Joint inquiry into Northern Ireland’s welfare policy launched

Thu,11 April 2019
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The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee and the Work and Pensions Committee have launched joint inquiry to examine the impact of welfare policy in NI, with a focus on policies such as Universal Credit and the two-child limit.

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The Committee is inviting written evidence on the following questions:

  • What has been the impact of the NI Executive social security 'mitigation package'?
  • What would be the likely effects of the mitigation package coming to an end in 2020?
  • What, if anything, should replace the mitigation package from 2020?
  • What are the effects of having higher levels of welfare entitlement in Northern Ireland? Is it feasible for Northern Ireland to have differing levels of welfare entitlement in the long term?
  • How well is Universal Credit working in Northern Ireland? Are there issues with Universal Credit that are specific to Northern Ireland compared to the rest of the UK?
  • Do people in Northern Ireland benefit from the flexibility to have Universal Credit paid at a different frequency or with split payments?
  • What is the impact of the two-child limit on families in Northern Ireland?
  • Do social housing tenants in Northern Ireland (including NIHE tenants) regularly experience rent arrears? What are the reasons for this? What level of deductions do tenants face to pay back arrears?
The closing date for submissions is Friday 24 May 2019.