Welfare Reform: DFP Minister responds to SDLP criticisms

Finance Minister Sammy Wilson has expressed bemusement and concern at the SDLP's attempt to engineer headlines on Welfare Reform.
~ Wednesday, 8 February 2012

Sammy Wilson said: "We need to be careful in the messages that we send out about the impact of Welfare Reform upon Northern Ireland. We need to ensure that we do not create unnecessary alarm.

"By 2014-2015 with Welfare Reform benefit spending will be approximately £5.7billion rising to over £6.0billion by 2018-2019. At no time during this period will there be a reduction in the amount of money coming into Northern Ireland for welfare payments.

"However, were Welfare Reform changes not to be implemented the spend by the end of the current budget period would be £214 million higher.

"The claim that welfare spend will fall in Northern Ireland and will lose £500million is clearly not true. All that will happen is that welfare spending will still be increasing but at a slower rate than if no reform agenda is pursued."

Concluding the Finance Minister said: "The Executive has taken the issue of Welform Reform very seriously and has established an Executive Sub Committee whose remit includes developing an Executive response to mitigate against negative impacts and develop policy proposal to achieve long term benefits for the people on Northern Ireland. For the SDLP to be sending out a message that the Executive is ill prepared is totally wrong."

Notes to editors:

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