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 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 Northern Ireland Audit Office has warned that the full impact of welfare reform has not yet been felt in Northern Ireland. Many claimants will face significant hardships when the current mitigation measures come to an end in March 2020.
Advice NI and NICVA are warning that, with less than a year to go before Welfare Reform Mitigation runs out, thousands of vulnerable people across Northern Ireland may be facing a substantial drop in income and even eviction.