Sarah Corrigan

Earlier this week, the last All Party Group on Housing before the summer break focused on the housing specific impacts of Welfare Reform in Northern Ireland and included a briefing from Housing Rights.

Housing Rights’ policy team highlighted three key areas of concern and included a focus on the situation post 2020 when the current scheme of mitigation payments are due to expire.

Arguably, one of the most controversial welfare reform policies – the decision to disallow the payment of the “housing cost element” in a Universal Claim to 18 – 21 year olds – has been removed by the Government today. Housing Rights welcome what has been described as a “U-Turn” in Government policy.

The Department for Communities (The Department) within their recent consultation- “A Fundamental Review of Social Housing Allocations” ask for views on a proposal to have an independent, tenure-neutral housing advice service for Northern Ireland (NI).

The Scottish Government published their final report on the impacts of Welfare Reform on the people of Scotland . There has been a Statutory Duty on the Scottish Government to produce an Annual Report on the impacts of the UK Welfare Reform Act 2012 on the people of Scotland since 2013.