Ritchie warns of impact of job cuts on Social Security Agency

Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie MLA today presented her budget proposals for the next three years to the Assembly’s Social Development Committee.

She warned of the impact of cuts sought by the Treasury on the Social Security Agency. Highlighting the need for a substantial increase in the budget, the Minister said that over £1.5 billion would be needed to maintain services and increase the number of social houses.

“Two of my main aims are to increase the number of new builds under the Social Housing Programme and to safeguard frontline services in the Social Security Agency.

“The simple fact is that we will not be able to maintain the progress that has been made over the last three decades to transform housing conditions if the money is not there.”

To enable this priority to be met, the Minister said that she was bidding for £1.1 billion for the Housing programme which would fund the building of 2,000 new social homes per year and support a further 500 applications per year for affordable housing through co-ownership. The bid for capital works also included £400 million for urban regeneration.

Turning to the Social Security Agency, Ms Ritchie said she was bidding for £182.4m, including £46.5m for capital works, for three main programmes: Welfare Reform and Modernisation, Welfare Reform Act and Frontline Services.

She said: “I need this money to protect and ensure delivery of frontline services to some of the most vulnerable members of our community – like the old, the sick and disabled people.

“But meanwhile, the Treasury want a 5% cut to the Social Security Agency. That would mean a potential loss of 1,300 posts – which already comes on top of 674 posts it lost as a result of Budget 2004. Taken together, the Social Security Agency would lose 40% of its staff. Everybody needs to realise that this would do serious damage to our capacity to deliver benefits to the most disadvantaged and vulnerable people in our society.

“To continue with the current level of service and to enable us to safeguard vulnerable people in our community the Department will require an extra £1.5 billion revenue and capital over the next three years. I look to the support of the committee in securing this money.”

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