Publications

These Regulations amend regulation 10 of the Social Security (Widow’s Benefit and Retirement Pensions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1979 (“the 1979 Regulations”), so that a Category D retirement pension can continue to be claimed by those...

Statistics on participation in sport: findings from the 2022 Young Persons’ Behaviour and Attitudes Survey.

When a person changes jobs they also leave their employer’s pension scheme. An employee can ask to have their pension rights transferred to the new scheme.

This Statutory Rule is a technical Order giving effect to a statutory requirement to specify the percentage that will be used to revalue the “protected payment” element of a new State Pension for persons who...

This Statutory Rule is a purely technical order that provides for the revaluation of new State Pension scheme pension debits and credits that arise when a Pension Sharing Order is made by the courts where...

In accordance with section 146(5) and (6) of the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992, the Department is required to prepare an annual report on the operation of the Social Fund and to lay...

The Benefits Statistics Summary is released quarterly in the last week of February, May, August and November.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) was introduced in Northern Ireland in June 2016, and replaced Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for people aged between 16 and 64 years old. PIP and DLA cannot be claimed at the...

Universal Credit is a new payment to help support households that are out of work or are on a low income. Universal Credit was introduced in Northern Ireland on a phased geographical basis from 27...

The Benefit Cap is a limit on the total amount of benefit that working-age people can receive. From 31 May 2016, the amount a household could receive in benefit income was limited to £26,000 per...

The Local Government Circular 23/2023 provides a set of consolidated guidance on councillor allowances.

The Northern Ireland Housing Bulletin is a quarterly bulletin containing information on new housing starts and completions, homelessness, the NI House Price Index and new house sales and prices.

Statistics on engagement in culture, arts and heritage by young people from Northern Ireland: findings from the 2022 Young Persons' Behaviour and Attitudes Survey.

These Regulations are purely technical in nature and will make a minor amendment to the Social Fund Maternity and Funeral Expenses Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005. In 2018, our legislative counterparts in GB had to make...

These Regulations will allow the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) to write off low amounts of child maintenance arrears where it appears that it would be impractical and not cost effective to enforce liability in respect...

The Department for Communities Voluntary and Community Division (VCD) has established a formal change programme aimed at improving how the Department ‘incentivises, supports and enhances community empowerment through an innovative and sustainable voluntary and community...

This Statutory Rule introduces permanent changes to the legislation regarding the third-party deduction (TPD) scheme process for requesting deductions from benefit for ongoing consumption payments. It will require new requests, or requests for increased deductions...

Discretionary Support is administered by the Department for Communities (the Department). The Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 makes provision for the Department to make payments by way of grant or loan to prescribed persons...

Urgent legislation is required to ensure that certain cohorts of people coming here from Israel, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights or Lebanon as a result of the Hamas attack...

Section 34(1) of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 1964 requires that the Department prepare an annual report of its proceedings under that Act and the Charities (Northern Ireland) Order 1987. Whilst most functions have transferred...