RECAP as MLAs debate welfare reform proposals (2025)

Motion passes

MLAs have voted unanimously to back the original motion

DUP amendment falls

The DUP amendment has been voted down

Amendments go to a vote.

The SDLP amendment has been voted down in the chamber. The DUP amendment will now go to a recorded vote.

Debate resumes

The debate has resumed, and UUP MLA Robbie Butler is currently on his feet.

Sitting suspended

The sitting has been suspended to allow for lunch and a meeting of the Business Committee. It will resume at 2pm with question time and the debate will recommence at 3:15pm

114,000 people at risk of falling into poverty

Colm Gildernew has said that as a result of these proposals, 114,000 people will be at risk of falling into poverty according to the charity the Trussell Trust

Backlash "speaks for itself"

Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew said that the public backlash to the proposals "speaks for itself."

"If anything, this Labour Government seems desperate to prove that they can be just as cruel, if not even more so, than the Tories they replaced," he said.

Renewed focus on tax evasion

Brian Kingston said that the DUP support calls for a renewed focus on those evading tax

Amendments mutually exclusive

As these amendments are mutually exclusive, if the SDLP amendment passes, then the DUP amendment will not be put to a vote.

DUP Amendment

The amendment proposed by DUP MLA Brain Kingston reads: "That this Assembly opposes the approach of the UK Government to reforming disability benefits; believes that withdrawing or cutting social security support for those most in need risks exacerbating poverty and increasing pressure on other public services; agrees that there are other, more progressive, ways to generate additional money for government, including tackling fraud and abuse in the welfare system, targeting global corporations who evade tax, and exploring a potential sales tax for online marketplaces; acknowledges calls for tax increases for the super-wealthy but believes any such policy must be fair, deliverable and avoid a detrimental impact on savings or investment; calls on the UK Government to reconsider the punitive elements of its proposals and ensure fairness and dignity for those requiring welfare support, as well as the taxpayer; and further calls on the Minister for Communities to work with the UK Government on the establishment of a UK-wide commission to develop holistic, cross-departmental proposals for addressing economic inactivity among those with long-term illnesses and disabilities."

Robin Hood in reverse

SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan has put on record his "disgust" at the Labour Party. He said: "Things can only get better? Things have only got worse. Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have carried on the work of the Tories like Robin Hoods in reverse, taking money from the poor and protecting the interests of the rich."

SDLP Amendment

The amended motion from the SDLP reads: " That this Assembly opposes the approach of the UK Government to reforming disability benefits; believes that withdrawing or cutting social security support for those most in need risks exacerbating poverty and increasing pressure on other public services; expresses regret that the Northern Ireland Executive and the UK Government have failed the most vulnerable in our society through repeated political collapse, block grant underfunding and a failure to transform public services; calls on the UK Government to reconsider the punitive elements of its proposals and ensure fairness and dignity for those requiring welfare support; further calls on the Minister for Communities to work with the Minister of Finance on the development of a mitigation package which protects current and future claimants from reductions in social security entitlements that will arise from the UK Government’s reforms.

"Where are the jobs that accommodate fluctuating health conditions?"

Sian Mulholland asks where the infrastructure is to allow people with disabilities to enter the workforce in the manner that the Labour government have proposed. She said that people in NI are being asked to implement "the pain without the gain"

Human impact of the changes

Sian Mulholland tells the chamber about a single mother in her constituency who had to leave work to care for her son and who may lose his PIP as soon as he turns 18 due to the reforms and about a man in his 50s who cannot work because of his arthritis and under the new rules would be reassessed and sets to lose £9,500 a year.

Reforms could mean people lose their homes

Speaking on the motion, Sian Mulholland said: "Losing PIP means losing so much more than PIP. The person looking after you at home could lose their Carers Allowance, you could lose the Health Component of Universal Credit, you could even lose the roof over your head."

Amendments submitted

The Deputy Speaker has informed the chamber that two amendments have been submitted to the motion.

Debate gets underway

The debate has now got underway with the clerk reading the motion into the record

How the debate will proceed

Up to two hours have been set aside for the debate. MLAs will break for lunch at 1 p.m.

They will return to the Chamber at 2pm for question time where the Economy Minister and the Assembly Commission will answer questions from MLAs.

The debate will then resume at 3:15pm and is scheduled to finish around 4:30pm.

The wording of the motion

The motion, which has been tabled by the Alliance Party North Antrim MLA Sian Mulholland, reads: "That this Assembly opposes the approach of the UK Government to reforming disability benefits; believes that withdrawing or cutting social security support for those most in need risks exacerbating poverty and increasing pressure on other public services; agrees that there are other, more progressive, ways to generate additional money for government, including tax increases for the super-wealthy; calls on the UK Government to reconsider the punitive elements of its proposals and ensure fairness and dignity for those requiring welfare support; and further calls on the Minister for Communities to work with the UK Government on the establishment of a UK-wide commission to develop holistic, cross-departmental proposals for addressing economic inactivity among those with long-term illnesses and disabilities."

Thanks for joining us

We will bring you live updates here as the debate gets underway