Advice NI's Head of Policy has initiated a Parliamentary Petition calling for the Work & Pensions Secretary to restore confidence in the social security benefit overpayment recovery waiver system (where overpayment recovery can be waived or written off on health or welfare grounds).
The last 22 months have been extremely difficult for many families in Northern Ireland so Advice NI’s Benefits services is needed now more than ever. The team have dealt with more than 7,500 enquires since April this year alone.
A client contacted us as she had been struggling to make a Universal Credit since April
She was told she did not have the right to reside in Northern Ireland and therefore didn’t have the right to claim Universal Credit.
Department for Infrastructure publish Blue Badge ‘Assessment’ criteria used in applications for the Blue Badge which are 'Discretionary' in nature and do not fall within 'Automatic' entitlement.
Advice NI highlights that 116,000 households in receipt of Universal Credit face poverty and hardship if the Government presses ahead with plans to cut £20 per week from October 2021.
Advice NI are now offering tribunal representation for those living in the Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council Area.
The first three months of 2019 have seen a huge amount of change for Advice NI and the rest of the year looks set for much more to come.
Leading advice sector organisations in Northern Ireland are today calling for renewed focus on protecting social security claimants from the harshest elements of ongoing welfare reform.