Debate contribution: The Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order (Northern Ireland) 2025
Debate contribution by Mr Gordon Lyons on .
- MLA
- Mr Gordon Lyons
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 16 June 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Executive Committee Business
- Heading
- The Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order (Northern Ireland) 2025
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5011047
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I beg to move
The uprating package usually increases the rates of social security benefits, pensions and lump-sum payments each year in line with inflation. It begins at the beginning of the tax year. These two rules came into operation in April 2025. I seek the Assembly's approval of the two rules, which form part of the main uprating package for 2025-26. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is required to undertake an annual review of the rates of benefits in relation to the general level of prices. The percentage increase is determined by the CPI rate in the 12 months up to the previous September. The CPI indicated a positive growth of 1·7% for the period up to end of September 2024. For the 2025 uprating package, that means that benefits linked to prices have been increased by 1·7%. That generally relates to benefits that contribute to extra costs arising as a result of a disability or health condition. In addition to the commitment to the triple lock, the package continues to apply to the basic state pension and the new state pension. Those pension payments are increased in line with the highest of the growth in earnings, the growth in prices or 2·5%. The growth in earnings is measured by the increase in average weekly earnings in the year, up to May to July 2024. The UK Government's commitment to the triple lock for the basic state pension and the new state pension means that, for 2025-26, those have been uprated by 4·1%. Where the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has discretion to increase rates of other benefits, such as working-age benefits, those have traditionally been uprated by the growth in prices — CPI. For 2025-26, the personal or standard allowances — universal credit, income support, housing benefit, jobseeker's allowance and employment and support allowance — have been uprated by 1·7%, as have income-related benefits and additions, the savings credit maximum amount in pension credit and statutory payments, such as statutory sick pay. The standard minimum guarantee in pension credit has increased by 4·1%, in line with state pensions. When the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions makes an uprating Order in Great Britain, my Department is empowered to make a corresponding order for Northern Ireland. My Department has no power to increase the amounts of benefits by a different or greater amount than that in the annual uprating Order. The uprating order is the main statutory rule to provide for the increase in benefit rates, but some technical provisions for the annual uprating have to be made by regulations, and so they cannot be included in that order. This debate also encompasses the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025, which make technical provisions required for the accurate implementation of the increased rates. The regulations are made as a consequence of the uprating order and also include an increase to the personal expenses allowance for residents in care homes and the earnings limit on carer's allowance. As a result of the 2025 uprating package, approximately £264 million more will be paid out, by my Department, to people in Northern Ireland who are on social security benefits and pensions. I would therefore welcome Members' support for the uprating order and the consequential uprating regulations, so that people in Northern Ireland continue to receive the increased rates.
I appreciate the support from across the House.
572 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.52 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.95 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.05 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:53 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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