Siobhán continues to attend meetings of the Cliff Edge Coalition Working Group which is working to strengthen the existing mitigations package for Northern Ireland. The Coalition was pleased to hear that the Minister for Communities announced plans to bring forward legislation to extend the existing protections against the Benefit Cap beyond 31st March 2025. The Cliff […]
The Department of Health has issued a consultation on Help with Health Costs. The purpose of this consultation is to outline the potential changes to the eligibility criteria for automatic support being provided under the Help with Health Costs scheme for Universal Credit recipients. The deadline for comments is Monday 10th March and is available […]
The Department of Finance has issued a consultation on the draft budget for 2025-26. The Draft 2025/26 Budget sets out the proposed funding for all the different Government departments for the financial year. The NI Executive is encouraging people to get involved in the Draft Budget consultation and have their say on how to prioritise […]
The Department for Communities is consulting on a new Fuel Poverty Strategy for Northern Ireland. The draft Fuel Poverty Strategy proposes a framework for addressing fuel poverty and its impacts. Fuel poverty is the inability of a household to heat and power their home adequately. It is affected by the cost of energy, the energy […]
The Department for Communities is consulting about policy changes to the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Scheme, to limit the annual Winter Fuel Payment in Northern Ireland to pensioners in receipt of Pension Credit or other means tested benefits. The deadline for comments is Sunday 2nd March and is available on the Department for Communities […]
Sinn Fein have launched a Private Members Bill on Holiday Hunger. This Private Members’ Bill (PMB) is about legislating to provide direct support to children and young people entitled to free school meals and their families throughout school holiday periods. Approximately 100, 000 children are eligible for free school meals. However, this entitlement ends when […]
WOMEN’STEC and #NotJustForBoys were delighted to take part in another Heritage Skills Joinery. Taster Day, hosted by the Department for Communities’ (DfC) Historic Environment Division. This incredible event offered participants the chance to explore the artistry of traditional joinery techniques while learning about the vital role of preserving our historic buildings. From crafting their own […]
As we begin another new year it’s good to reflect upon the year we have left behind and how much we have managed to survive and what we have accomplished in that year. One of the Consortiums most significant pieces of research this year has been focused on Violence Against Women & Girls and the […]
The Department of Health is inviting people to attend a series of public events as part of the consultation on the hospital reconfiguration framework. The consultation, “Hospitals – Creating a Network for Better Outcomes”, was launched on 2 October and sets out the key principles to underpin service reorganisation. The aim of the consultation is […]
NIRWN will be hosting a rural focus group on Free School Meals and Uniform Grants. Siobhán Harding, Women’s Support Network will be facilitation the focus group to listen to and gather the views and experiences of rural women so they can be reflected back to the Department of Education as part of the Women’s Regional […]
