Latest Articles By Simon Collyer

EU GRANTS - Projects funded by the Northern Ireland European Social Fund (ESF) have equipped 77,000 people with the skills and experience to thrive in the workplace and in wider society, while those supported by the European Regional Development Fund...

HAPPY ANIVERSARY - Holyrood Marks First Anniversary Of Social Security Scotland   “Fairness, Dignity And Respect” Now At Heart Of System   The Scottish Parliament will today (Thursday) celebrate the first anniversary of Social Security Scot...

FAMILY HELP - Working parents and guardians will be given weeks of extra time to apply to be reimbursed for their childcare costs, the government announced today. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) today revealed that those who claim the chil...

SCOTTISH FUNERAL CHANGES - On 16 September 2019, Funeral Support Payment replaced Funeral Expenses Payment in Scotland. From this date, people who want to apply for financial help to pay for a funeral must make a claim to Social Security Scotlan...

MANAGED PAYMENTS - Landlords who want to set up a managed payment should first discuss the matter with their tenant, who will have access to their own information on their online account. Tenants can share the information from their account with thei...

CLARIFICATION GIVEN - Claimants without a National Insurance number should not delay their Universal Credit application to obtain one. Their claim to Universal Credit will initiate the National Insurance number application process.  Once th...

PENSIONS UPDATE - The UK leaving the EU will not affect UK pensioners’ entitlement to continue getting the UK State Pension if they live in European Economic Area (EEA) states or Switzerland. Payments will automatically continue after 31 October into...

HARD TIMES - Research from the New Economics Foundation has found that Britons are actually £128 worse off than they were at pre-financial crash levels in 2008. The think tank has argued that the current methods used to calculate GDP neglect to inclu...

POLITICIANS COMPLAIN - The Social Democrats today called on the Minister for Disabilities to reverse the axing of the Rehabilitative Training Allowance for students with disabilities and to reinstate the €31.80 weekly payment for new students.  ...

CLAIMANTS STRUGGLING - New data from Citizens Advice shows 49% of benefit claimants affected by the benefits freeze have struggled to meet essential costs such as rent, household bills, and food while 40% have lost sleep due to money worries in the p...