AQW 3340/22-27

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 21/09/2022
Answered On Date: 29/05/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities whether her Department has any plans to review and put on hold all debt recovery from people on benefits, including Pension Credit and Personal Independence Payment in Northern Ireland, from 1 October 2022 to 30 September 2023.

Answer:

Any pause in debt recovery would require a break in parity from the Department for Work and Pensions and the cost of any divergence would require Executive agreement.

The Department for Communities recognises the financial hardship that many people are experiencing due to the cost of living and is fully committed to supporting and helping individuals who may be finding difficulty with the repayment of social security benefit debt. Individuals should contact the Department’s Debt Management team, who will work with them to agree an affordable repayment plan. Contact details for Debt Management can be found on https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/contacts/debt-management-northern-ireland