation and case law is cited to clarify the approach that should be taken in respect of claimants moving from Employment and Support Allowance, with particular emphasis on ‘Credits only’ cases and mixed-age couples.
 
LCWRA and migration to UC

 

Official Statistics on Two-Child Limit Published

DWP and HMRC have jointly published its latest statistics relating to the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children through low income working age benefits. The statistics cover the whole of the United Kingdom and show the number of claimants and children affected by the policy.
 
The following are the headlines from the figures identified by DWP and HMRC:

• in April 2024, there were 380,000 Universal Credit households that had a third or subsequent child born on or after 6 April 2017, and 71,000 Child Tax Credits households, a total of 450,000
• 370,000 Universal Credit households and 69,000 Child Tax Credit households (a total of 440,000 households) were not receiving the child element or amount for at least one child because of the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children
• there was a total of 1.3 million children living in a Universal Credit household and 270,000 children living in a Child Tax Credit household (a total of 1.6 million children) that was not receiving a child element or amount for at least one child due to being affected by the policy
• 24,000 households that had a third or subsequent child born on or after 6 April 2017 were in receipt of an exception
• the most common reason for an exception was for multiple births (16,000 or 69% of those with an exception)
• the number of households affected by the policy has increased since the first statistics were published in 2018, as more children have been born since 6 April 2017 into families with at least two children

Responding to the publication the Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group, Alison Garnham, said:
 
“Children are losing their life chances to the two-child limit now – they can’t wait for the new government to align every star before the policy is scrapped. The PM came to office pledging a bold, ambitious child poverty-reduction plan and there’s no way to deliver on that promise without scrapping the two-child limit, and fast. This is not the time for procrastination or prevarication – the futures of 1.6  million children are on the line.”
 
Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit claimants: statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children, April 2024
New DWP statistics: 1 in 9 children now hit by two-child limit

 

JRF Highlights Scale of Ongoing Cost-of-Living Crisis

New research from JRF uncovers the reality of years-long hardship for low-income families, with the lowest incomes forced to go hungry, skip meals and cut back on food.
 
In response, and in view of the General Election due to take place on 4 July, JRF is calling on politicians to set out their plans to tackle ongoing hardship.
 
The research found that:

• 7 million low-income households (60%) were going without essentials in May this year.
• 5 million low-income households (42%) took fewer showers or baths due to cost during the cost-of-living crisis so far.
• 7 in 10 (71%) low-income households in the bottom 20% were going without essentials in May this year, the same as May last year.
• Families on low incomes say they are still taking the same drastic measures to try and save money that were widely reported at the height of the cost-of-living crisis.

JRF is particularly concerned that the social security system is failing families who’ve fallen on hard times, with 86% of low-income households who received Universal Credit going without the essentials in May this year.
 
In separate analysis, JRF found that millions are ‘teetering on the edge’ of poverty, with 3.2 million people in the UK are only £40 a week from poverty and 900,000 only £10 a week away.
 
Paul Kissack, CEO of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said:
 
“Such high levels of hardship, with millions experiencing poverty and millions more teetering on the edge of it, are a stain on the moral conscience of our nation.
 
“It has been six prime ministers since this country last made sustained progress on reducing poverty. During that time we've seen a sustained rise in the number of people in deep poverty, with hardship and destitution growing even faster. Whoever is Prime Minister after July 4th must make reversing this dismal trend a priority.
 
“Our political leaders must be specific and ambitious about how they will tackle poverty. But so far there hasn’t been anything like the level of urgency from either Rishi Sunak or Keir Starmer that we need to see. Pointing to future growth as a panacea just won’t cut it.”
 
Politicians must urgently address “relentless reality” of hardship as 7 million households continue to go without essentials
Nearly 1 million people only £10 a week away from poverty as political leaders urged to set out their plans for tackling hardship ahead of tonight’s election debate

 

Independent Review of Children’s Social Care Services

The Department of Health has published a summary of responses received to the initial consultation on the 53 recommendations of the ‘Independent Review of Children’s Social Care Services’ in Northern Ireland. The Independent Review commenced in February 2022 and concluded on 21 June 2023 with the publication of the Review Report. The Review was conducted by Professor Ray Jones, supported by a panel of three advisors and experts in the field of children’s social care - Marie Roulston M.A. CQSW. O.B.E, Professor Pat Dolan, and Her Honour Judge Patricia Smyth.
 
There was a total of 134 responses received to the Department of Health’s public consultation. There were 91 responses made on behalf of organisations or groups and 43 responses were made by individuals. There were a number of recurring themes across responses to questions:

• The need for greater and sustained investment, recurrent funding and multi-year budgets;
• The pervading and corrosive impact of poverty of families in Northern Ireland;
• The importance of robust leadership;
• The need to pay staff well and to support them to improve recruitment and retention;
• The criticality of engaging children, parents and families in decisions relating to service design and delivery that impact on them;
• The significant role that the voluntary and community sector can play particularly in relation the supporting families;
• The need to remove unnecessary bureaucracy; and
• The need for improved governance arrangements.

Children's Services Review Consultation Report

 

Lived Experience Research on Energy Hardship

The Utility Regulator has published key findings and a full report on its recent research on energy hardship, which looked at the lived experiences of domestic electricity and gas consumers across Northern Ireland struggling to pay their energy costs. The research provides an evidence base to inform the regulator’s consumer protection work.
 
Participants involved in the research had experienced being in debt with their energy supplier, regularly running out of energy on their prepayment meter or had significantly reduced their energy usage to levels below their daily living needs because of difficulties paying for their energy.
 
Key findings from the report include:

• Overall, the majority of participants were already doing all they could to cut back on energy costs and were tightly managing their budgets, just to get by.
• For the majority of those interviewed, they had experienced changes in their circumstances (for example marriage breakdown, job loss or health issues) that had resulted in having to manage on a lower income.
• Many participants had adopted harmful coping strategies in an attempt to reduce their spending on electricity or heating. These included skipping meals or drastically reducing their energy use to levels below their daily living needs.
• All participants experienced a negative impact on their quality of life, physical or mental health.

Utility Regulator launches new lived experience research on energy hardship

 

Research Shows Financial Pressures Continue for Households

New research from the Money Advice Trust, the charity that runs National Debtline and Business Debtline, shows 6.8 million (13 percent) UK adults are struggling to pay for their essential costs, such as rent and council tax. Despite inflation falling to 2 percent, an estimated 11.4 million (21 percent) people say their financial situation is worsening. 
 
The findings, based on an Opinium poll of 2,000 UK adults, reveals the lasting impact of the cost of living crisis for millions of UK households.
 
Steve Vaid, chief executive at the Money Advice Trust, the charity that runs National Debtline and Business Debtline, said: 
 
“Inflation levels may have subsided, but intense financial pressure continues to put strain on many households and small business owners. 
 
“One of the biggest challenges facing the people we help is that many simply don’t have enough coming in to cover their essential costs.
 
“Supporting people out of debt needs to be an urgent priority for the new Government. This needs to include helping people on the lowest incomes by ensuring anyone receiving Universal Credit has enough to cover their essentials. 
 
“It’s never too early or too late to seek advice – and no one should have to face this alone. Free debt advice services can help – so I would urge anyone who is struggling to cope to get in touch.”
 
In Northern Ireland, people struggling with financial difficulties can call Advice NI on 0800 915 4604 or email debt@adviceni.net for free, confidential debt advice.
 
6.8 million people struggling to pay for essentials, despite falling inflation

 

Department for Communities Budget for 2024-25

The NI Executive considered and set the NI Budget 2024-25 on 25 April 2024. Following on from this, the Minister for Communities has made his initial Budget 2024-25 decisions and this consultation seeks to establish how those decisions will impact on the Department’s ability to deliver public services.
 
The consultation will run until 3 September 2024. The Executive’s Budget 2024-25 settlement provides the Department with £856.0m Resource DEL, £133.4m Capital DEL and £29.8m Financial Transactions Capital.
 
Summarising the budget, Minister Lyons said:
 
“There is no doubt that all departments face a challenging set of circumstances following the budget agreed by the Executive in April. For my Department, this budget represents significant shortfalls of £115.8m on Resource and £167.3m on Capital against 2024-25 requirements. Tough decisions need to be taken if we are to protect core public service delivery.
 
“I have taken the following initial decisions in relation to my 2024-25 budgets:

• To protect the Voluntary & Community sector with increased funding of £1.45m.
• To protect the Supporting People programme with increased funding of £4.8m.
• To provide £22m for Discretionary Support Grants, an increase of 10% on last year’s budget.
• Funding for the Department’s Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs) and Homelessness is protected at prior year levels.
• Funding will continue for Labour Market Partnerships with Councils.

 
“The vast majority of the Capital budget will continue to be invested in social housing.  However, the funding available will severely constrain the number of new starts possible this year.
 
“Other areas of investment include sport, regeneration and City Deal projects.
 
“In order to protect these services, very difficult decisions have been taken in other areas, these include:

• Continued vacancy control and further reduction in the Department’s staffing levels.
• A £1.8m reduction in the Rates Support Grant provided to Councils.
• Not extending the JobStart (16-24) scheme and other parity employment support interventions.
• No further investment in tackling rising levels of welfare fraud and error.”

Minister to launch budget consultation
Consultation on Department for Communities Budget 2024-25 allocations

 

Welfare Supplementary Payment (WSP) Schemes Survey

The Department for Communities is encouraging responses to its survey on the current Welfare Supplementary Payment schemes. The survey is open to all and is available for completion on the Department’s website until Friday 6 September 2024. Responses can be made on an individual basis or as an organisation.
 
The survey is part of a wider engagement process by the Department on the future of Welfare Supplementary Payments, also known as mitigation schemes. The Department will produce a report setting out their assessment of the operation of each of the Welfare Supplementary Payment schemes by 31 March 2025.
 
Mitigation schemes survey available on Communities website

 

School Uniform Policy Under Review by Department of Education

Education Minister Paul Givan has launched a public consultation seeking views on school uniform policy. Launching the consultation, the Minister said:
 
“I am clear that my overarching aim is to ensure that all school governing bodies put affordability, comfort and sustainability at the centre of their decision-making when they set their school uniform requirements.
 
“School uniforms play an important part in the engagement of pupils with their school. I recognise that many schools in Northern Ireland follow the existing guidance and work hard to keep the costs of school uniforms as low as possible. However, I know that some schools continue to have uniform policies where certain items are expensive or restrictive in where parents or carers can buy a uniform.”
 
The consultation focuses on two key areas:

1. introducing statutory guidance; and,
2. introducing a cap on uniform costs.

The consultation period will run from 20 June 2024 until 27 September inclusive. Responses should be made using the online form.
 
Views sought on School Uniform policy
School Uniform Policy Consultation

 

Enforcement Liability Orders in Child Maintenance

Following on from equivalent powers introduced in Great Britain, the Department of Communities has opened a consultation on its Child Support Enforcement Bill and corresponding subordinate Regulations. The purpose of the proposed legislation is to allow the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) to make an administrative liability order against a person who has failed to pay child maintenance and is in arrears. A liability order is legal recognition of the debt and is required before CMS can take certain enforcement actions against non-compliant parents to enforce those arrears.
 
The consultation document explains how, at present, CMS attempts to recover missed payments of child maintenance via a Deduction from Earnings Order or by deductions directly from the paying parent’s bank accounts. Where this has not proved effective, CMS must apply for a liability order to the Magistrates’ Court and wait for the application to be granted before it is able to take certain enforcement measures to collect unpaid child maintenance. In Northern Ireland, the involvement of the Enforcement of Judgments Office also lengthens the process. From the point of application to a liability order being granted can take an average of 22 weeks.
 
The Child Support Enforcement Bill was introduced in the Northern Ireland Assembly on 17 June 2024 and as proposed will amend existing uncommenced powers in section 17 of the Child Maintenance Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 and insert new sections 32M and 32N into the Child Support (Northern Ireland) Order 1991. Those sections 32M and 32N will provide the powers for administrative liability orders and allow CMS to make an administrative liability order against a person who has failed to pay child maintenance and is in arrears and to proceed quickly against parents who have failed to meet their obligations to pay child maintenance.
 
The consultation period runs until 29 September 2024. Responses are requested through the preferred method of the online survey. Alternatively, a hard copy of the questionnaire can be obtained and responses can be returned by email or by post.
 
Consultation on Child Maintenance: Accelerating Enforcement (Administrative Liability Orders)

 

Workers Rights in the Context of the Good Jobs Agenda

The Department for the Economy has launched a consultation on proposals to introduce a new Employment Rights Bill for Northern Ireland.
 
The consultation covers a wide range of possible enhancements to employment legislation aimed at modernising our rights framework under the Minister’s Good Jobs agenda. Proposals are divided into the four themes of a Good Job, as defined by the Carnegie Framework: terms of employment; pay and benefits; voice and representation; work-life balance.
 
Specific objectives of the bill include replacing zero hours contracts with contracts that offer flexibility and protect workers’ rights and the removal of unfair barriers for trade unions, particularly in low-paying sectors.
 
The consultation will be open for 13 weeks from 1 July 2024 to 30 September 2024. The consultation papers are available on the Department’s website at The 'Good Jobs' Employment Rights Bill.
 
Minister announces consultation on Good Jobs and improving workers’ rights

 

Public Health Bill

The Department of Health has launched a consultation asking for views on new health protection measures being implemented through a Public Health Bill to replace the current Public Health Act (Northern Ireland) 1967.

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said: “Our current public health legislative framework needs to be updated in order that Northern Ireland can respond to 21st century public health emergencies. The overarching principle of the legislation is to protect our citizens against various forms of infection and contamination including biological, chemical and radiological in addition to our current legislation which focuses on infectious diseases.
 
“The Public Health Bill will give the Public Health Agency powers to investigate, risk assess and respond to infectious diseases and other infections or contaminants that affect public health. It will bring our Public Health legislation into further alignment internationally and provide the Department with powers to make regulations that clarify the roles and responsibilities of those tasked with delivering new health protection measures.”
 
The Consultation is open for 12 weeks and closes on 27 September 2024.
 
Consultation on a new Public Health Bill for Northern Ireland
Policy Proposals to inform the development of a new Public Health Bill for Northern Ireland

 

Anti-Poverty Strategy

AQW 14008/22-27, tabled on 01/07/2024 by Patsy McGlone (SDLP)

To ask the Minister for Communities to detail his plans to engage with (i) the independent expert panel who have developed recommendations for an anti-poverty strategy; and (ii) the anti-poverty strategy co-design group.
 
Answered by the Minister for Communities on 22/07/2024
I am currently considering the next steps to be taken in relation to the Executive Anti-Poverty Strategy. I acknowledge the input from a wide range of stakeholders to date and it will now be for the Executive to consider the way forward.
 
I will announce the next steps to be taken in relation to the Strategy shortly.

 

Asbestos

AQW 13827/22-27, tabled on 25/06/2024 by Michelle McIlveen (DUP)

To ask the Minister for Communities to detail any consideration he has given to reopening a grant scheme for the removal of asbestos from residential properties.
 
Answered by the Minister for Communities on 22/07/2024
Northern Ireland Housing Executive operates a number of grant schemes on behalf of my Department.
 
I have sought the requested information from NIHE’s Chief Executive, who has advised me as follows:
 
“There is no specific grant-aid scheme available for the removal of asbestos. However, asbestos removal may be considered through Private Sector Grants, which NIHE administers on behalf of the Department of Communities.
 
Home Improvement Grants - Mandatory Grants
Should a Statutory Notice be placed on a tenanted property by a local council because comprised asbestos is noted then grant aid could be considered under the mandatory Repair Grant. Under the Disabled Facility Grant, funding can be provided to remove the asbestos if this is likely to be disturbed to complete the permitted works. An assessment should be carried out by a ‘competent’ surveyor (approved by the British Institute of Occupational Hygiene) and grant aid can be considered for its removal by a specialist contractor who is licensed by the Health and Safety Executive.
 
Discretionary Grants
If asbestos is discovered in a property, and it has been compromised (i.e. damaged or broken), asbestos removal could be considered for discretionary grant aid. An assessment should be carried out by a ‘competent’ surveyor (approved by the British Institute of Occupational Hygiene) and grant aid can be considered for its removal by a specialist contractor who is licensed by the Health and Safety Executive.
Discretionary grants include the following: Renovation, Home Repair Assistance and Replacement, they are all subject to funding.
 
Prior to considering an enquiry for discretionary grant aid, the case must meet the exceptional circumstances as listed below:

1. There is a need for a parallel discretionary grant to be processed to facilitate the completion of mandatory Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) adaptations.
2. Are the repairs identified presenting any imminent and significant health & safety risk that would impact upon the occupants?
3. Is there any serious risk to the occupants under structural stability?

Currently, due to budget restrictions there is currently no funding for discretionary grants, however, in exceptional circumstances, funding may be considered if deemed necessary for the completion of a DFG (point 1).
 
Energy Efficiency Grants
Under the Affordable Warmth Scheme (AWS), funding can be provided to remove the asbestos if this is likely to be disturbed due to the installation of energy efficiency measures or prohibit the actual installation of the measure. An assessment should be carried out by a ‘competent’ surveyor (approved by the British Institute of Occupational Hygiene) and grant aid can be considered for its removal by a specialist contractor who is licensed by the Health and Safety Executive. For the current year however, funding for new applications to the Affordable Warmth Scheme is restricted.”

 

Carer’s Allowance Overpayments

AQW 13916/22-27, tabled on 27/06/2024 by Mark Durkan (SDLP)

To ask the Minister for Communities, pursuant to AQW 12747-22/27, how many of these overpayments were caused due to excess or a fluctuation in earnings, in each of the last five years.
 
Answered by the Minister for Communities on 08/07/2024
The table below shows the total number of recoverable Carer's Allowance overpayments that were due to breaches of the weekly earnings limit, in each of the last five years.
 

Year	Carer’s Allowance Overpayments due to breaches in the weekly earnings limit	Value £
2019/20	843	1,014,227
2020/21	521	424,965
2021/22	1,665	2,552,084
2022/23	1,552	2,318,264
2023/24	1,545	2,947,827

 

 

Disability and Employment

AQW 14070/22-27, tabled on 02/07/2024 by Claire Sugden (Ind)

To ask the Minister for Communities (i) to detail the work he has undertaken, and plans to undertake, with employers and industry leaders in relation to the employment of people with physical and learning disabilities, including those who had statements of special educational needs while at school; and (ii) for an update on (a) the proportion of those with physical and learning disabilities who have expressed a desire to work; and (b) the proportion of whom are currently employed.
 
Answered by the Minister for Communities on 10/07/2024
NISRA estimates that 41.7% of people with a disability are currently in employment. Of those who are economically inactive and classified as sick or disabled, an estimated 26,000 (20% of this classification group) express that they want to work under the right circumstances.
 
My Department delivers a range of provision, in collaboration with many partners, to support disabled people to move closer and into employment. This includes Workable (NI), Access to Work (NI), and the Condition Management Programme; JobStart and its specialist pathway for disabled young people; our frontline Work Coaches and range of employer facing services; and provision commissioned through our Labour Market Partnerships, based on local need.
 
My Department has also undertaken work to develop a new Disability and Work Strategy for Northern Ireland, involving extensive co-design alongside a wide and diverse range of stakeholders, including disabled people, the voluntary and community sector, and employers and their representative bodies.

 

Discretionary Support

AQW 13918/22-27, tabled on 27/06/2024 by Mark Durkan (SDLP)

To ask the Minister for Communities whether consideration has been given to increasing the earnings threshold criterion for Discretionary Support to ensure individuals, in emergency circumstances, can access financial support.
 
Answered by the Minister for Communities on 10/07/2024
The Discretionary Support income threshold is automatically increased annually in accordance with the annual uplift to the National Living Wage.
 
It was increased by £2,386.80 to £26,769.60 from 1 April 2024.
 

AQW 14005/22-27, tabled on 01/07/24 by Patsy McGlone (SDLP)

To ask the Minister for Communities (i) whether the additional criteria for Discretionary Support that was added in summer 2023 due to a limited budget is still in place; and (ii) whether that additional criteria will be removed.
 
Answered by the Minister for Communities on 08/07/2024
The changes to the Discretionary Support policy were introduced in July 2023 in an effort to protect and sustain the budget throughout the financial year. This was a necessary measure to ensure financial support continued to be available to help address the basic needs of some of the most vulnerable.
 
I recognise the importance of the Discretionary Support scheme, which is why the Discretionary Support Grant Budget has been topped up to £22m for 2024-25. However, in view of the continued constrained budget situation the additional eligibility criteria introduced in July 2023 will remain in operation.
 

AQW 14006/22-27, tabled on 01/07/24 by Patsy McGlone (SDLP)

To ask the Minister for Communities to detail the funding for Discretionary Support that remains available for allocation in the 2024-25 financial year.
 
Answered by the Minister for Communities on 10/07/2024
I have agreed a Discretionary Support Grant budget of £22m in 2024-25, which is an increase of 10% on last year’s budget.
 
For Discretionary Support Loans, which is capital funding, the budget is £10.1m which is offset by loans receipts of £9.1m for 2024-25, resulting in a total capital requirement of £1m.
 
As the Discretionary Support scheme is a demand led service, my Department will continue to closely monitor scheme expenditure.

 

AQW 14007/22-27, tabled on 01/07/24 by Patsy McGlone (SDLP)

To ask the Minister for Communities to detail his plans to adopt the recommendations of the expert panel on Discretionary Support to improve the reach and fairness of the current system.
 
Answered by the Minister for Communities on 10/07/2024
I recognise the importance of the Discretionary Support Scheme in assisting vulnerable people in a crisis situation. That is why I have increased the budget for Discretionary Support grants to £22 million for the 2024/25 financial year.
 
The recommendations for changes to Discretionary Support, made by the expert panel, are currently being considered. These recommendations will need to be assessed in the climate of financial constraint and the requirement to ensure that budgets remain sustainable over the coming years.
 

 

AQW 14156/22-27, tabled on 03/07/2024 by Sian Mulholland (APNI)

To ask the Minister for Communities to detail (i) the number of applications for Discretionary Support that were (a) successful; and (b) rejected in the last five years; and (ii) the proportion of loans offered compared with grants over the same period.
 
Answered by the Minister for Communities on 06/08/2024
My Department publishes an annual report which details Discretionary Support performance and expenditure during each financial year. The report includes the number of applications for Discretionary Support that were awarded and disallowed.
 
To establish the proportion of loans offered compared with grants over the same period it is important to note that a Discretionary Support claim following full assessment can result in more than one award outcome. A customer may receive a grant award, loan award or combination award.
 
The table below includes an analysis of Discretionary Support payments issued in each scheme in the last five years:

 

	% of Discretionary Support loan payments	% of Discretionary Support grant payments*
2019-20	28%	72%
2020-21	33%	67%
2021-22	25%	75%
2022-23	18%	82%
2023-24	24%	76%

*Discretionary Support grant payments include standard grants, Universal Credit Contingency Fund grants and self-isolation grants.

 

AQW 14196/22-27, tabled on 04/07/2024 by Sian Mulholland (APNI)

To ask the Minister for Communities to detail the five most common reasons for the rejection of applications Discretionary Support.
 
Answered by the Minister for Communities on 06/08/2024
Discretionary Support applications are governed by the Discretionary Support Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016.
 
In respect of claims disallowed due to not meeting the criteria, the most common reasons include;
 
Regulation 6 (evidence and information in connection with a claim) has not been satisfied.
 
Regulation 9 (application withdrawn). This is when an applicant chooses not to proceed with their application.
 
Regulation 21 (2)(f) (in default). This is where a customer has defaulted on a repayment plan of a previous DS loan and therefore cannot be considered for further awards until the default has been cleared.
 
Regulation 10(3)(c)&(d) (maximum loans and grants paid) (rolling 12 months). Customers cannot be awarded more than three Discretionary Support loans, one grant for living expenses and one grant for household items in a 12-month period, except in the case of a disaster.
 
Regulation 10 (basic eligibility criteria) has not been satisfied.
 
Further information relating to this scheme, including eligibility and how to apply, is available on nidirect.

 

Employment Rights Bill

AQW 13881/22-27, tabled on 26/06/2024 by Matthew O'Toole (SDLP)

To ask the Minister for the Economy when he will introduce a workers' rights bill.
 
Answered by the Minister for the Economy on 01/07/2024
It is my intention to launch an extensive public consultation on 1 July. Beyond the closing of that consultation, I will need to review the responses from stakeholders and form conclusions on the way forward. Policy decisions will need to be agreed by the Executive and the drafting of an Employment Rights Bill will take some time. Given the likely scale of the task I estimate that the Bill will be introduced to the Assembly by January 2026.
 
If there is scope to introduce the bill at an earlier juncture, I will seek to do so. Also, there may be changes I can make sooner via secondary legislation, following the consultation.

 

Fuel Poverty

AQW 13638/22-27, tabled on 20/06/2024 by Daniel McCrossan (SDLP)

To ask the Minister for Communities whether his Department plans to have a statutory fuel poverty target.
 
Answered by the Minister for Communities on 01/07/2024
My officials have concluded a series of pre-consultation stakeholder engagement events to inform the development of the Fuel Poverty Strategy with a public consultation planned in the Autumn. Due to its early stage of development, it has not yet been determined whether a statutory fuel poverty target will be established.

 

Help With Health Costs

AQW 14018/22-27, tabled by Claire Sugden (Ind) on 01/07/2024

To ask the Minister of Health for his assessment of how the change from tax credits to Universal Credit, and the application process for free dental treatment, has impacted the number of people registered as eligible for free dental treatment in the last five years.

Answered by the Minister of Health on 17/07/2024
The Help with Health Costs (HwHC) scheme provides individuals, primarily on low incomes, with financial help towards the cost of dental treatment, eyesight tests, glasses or contact lens, and travel costs for Health and Social Care (HSC) treatment on referral by a doctor or dentist.
 
A person is either automatically passported to the HwHC scheme if they are in receipt of certain benefits or they have to apply through the Department’s Low Income Scheme. The legislation does not currently make provision for the automatic passporting to the HwHC scheme for eligible Universal Credit (UC) claimants and therefore, legislative changes are required.
 
Generally speaking, as the associated legislative changes have not yet been made, there should be no impact on the overall number of people eligible for help with health costs following the introduction of UC. However, there has been an impact on the method by which eligible UC claimants currently receive entitlement for help with health costs.
 
An interim measure is in place for individuals who have migrated from a legacy benefit on to UC, they have to apply through the Department’s Low Income Scheme to have their eligibility assessed and confirmed prior to treatment. The scheme is administered by the Department for Communities. The interim measure is not an automatic process. It is paper based, and individuals must complete an application form to apply for an annual certificate for help with health costs.
 
Currently, with the exception of having to apply manually, my Department do not expect there to be any significant change in eligibility for UC claimants receiving help with health costs.
 
However, I recognise that the interim measure has obvious implications for some of our most vulnerable people and it has been criticised due to low public awareness and for placing an additional burden on individuals in society. It is clear that there is an urgent need to update our legislation to reinstate automatic passporting for help with health costs to those eligible.
 
A short consultation is required which will outline the potential options that my Department is considering before proceeding to update the legislation. My Department will seek to maintain, as closely as possible, the caseload of recipients who are eligible for help with health costs, balancing the continued protection of the health of members of society who need additional support without adding pressures on HSC budgets.
 
My officials intend to have the consultation and other necessary work completed to enable the legislation to be updated in the autumn of this year.
 

AQO 702/22-27, tabled on 20/06/2024 by Mark Durkan (SDLP)

To ask the Minister of Health to outline the rationale for undertaking a public consultation before reinstating automatic passporting to the Help with Health Care scheme for Universal Credit claimants.
 
Answered by the Minister of Health on 23/07/2024
The Travelling Expenses and Remission of Charges Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004 do not make provision for the automatic passporting to the Help with Health Costs Scheme for Universal Credit claimants. Automatic passporting to the Help with Health Costs Scheme for eligible Universal Credit claimants will therefore require legislative changes to the aforementioned Regulations.
 
The overall policy aim is to ensure that broadly the same number of people are eligible for help under the new arrangements as under the legacy benefits. However, due to the structural differences between Universal Credit and legacy benefits there may be some who will lose eligibility for help.
 
As a result, it would not be acceptable to proceed to update the legislation without a short consultation that will outline the potential options that the Department is considering.

 

Local Housing Allowance

AQW 13996/22-27, tabled on 01/07/2024 by Gerry Carroll (PBPA)

To ask the Minister for Communities to detail any work being carried out to increase the local housing allowance rate.
 
Answered by the Minister for Communities on 10/07/2024
Responsibility for reviewing Local Housing Allowance lies with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions who has committed to an annual review of Local Housing Allowance.
 
I wrote to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on 5 March 2024 requesting that, going forward, Local Housing Allowance rates are considered with a view to maintaining pace with private sector rents.

 

Private-Rented Sector

AQW 14172/22-27, tabled on 04/07/2024 by Claire Sugden (Ind)

To ask the Minister for Communities to detail any plans he has to review private property rental sector regulations to make it easier for lower income households to find a home.
 
Answered by the Minister for Communities on 06/08/2024
The first phase of the reform of the Private Rented Sector is encapsulated in the Private Tenancies Act (NI) 2022. This legislation already includes measures to help low-income households to access the sector by limiting the amount of deposit that a landlord can request or retain to no more than one month’s rent.
 
Of equal importance are those other measures derived from the Act which are focused on increasing the protections for tenants while living in a property, including my recent regulations to set the minimum standards for the installation of smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms, and those which my officials are currently developing to underpin electrical safety and to provide for much longer notice to quit periods.
 
My consideration of what needs to happen in Phase 2 of Private Rented Sector reform will be focused on what further measures I can take to help ensure that the Private Rented Sector offers a good housing option for those that need it.
 
My officials have already re-engaged with key stakeholders and reviewed what is happening in other jurisdictions as part of a policy refresh to inform the development of a draft plan for Phase 2 reform for my review. I will be meeting with officials in the near future to discuss this plan.

 

Rental Guarantors

AQW 14029/22-27, tabled on 01/07/2024 by Paula Bradshaw (APNI)

To ask the Minister for Communities (i) for his assessment of the requirement that guarantors for rental tenants must be resident in Northern Ireland; and (ii) to detail the guidance his Department offers on this matter.
 
Answered by the Minister for Communities on 10/07/2024
Private tenancies legislation does not include any stipulations in relation to requirements for guarantors, and it is a matter for landlords/agents as to whether they wish to ask for this form of security. Landlords/agents also take alternative forms of security, such as, rent in advance and/or references from previous landlords.
 
My Department does not have any guidance on this matter.

 

Social Supermarkets

AQW 14140/22-27, tabled on 03/07/2024 by Daniel McCrossan (SDLP)

To ask the Minister for Communities, pursuant to AQW 12067/22-27, for an assessment of the scale and timescale for the roll-out of social supermarkets by his Department.
 
Answered by the Minister for Communities on 10/07/2024
My Department has been working with local Councils on a co-design basis to roll-out social supermarket models. Good progress has been made with projects operating in each Council area either as fully fledged social supermarkets or adhering to the high level principle of providing more than food. These have offered vital support at a time an increasing number of people are seeking support with the increased cost of living.
 
The approach taken in each area differs, reflecting a range of variables including the capacity of the Voluntary and Community Sector, the geographical spread and rurality of the area, and pre-existing levels of partnership working. Models range from new standalone projects serving the whole area to supporting multiple pre-existing charitable food providers across the council area to enhance their support and ensure those using the service are as a minimum referred onwards to additional wraparound services to address the underlying causes of their households food insecurity.
 
The models continue to evolve and develop and in recognition of the level of need, and the challenges faced in providing a service across wide geographical areas, an increased initial budget of £2.75m has been allocated to support the continuation of this work in 2024/25.

 

Student Debt

AQW 14083/22-27, tabled on 02/07/2024 by Daniel McCrossan (SDLP)

To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail the average level of debt for students in each of the last five years.
 
Answered by the Minister for the Economy on 08/07/2024
Statistics available from the Student Loans Company show that the average student loan debt for those graduating, with student loans issued by my Department, in each of last five years was as follows:
 

	Average loan balance (£)
Financial Year	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24
Average loan balance for those graduating	23,270	24,420	23,790	24,090	25,370

 

Supporting People Fund

AQW 14124/22-27, tabled on 03/07/2024 by Sinéad McLaughlin (SDLP)

To ask the Minister for Communities whether the 6.4 per cent uplift to Supporting People is intended to replace the 5.8 per cent cut in 2023-24 revenue funding experienced by the programme, or whether it will be applied in addition to reversing this cut.
 
Answered by the Minister for Communities on 22/07/2024
I provided an additional £3m in 2023/24 to the Supporting People Programme making a closing allocation of £75.8m, and this year I have provided a budget allocation of £80.7m. This financial year’s budget allocation remains indicative as it is subject to the outcome of the Department’s Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) on Budget 2024-25, which was commissioned on 11 June 2024.

 

Two-Child Limit

AQW 14197/22-27, tabled on 04/07/2024 by Sian Mulholland (APNI)

To ask the Minister for Communities (i) to detail the number of households, with at least one parent in work, that are currently affected by the two-child limit; and (ii) for a breakdown of this as a percentage of all households in receipt of Universal Credit.
 
 
Answered by the Minister for Communities on 07/08/2024
In February 2024, there were 5,260 households with at least one parent in work who were affected by the two-child limit.
 
In February 2024, 3.8% of households in receipt of Universal Credit had at least one parent in work and were affected by the two-child limit.

 

Universal Credit Contingency Fund

AQW 14159/22-27, tabled on 03/07/2024 by Sian Mulholland (APNI)

To ask the Minister for Communities to detail the number of applications to the Universal Credit Contingency Fund that were (i) successful; and (ii) rejected in the last five years.
 
Answered by the Minister for Communities on 06/08/2024
The table below provides a breakdown of the number of applications to the Universal Credit Contingency Fund that were (i) successful; and (ii) disallowed in the last 5 years.
 

	UCCF Applications processed	UCCF Awarded & Paid	UCCF Disallowed*
2019-20	5,838	4,801	1,037
2020-21	6,527	4,798	1,729
2021-22	10,636	7,662	2,974
2022-23	12,540	9,740	2,800
2023-24	14,621	11,160	3,461

*Disallowed claims include those that were disallowed due to not meeting the criteria, rejected or withdrawn. Rejected awards refer to those where the customer rejected the awarded offered. Withdrawn claims refer to those where the customer has chosen not to pursue the claim.
 

AQW 14160/22-27, tabled on 03/07/2024 by Sian Mulholland (APNI)

To ask the Minister for Communities to detail (i) the amount spent by his Department on the uptake of the Universal Credit Contingency Fund in the last five years; and (ii) any associated underspend in the Universal Credit Contingency Fund budget over the same period.
 
Answered by the Minister for Communities on 06/08/2024
The Department publishes an annual report which details Discretionary Support performance and expenditure during each financial year. The annual reports can be accessed via the Department’s website.
 
There has been no underspend in the Universal Credit Contingency Fund budget in the last five years.

 

Universal Credit and Healthcare Pay Awards

AQW 13772/22-27, tabled on 24/06/2024 by Sian Mulholland (APNI)

To ask the Minister for Communities what measures he plans to implement to support healthcare workers who are currently receiving Universal Credit, but who will lose their eligibility due to the upcoming lump sum pay award in August 2024.
 
Answered by the Minister for Communities on 02/07/2024
The amount of Universal Credit a person receives is likely to be reduced if their earnings increase, including the receipt of backpay.
 
However, based on individual circumstances, a person may be eligible for a work allowance enabling them to earn a certain amount before their Universal Credit payments are reduced. Claimants will also keep £0.45 of every £1.00 they earn over the work allowance.
 
A person’s claim will not close if their earnings exceed their Universal Credit eligibility in one assessment period, claims will remain open and Universal Credit payments will resume in the next assessment period providing eligibility conditions continue to be met.
 
Further information on how Universal Credit treats earnings can be found at Universal Credit if you're employed | nidirect.

 

Welfare Supplementary Payments

AQW 13593/22-27, tabled on 19/06/2024 by Mark Durkan (SDLP)

To ask the Minister for Communities for an update on his Department's work to extend the Welfare Supplementary Payment (Extension) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2022 to protect the mitigation beyond March 2025.
 
Answered by the Minister for Communities on 02/07/2024
My Department has a statutory obligation to produce a report on the operation of the existing Welfare Supplementary Payment schemes before 31 March 2025.
 
The purpose of this report will be to assess the operation of each of the current mitigation payment schemes. The report will include evidence of the effect of the schemes and an assessment of the scheduled cessation of some payments on 31 March 2025.
 
The final report must include proposals, if there are any, to amend, revoke or introduce new legislation in respect of the schemes. My officials are currently progressing work on this report.
 
It will be for the Executive to consider and agree any future mitigation package to ensure that the limited resources available are used in the most effective way possible to provide support to those in need.
 

AQW 13649/22-27, tabled on 20/06/2024 by Mark Durkan (SDLP)

To ask the Minister for Communities what consideration he has given to reviewing the welfare mitigation overpayment recovery.
 
Answered by the Minister for Communities on 08/07/2024
The recovery of overpayments of Welfare Supplementary Payments is currently operating in line with the relevant Regulations.
 
Work is currently ongoing to introduce a waiver process for Welfare Supplementary Payment overpayments, particularly those in respect of Social Sector Size Criteria and Benefit Cap mitigations where overpayments are often recovered directly from landlords.
 
The recovery of overpayments is expected to be considered as part of the Statutory Review of Welfare Supplementary Payment schemes that is being taken forward by my Department.

 

Bereavement Benefits

UIN 354, tabled on 17 July 2024 by Luke Charters (Lab)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to implement the second bullet point of recommendation two in section seven of the report by the UK Commission on Bereavement entitled Bereavement is everyone's business, published in October 2022.
 
Answered on 25 July 2024 by Andrew Western
This recommendation concerns extending Bereavement Support Payment to 6 years or until completion of secondary education for the youngest child, from its current duration of 18 months. However, BSP is not a cost-of-living benefit but is intended to help with the immediate costs of bereavement. Where longer-term income support is needed, individuals can look to benefits such as Universal Credit, which have been specifically designed to provide ongoing assistance with living costs. Whilst we welcome the report, we have no current plans to change the duration of bereavement support payment.

 

Children Maintenance Service

UIN 243, tabled on 17 July 2024 by Sarah Green (LD)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Child Maintenance Service in securing maintenance from paying parents.
 
Answered on 22 July 2024 by Andrew Western
A principle of child maintenance is to increase levels of cooperation between separated parents and encourage parents to meet their responsibilities to provide their children with financial support. Where a family-based child maintenance arrangement is not suitable the Child Maintenance Service offers a statutory scheme for those parents who need it.
 
The Government is dedicated to ensuring parents meet their obligations to children and the Child Maintenance Service will do everything within its powers to make sure parents comply. Where parents fail to pay their child maintenance, the Service will not hesitate to use its enforcement powers, including deductions from earnings orders, removal of driving licences, disqualification from holding a passport, and committal to prison. The Service is committed to using these powers fairly and in the best interests of children and separated families.
 
Statistics on child maintenance arrangements and collections are part of the CMS quarterly statistics published on gov.uk in tables 4, 5 and 6 of the National Tables. The below information is from the latest publication for data up to March 2024.

• In the 12 months up to March 2024 the child maintenance service arranged £1.4 billion child maintenance, an increase from £1.2 billion during the previous 12 months.
• 61% of all CMS arrangements use Direct Pay, with 37% using Collect and Pay and just over one billion pounds was arranged through the Direct Pay service in the last 12 months (we do not measure the compliance of Paying Parents on the Direct Pay service).
• Since March 2023, the percentage of parents paying something towards their maintenance through collect & pay has increased to 69% from 65%.
• In the period April 2023 to March 2024 £316.8 million was arranged through the Collect & Pay service:
  • £224.9 million was paid
  • £91.9 million was unpaid

 

Child Poverty

UIN 624, tabled on 18 July 2024 by Rachael Maskell (Lab)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans for the taskforce on child poverty to make an assessment of the potential impact of ending the (a) the two-child benefit limit and (b) under-occupancy charge on levels of child poverty.
 
Answered on 24 July 2024 by Alison McGovern
The new Ministerial Taskforce will drive cross-government action on child poverty, starting with overseeing the development of our ambitious new strategy in line with the Opportunity Mission.
 
After initial engagement, the formal work to develop the new child poverty strategy will begin and we will publish a Full Terms of Reference in the coming weeks. Recognising the wide-ranging causes of child poverty, we will explore how we can use all the available levers we have across government and wider society to drive forward the change our children need. Alongside this we will be reviewing Universal Credit so that it makes work pay and tackles poverty.
 

UIN 802, tabled on 19 July 2024 by Neil Coyle (Lab)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the proposed child poverty strategy will examine the potential impact of (a) trends in the use of food bank usage and (b) the No Recourse to Public Funds policy on levels of childhood poverty.
 
Answered on 24 July 2024 by Alison McGovern
We are committed to tackling child poverty and ending the mass dependence on emergency food parcels. The new Ministerial Taskforce will drive cross-government action on child poverty, starting with overseeing the development of our ambitious new strategy in line with the Opportunity Mission.
 
After initial engagement, the formal work to develop the new child poverty strategy will begin and we will publish a Full Terms of Reference in the coming weeks. We will explore how we can use all the available levers we have across government and wider society to drive forward the change our children need.
 

UIN 962, tabled on 22 July 2024 by Neil Coyle (Lab)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of setting a target for the level of food bank usage by the end of this Parliament.
 
Answered on 25 July 2024 by Alison McGovern
We are committed to tackling poverty and ending the mass dependence on emergency food parcels. We will be considering the best way to achieve these important objectives over the coming weeks and months working through the new Ministerial Taskforce on Child Poverty which will oversee the development of a cross-government Child Poverty Strategy.

 

Economic Inactivity

UIN 1432, tabled on 23 July 2024 by Mr Richard Holden (Con)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 July 2024 to Question 706 on Unemployment, what the headline level of economic inactivity was in (a) March-May 2010 and (b) the latest period for which data is available.
 
Answered on 26 July 2024 by Alison McGovern
The headline UK economic inactivity level was 9.433 million in March-May 2010 (based on people aged between 16 and 64). In March-May 2024 (the latest month for which figures are available) the UK economic inactivity level was 9.383 million.
 
The headline UK economic inactivity rate was 23.4% in March-May 2010 (this is also estimated on a 16-64 basis). In March-May 2024 (the latest month for which figures are available) the UK economic inactivity rate was 22.1%.
 
The UK has experienced a rise in economic inactivity since the pandemic. The economic inactivity level has risen by 833,000 since the pre-pandemic level, with economic inactivity due to long-term sickness rising to 2.8m. The UK remains the only nation in the G7 with an economic inactivity rate higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Modernising Support Green Paper

UIN 1285, tabled on 23 July 2024 by Cat Smith (Lab)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to publish her Department's response to the consultation entitled Modernising support for independent living: the health and disability green paper, published in April 2024.
 
Answered on 29 July 2024 by Sir Stephen Timms
The consultation on the Modernising Support Green Paper closed on Monday 22 July. Over 16,000 responses have been received and we will review these responses.
 
The proposals in this Green Paper were developed by the previous government. We will be considering our own approach to social security in due course.

 

Poverty Statistics

UIN 1436, tabled on 23 July 2024 by Mr Richard Holden (Con)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) people, (b) children and (c) pensioners were in absolute poverty in (i) May 2010 and (ii) the last month for which figures are available.
 
Answered on 26 July 2024 by Alison McGovern
Statistics on the total number of people living in relative and absolute poverty both before and after housing costs are published annually in the Households Below Average Income statistics.
 
Figures are produced on an annual basis and available for the breakdowns requested.

 

Two-Child Limit

UIN 430, tabled on 17 July 2024 by Jess Asato (Lab)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many exemptions to the two-child benefit limit due to rape have been (a) requested and (b) granted since that exemption was introduced.
 
Answered on 26 July 2024 by Sir Stephen Timms
The requested information is not available. However, figures are published showing the number of households in receipt of an exception for children likely to have been born as a result of non-consensual conception, which for this purpose includes rape or where the claimant was in a controlling or coercive relationship with the child’s other biological parent at the time of conception. Table2 provides this information.
 
The full statistics tables and supporting narrative are published here: Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit claimants: statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of 2 children, April 2024

 

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities

UIN 204, tabled on 17 July 2024 by Claire Hanna (SDLP)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the UK's progress on implementing the recommendations made in the report entitled Concluding observations on the initial report of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2017.
 
Answered on 23 July 2024 by Sir Stephen Timms
The Government is committed to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and improving disabled people’s lives in all aspects of life.
 
The previous Government’s latest response to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was submitted in 2022, and published on GOV.UK with accessible formats in December 2022. This report and previous ones can be found here.
 
As requested by the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Government will submit a report by March 2029 with information on how we are implementing the Committee’s recommendations outlined in their latest report published in April 2024. The Government, through the Disability Unit in the Cabinet Office, has already begun considering the recommendations from this report.
 

UIN 1131, tabled on 22 July 2024 by Alex Easton (Ind)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she is taking steps to incorporate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in (a) policy and (b) legislation.
 
Answered on 29 July 2024 by Sir Stephen Timms
The rights of disabled people under this Convention are largely reflected in domestic policies and legislation, including the Equality Act 2010 in England, Scotland and Wales, and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 in Northern Ireland.
 
We are committed to championing the rights of disabled people. Our Equality (Race and Disability) Bill will enshrine in law the full right to equal pay for disabled people, including disability pay gap reporting for large employers. Additionally our Employment Rights Bill will support people - including disabled people - to access flexible working and break down barriers to opportunity.

 

Universal Credit

UIN 1492, tabled on 24 July 2024 by Mary Glindon (Lab)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 14 May 2024 to Question 25516 on Universal Credit, when her Department plans to publish the findings of the survey of people who have not claimed Universal Credit following receipt of the migration notice.
 
Answered on 30 July 2024 by Sir Stephen Timms
The survey is currently being conducted. The Department intends to publish the findings once it is complete in the Autumn.

 

Water Charges - Northern Ireland

UIN 1273, tabled on 23 July 2024 by Jim Shannon (DUP)

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on water charges in Northern Ireland.
 
Answered on 29 July 2024 by Hilary Benn
I have discussed with the First and deputy First Minister the urgent need to transform how public services are funded and delivered in Northern Ireland.
 
It is for the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly to make decisions on how to sustainably fund public services in Northern Ireland within its Budget and to raise revenue to support this. This Government is committed to supporting the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure better outcomes for citizens.