People on the lowest incomes – both in and out of work – have endured a decade of austerity; with freezes and cuts to social security benefits and in-work support; hollowing out support, undermining resilience and ability to cope with adversity.
‘Advice NI were contacted by a client who was a single parent and seeking advice on whether they had continued entitlement to Working Tax Credit working 16hrs per week, or if they needed to claim Universal Credit.
Advice NI responds to plans by the UK Government to begin the managed migration of millions of people in Great Britain off legacy benefits and on to Universal Credit.
Leading advice charity; Advice NI Head of Policy, Kevin Higgins and Professor Eileen Evason CBE is urgently calling on the NI Executive to extend Welfare Mitigations to alleviate further hardship in NI.
The report has taken time and gone into meticulous detail; and ultimately which talks about systemic maladministration on the part of the Department & Capita, putting PIP claimants at systemic disadvantage in terms of the approach taken to how further evidence is obtained.
The Department for Communities has put additional support in place to assist Post Office card account and HM Government Payment Exception Service customers who are unable to access their benefit or pension payments during the Coronavirus pandemic.
