Publications

This booklet provides information on the changes to housing support under the proposed Welfare Reform Bill and the potential impact on the population of Northern Ireland. It draws together analysis undertaken by Analytical Services Unit...

The Code of Practice for Data Matching applies to data matching carried out by the Department and its executive agencies. It explains why we use data matching, processes involved and the safeguards in place to...

The Code of Practice for Obtaining Information provides guidance to staff authorised under law to obtain information from certain listed organisations on behalf of the Department in connection with benefit offences. The organisations listed include...

This Code of practice details the use of powers to obtain information. The code directs Authorised Officers on their use of powers to obtain information to establish if benefit is, or was, correctly payable to...

The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) was introduced to determine eligibility for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), providing a functional assessment of any individual. These Departmental responses detail the Agency's plans to take forward a number...

This Regulatory Impact Assessment looks at the proposal to abolish the Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) record keeping requirements of employers thereby removing the cost to businesses associated with maintaining records for SSP and Percentage Threshold...

This guide gives detailed information about the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) element of claiming Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). It is aimed mainly at professionals and contractors, but can also be useful for claimant customers.

Money Laundering can impact on certain areas of governmental business. As a result, the Department has chosen to adhere to the principles behind the money laundering legislation through the development of a departmental Money Laundering...

The Instrument of Payment Fraud Sanctions Policy describes the Department's sanctions in cases where its customers commit fraud involving cheques. The range of disposals is similar to those applied in cases where there is a...

If you have made a claim for Legal Aid and have told us that either you, your partner or both of you are a company director, we will need some more information about this in...

The vision of the ‘Maximising Incomes & Outcomes’ plan is that every individual and household across Northern Ireland will be in receipt of all the social security benefits to which they and their families are...

As well as the Benefits Statistics Summary, Analytics Division also provide up to date claimant numbers for each benefit. These figures are provisional and do not undergo the same scrutiny as the National Statistic.

The Joint Standards Committee consists of an independent chair and two other independent members who meet four times a year, fulfilling the requirements of their advisory role to the Department. The Standards Committee replaced the...

The Government introduced the Pension Schemes Bill to Parliament in June 2014. The reforms to the private pension system are intended to introduce new definitions to the legislative framework for private pensions based on the...

This impact assessment considers three private pensions policy areas: consolidation of the disclosure of information regulations; a review of Statutory Money Purchase Illustrations (SMPIs); and extending the current provisions which allow private pension schemes to...

This Impact Assessment considers two changes to the way employer debt is treated in the context of a company restructuring. It assesses the impact of the Occupational Pension Schemes (Employer Debt and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations...

Publications include results of Social Security Agency (SSA) questions which have featured in the Northern Ireland Omnibus household survey since September 2012. Other research has monitored claimant satisfaction levels and evaluated claimant views on services...

This impact assessment considers the effect on schemes of removing the transitional provisions in regulation 14 of the Occupational Pension Schemes (Investment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005 ('the Investment Regulations').

This Regulatory Impact Assessment considers changes to the requirements relating to the disclosure of information by occupational, personal and stakeholder pension schemes. It assesses the impact of the Occupational, Personal and Stakeholder Pension Schemes (Disclosure...

This impact assessment covers the effects of regulations imposed on the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2012.