AQW 49633/22-27

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 25/06/2026
Answered On Date: 02/07/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities to detail any steps his Department is taking to ensure that benefit levels reflect the real disability price tag, as identified in the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report entitled, Disability and poverty in Northern Ireland.

Answer:

I note the findings of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation's recently published report, Disability and Poverty in Northern Ireland. The UK Government launched the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment in October 2025. The review is expected to conclude in Autumn 2026, and no changes are anticipated before that review is completed.

Rates of Social Security Benefits are set by the Department for Work and Pensions in Great Britain and are maintained in Northern Ireland under parity arrangements.

My department continues to work on developing a robust, sustainable and effective Executive Disability Strategy. This will help address the barriers and inequalities that impact upon the lives of Deaf and disabled people, including those at economic disadvantage as referenced in the Report.