Advice NI respond to Department for Communities consultation on restrictions to Discretionary Support grants for basic needs and the extension to the repeat item exclusion period.
Managed migration to Universal Credit (UC) began in April in Northern Ireland, with 500 legacy benefit claimants in both Andersonstown & Enniskillen Jobs and Benefits Office areas contacted as part of an initial ‘Discovery Phase’, advising them that they have 3 months to move to Universal Credit.
Please join us on Thursday, 4 May 2023 at 10:30am in the Parliament Buildings, Stormont, for the launch of our report, The Move to UC: Get Ready, where we will share our findings and recommendations.
The first instalment of the Cost of Living Support Payment for those on means-tested benefits has been issued to those eligible in NI from, 20th July 2022.
Advice NI has produced the first in a series of Briefing Papers on ‘Move to UC’ which is the UK government’s plan to move ‘legacy’ social security benefit claimants onto Universal Credit by December 2024
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.
