The Trussell Trust Northern Ireland’s recent figures have revealed that 30,000 people in NI claiming Universal credit have used a food bank in the last 12 months. 

The North Antrim MLA said: “The recent figures published by The Trussell Trust NI are the latest evidence that highlights the value and administration of Universal Credit (UC) is fatally flawed and needs an urgent rethink by the Department for Communities (DFC) and the UK Government.

“The move to UC was supposed to simplify the benefits system while providing low income households with the financial support they need. However, what we’ve ended up with is a system driving hunger, poverty, debt and despair in every corner of Northern Ireland. 

“While there are some immediate interventions that the Communities Minister should consider locally, particularly around the support available from the UC Contingency Fund, we ultimately need to be engaging with the Department of Work and Pensions to tackle the systemic issues with UC.

“In the coming weeks, Alliance will publish our own policy paper on some of those issues. Addressing the hardship caused by UC is a priority for Alliance and we need to see evidence that it is a similar priority for DFC as well.”