Advice NI has highlighted major changes to contribution based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) time limits proposed in the Welfare Reform Bill 2011 which will impact upon people currently in receipt of Incapacity Benefit.

The Debt Management Guidance is a useful practical resource for Advice NI debt advisers and provides an objective basis for the OFT to assess whether lenders/brokers and Debt Management Firms are behaving unfairly. The guidance is routinely used by advisers either as part of their negotiations on behalf of customers or as a self-help tool to empower people in resolving their own debt problems. The revised guidance is indeed an improvement on the previous guidance and we hope that more subscribers adhere to the principles and apply them in practice.

This draft policy is primarily targeted at the commissioners of health and social care services in Northern Ireland i.e. the HSC Board, the PHA, LCGs and the five HSC Trusts.The draft policy aims to clarify and help improve understanding of what advocacy is and its role in the health and social care context (sections 5 and 6). It also aims to provide some practical guidance on the commissioning of advocacy services, including the setting of principles and standards to underpin this (section 7). In addition, guidance is provided on how advocacy services can be supported and monitored (sections 8 and 9), two key factors in ensuring the provision of high quality, effective advocacy services in the future.

Advice NI advisers and clients have become increasingly concerned and confused about the future of cheques. This Paper seeks to provide clarification on the issue.

Advice NI welcomes the review of Gambling Regulation in NI, particularly given the increased accessibility to such activity as a result of technological advancements. We also welcome recognition of the importance of ‘striking a balance between developing gambling as a legitimate leisure pursuit and minimising its potential negative consequences.’ Advice NI acknowledges the significant benefits of the gambling industry to the economy through tourism, investment and so on but equally if not more important is the need to protect young people and vulnerable people who may be at risk of turning to gambling as a means of thrill-seeking, of trying to deal with their debts or as an alternative to managing their debt effectively and save for the future.

It is in the context of increased demand for advice services and increased workloads that Advice NI calls upon political parties to prioritise advice services and ensure they are adequately funded to protect the most vulnerable in our society.

 Advice NI is delighted to introduce you to a piece of work and accompanying report ‘The big idea: putting people first’ which we believe has the potential to transform frontline services, boost staff morale and maximise returns on investment in this era of cuts and efficiencies.

Advice NI welcomed the opportunity to respond to the guidance provided by the DSD to support Councils in the resourcing of local voluntary advice. We also welcomed the efforts by the Department to keep the Opening Doors Strategy alive and in recognising the existing quality standards within the voluntary advice sector as evidenced in Appendix B of the consultation document.

Advice NI noted the references made to the ‘Working Together for Advice Project (WTAP)’ and made the point that this was a project that was developed over a period of time with significant funds from the Lottery. The point was made that it was perhaps unrealistic to expect similar developments or implantation of guidance without the appropriate resources.

Advice NI raised a number of issues in relation to the DLA reform consultation including a difficulty in accepting that Government is genuinely interested in ‘protecting’ people with disabilities and those people with work limiting health conditions who are reliant upon the benefits system, and Disability Living Allowance in particular, when one considers the raft of welfare cuts that have been proposed as a result of the June and October announcements.

Advice NI also highlighted the Budget 2010 Policy costings document which stated (in relation to DLA reform):

 “Drawing on the evidence of the impact of the WCA, the central assumption for this policy is that it will result in a 20 per cent reduction in caseload and expenditure once fully rolled out.”

Advice NI has made a comprehensive response to the draft Budget as part of the Executive's consultation process. The response examines a number of issues including the increased demand for advice services and increased workloads; and Advice NI’s position that we see the protection of the most vulnerable low income households as being our primary concern.

 The Advice NI response draws attention to a number of issues including: 

 Proposals in the consultation paper appear to focus on a Universal Credit which would be delivered through a new system which would use up-to-date earnings information from employers to calculate Universal Credit on a household basis. This might imply that HMRC will take over the administration of the Universal Credit. Advice NI would have real concerns about the capability of HMRC to administer a system which would be relied upon by all working age people, families and children.

In the current economic crisis advisers and statistics are indicating that many homeowners in Northern Ireland are struggling to pay mortgage bills and make ends meet. The Council of Mortgage Lenders has estimated there will be 39,000 house repossessions in the UK in 2010.

In the first half of 2010 statistics reveal that there were 340 actual re-possessions in Northern Ireland. Based on this worrying trend we would nticipate there will a much higher level of repossessions for 2010, than the previous year. Advice NI is seeing this increase through the rising number of housing enquiries to independent advice centres and a rising number of people in financial difficulties.