The Cost of Living Crisis Campaign protest to demand an end to debt deductions from benefits

Many people are surprised to hear that benefit claimants, including those in work but getting additional support via Universal Credit, can have up to 25% of their benefit taken off them to repay debt, even at a time like this when families are struggling to put food on the table.

This is unlike in the South, where the Department has to take into consideration the ability of the claimant to repay and the circumstances of the household, debt deductions in the North are taken without any assessment of the family’s circumstances.

The Cost of Living Crisis Campaign says: “This is something that the Minister could do in the morning, without the return of an Executive, because it does not involve any new money. It is ridiculous that MLAs are trying to figure out how to help families who are living on benefits while at the same time taking up to a quarter of those benefits to repay a Discretionary Support loan or a tax credit overpayment, or a budgeting or crisis loan or Universal Credit. Politicians are trying to figure out how to get the £67 a month fuel help to families while, at the same time, taking an average of £62 a month in debt deductions from them.

“The protest is to draw attention to this very easy change that could be made immediately and which would overnight make a difference to the income of many of the families that are struggling the most. Both the Trussell Trust and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation have pointed out that these debt deductions are central to pushing people into destitution and sending them to food banks. Even the Westminster Work and Pensions Committee has said that these deductions have to be examined more closely for the damage they do.

“Derry City and Strabane District Council unanimously passed a resolution from PBP Councillor Shaun Harkin to suspend the debt deductions. That means that all the Executive parties support the move. So why hasn’t it happened already?

“The Cost of Living Crisis Campaign protest outside Orchard House (which has some Dept for Communities offices therein) on Friday at 12.30 aims to ask the question ‘why haven’t debt deductions already been stopped?’ and ask Minister Hargie to move quickly on the issue.”