Publications

Advice NI, Head of Policy Kevin Higgins briefed NI Assembly Committee for Communities on range of issues including:

• Benefit Cap mitigations CliffEdge25 & Les Allamby mitigations review
• Grainne McKeever DS review
• #GetReady4UC & Advice NI Early Warning System - Role of the independent advice network

We are calling on the Minister for Communities, with NI Executive colleagues, to act immediately to avert what is a looming cliffedge in terms of the Benefit Cap.

In January 2024, the Department of Health (DoH) issued a call requesting data to inform their audit of inequalities. In our response to this call for data about health inequalities, Advice NI chose to focus on ‘Help for health service charges’ provision which has been an ongoing area of concern for quite some time.

Advice NI contribution to ongoing research: “Investigating future provision for victims of violence and those at risk/under threat of violence including victims of domestic abuse within the Northern Ireland Housing Selection Scheme”

Read our 2023 Annual Report which provides an overview of our work from April 2022 - March 2023.

Consumer protection is administrated by various government agencies. Businesses, charities, and other organisations are also involved from different perspectives. However, it is difficult to understand ‘who does what’ due to the complexity of the administrative structure and the social fabric. This brief overview aims to delineate some of the major entities’ roles in consumer protection and help readers find the right place to seek support. In later sections, this brief takes a close look at scams and illegal money lending in Northern Ireland given the prevalence and seriousness, aiming to inform readers of advice and help available for those issues.

In 2023, the Consumer Council NI commissioned Advice NI to explore the challenges faced by clients availing of the debt service, considering the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the ensuing cost-of-living crisis. Reflecting on these ongoing societal concerns, Advice NI was asked to report on the adversities faced by clients relating to their problematic debt.

Due to an inadequate budget allocation, creating a Departmental budget shortfall of £111.2m, the Department for Communities has, as part of a range of measures, scaled back funding for the Discretionary Support scheme which provides emergency grants and loans for people on a low income who are in an extreme, exceptional or crisis situation.

Advice NI notes with deep concern that the Department of Communities is faced with unprecedented funding challenges and cuts in 2023-24

Advice NI calls on the Department to ensure that the work and impact of the independent advice network is explicitly included within the DfC Equality Action Plan (in addition to the reference to the ‘Fundamental Refresh’).

This guide summarises the procedures for requesting a discretionary waiver of an overpayment from Debt Management, which is the part of the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) (in Great Britain) and the Department for Communities (DfC) (in Northern Ireland) that manages recovery of benefit overpayments (as well as other benefit debt, such as benefit advances and Social Fund or Discretionary Support loans).

This report which sets out the findings of research conducted by the Advice NI Policy & Information Team. It highlights views, concerns and ideas relating to the ‘Move to Universal Credit’ which will see the managed migration of around 250,000 ‘legacy’ benefit claims in NI to Universal Credit.

Due to the expiry of transitional arrangements related to the introduction of the New State Pension in 2016, we are seeing an increasing number of queries about whether it is worthwhile buying missing National Insurance contributions.

The Framework for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in the Advice Sector was developed and agreed as part of the Northern Ireland Advice Quality Standard (NIAQS) in 2016. This is the latest version of the framework which reflects sector changes and training developments, and support information for advisers.

Our latest Policy and Information Briefing provides an update to the Energy Bills Support Scheme and Alternative Fuels Payment, and answers frequently asked questions about the schemes.