Debate contribution: Social Security Reform and Economic Inactivity

Debate contribution by Mr Andy Allen MBE on 1 April 2025.

MLA: Mr Andy Allen MBE
Party at the time: Ulster Unionist Party
Date: 1 April 2025
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Private Members' Business
Heading: Social Security Reform and Economic Inactivity
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 4877084

Text

As the rumours began to swirl about the looming cuts to social security and as the plans became clearer, I could not help but recall the moment outside Downing Street — I have mentioned this before, and I make no apologies for highlighting it again — when the rain was pouring down and the then PM came out to call the election with the sound of 'Things Can Only Get Better' blaring in the background. So many expected that to be the case; indeed, some promoted it as being so. How wrong so many were.
To paraphrase my party colleague the Member of Parliament for South Antrim, Robin Swann MP, they keep talking about their £22 billion black hole, but they have just filled it with pensioners, farmers, National Insurance increases and now the disabled. What Labour has done since coming into government seems to be the complete opposite to its manifesto commitments and to the old Labour tradition of supporting working-class people and those in need. Every decision that it has made so far flies in the face of that. I know that Robin will continue to speak up for Northern Ireland and challenge the Labour Government on their reckless approach.
In a speech delivered on 27 August 2024, the Prime Minister stated many things about fixing the foundations of our country. He said:
"I didn't want to means test the Winter Fuel Payment but it was a choice we had to make — a choice to protect the most vulnerable pensioners".
However, when lobbied to raise the pension credit minimum income threshold to ensure that more low-income pensioner households could access the winter fuel payment, Labour chose not to do so. He went on to say that there was a Budget coming in October and that it was going to be "painful", so those with the:
"broadest shoulders should bear the heavier burden".
Many are now asking how broad the shoulders are of those who are being targeted by this Government. Let me be crystal clear: the Ulster Unionist Party opposes the UK Government's approach. The proposals, if implemented, will serve only to fail those who need help the most, and they will actively deepen the hardship that is already being endured by thousands across our communities. Stripping back support for disabled people under the guise of reform is not only unjust but economically reckless. It may offer the Treasury short-term savings on a spreadsheet, but the long-term cost to society, our health services and public trust will be immeasurable. We know from the Northern Ireland Audit Office that child poverty alone costs Northern Ireland up to £1 billion every year. If the Government move forward with these cuts, we will see even more families pushed to the brink, more children growing up cold and hungry and more people turning to food banks just to get by. The Trussell Trust's latest data makes for grim reading. Food bank usage in Northern Ireland has reached record levels, and nearly half of all people who were referred to a food bank in 2023 were disabled. What kind of reform is it that makes life harder for those who are already struggling the most? The Assembly must send a clear message: social security should be a lifeline, not a trapdoor. We need an approach that is rooted in fairness and dignity. It is also important to state that there is often a misunderstanding that PIP is an out-of-work support payment, but it is not. Many disabled people rely on that support to sustain employment. We must focus on solutions that support people back into work, where appropriate and possible, and not force them into destitution. That is why we fully support the call for a UK-wide commission to develop cross-departmental, holistic approaches to tackling economic inactivity among people with long-term illnesses and disabilities. That cannot be done in silos. Health, employment, education and social security must be part of the conversation. There are many who wish to work and could work with the right support, but the current system does not enable that to happen. These proposals will do nothing to change that reality. An individual with lived experience, who has said that they are "stuck in the system", said:
"I can think of low-cost changes that would make a real difference, but my fear is that nothing which risks breaking parity will ever be done. So perhaps it’s time to ask: could we co-design and co-produce a new way forward — a pilot programme that allows Northern Ireland to test a better model of support, without breaking parity, but instead working within or around it, in partnership with the UK Government?".
I ask the Minister for his thoughts on that and on whether any of it will form part of the forthcoming disability strategy or the disability and work strategy. In conclusion, it is imperative that the Minister and the Department engage fully with the UK Government, not just to oppose these cruel proposals but to help shape a new compassionate vision for support and inclusion, because things can get better, but only if we choose to make them so.

860 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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