Marshalled list of amendments

28 March 2025

Item 4: Order Paper 94/22-27 – Tuesday 1 April 2025

Motion: Social Security Reform and Economic Inactivity

Proposed:

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.

Ms Sian Mulholland
Ms Kellie Armstrong
Mr David Honeyford
Mrs Michelle Guy

Amendment 1

Leave out all after ‘public services’ and insert:

‘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.’

[Mr Mark Durkan]
[Mr Patsy McGlone]

Amendment 2 (mutually exclusive to amendment 1)

Leave out all after ‘money for government,’ and insert:

‘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.’

[Mr Maurice Bradley]
[Mr Brian Kingston]