The cost of disability and incapacity benefits for the working-age population in Northern Ireland has cost more than £10bn in five years, according to the latest figures from the Department for Communities.
The figures, which were released following a written question to the Minister from Alliance MLA Sían Mulholland, cover the amount paid out for Employment Support Allowance, the limited capability for work component of Universal Credit, Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment between the 2019/20 financial year and 2023/24.
According to the figures, the bill has jumped by over 30 per cent in five years. While the amount paid out for ESA and DLA has fallen, there has been an increase in the number of claimants of Universal Credit Limited Capability for Work and PIP.
The Department does not hold expenditure by working age for Personal Independence Payments and so the figure includes claimants of all ages.
The figures show that in 2019/20, the total combined bill for the benefit payments was £ 1,757,800,000; in 2023/24 this rose to £2,297,400,000.
Working Age Expenditure(£M)
2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | |
Employment and Support Allowance | 862.7 | 855.5 | 804.7 | 785.5 | 821.8 |
Universal Credit Limited Capability for Work | 44.2 | 86.8 | 123.3 | 167.4 | 233.0 |
Disability Living Allowance | 12.5 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
Total Expenditure (£M)
2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | |
Personal Independence Payments | 838.4 | 916.6 | 1,029.3 | 1,188.2 | 1,442.3 |
Separately, when asked by Ms Mulholland whether there will there be a dedicated cross-departmental approach between his Department, the Department for Communities, the Department for the Economy, the Department of Education and the health service to create a cohesive return-to-work strategy for disabled individuals, the Health Minister said: "The Department for Communities is developing a new Disability and Work Strategy for Northern Ireland, which will align to the Executive Disability Strategy currently in development. In developing the draft Disability and Work Strategy, Department of Health officials have participated within co-production, led by Department for Communities, which has included the Departments for Economy, Education and Finance; as well as a wide range of stakeholders and those with lived experience of disability.
"The new Disability and Work Strategy for NI will seek to support people with disabilities and health conditions to move closer, into and progress in work.
"The Department of Finance continues to lead engagement with Whitehall on the Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) and Post-2026 Funding. Part of this work will help economically inactive people, including disabled people, into employment. It is supported by all NI Departments through the cross-departmental funding policy with the Interdepartmental Working Group.
"In addition, the Department for Economy ’s Economic Vision seeks to close the employment gap between individuals with and without a disability.
"At a more local level, my Department fully supports the provision of Day Opportunities which offer creative work-based placements and a wider range of provision is being encouraged to meet assessed needs."
North Antrim MLA Sian Mulholland said: “We are desperately trying to get a full and accurate picture of exactly how many people in Northern Ireland will be impacted by Labour’s proposed changes to Disability Benefits, and how much is currently being spent by the department. However, it is difficult when data is not broken down by age group and PIP is not broken down at all.
"“What is clear is that the need for support for those with disabilities and with limited ability to engage in work is increasing. Stripping away support without putting proper systems in place will push more people into poverty, increase demand on already overstretched health and social care services, and worsen existing inequalities.
“We need a holistic review of the causes for the increase in support, which has the needs of the individuals at its core, before we can begin to assess options for intervention. My Alliance colleagues and I will continue to work with those who will be most impacted by these changes and will continue to press the Government to reassess their approach to balancing the books.”
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