As the UK Government pushes forward with sweeping reforms to disability benefits, a coalition of academics and policy experts from across the island of Ireland has issued a stark warning: the proposed changes will disproportionately harm disabled people in Northern Ireland and risk deepening existing inequalities.
The All-Island Social Security Network (AISSN), a group of researchers from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, has responded to the UK Government’s Pathways to Work Green Paper with a detailed critique. Drawing on comparative research and lived experience, the group argues that the reforms—particularly cuts to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Universal Credit (UC)—will have devastating consequences for some of the most vulnerable communities in the North.
A Fast-Tracked Bill, a Slower Recovery
The AISSN is alarmed by the speed at which the UK Government is attempting to pass the legislation. With all parliamentary stages scheduled for a single day, the group says this leaves no room for proper scrutiny. While Labour leader Keir Starmer has pledged to soften some of the cuts, the bill still threatens to reduce support for thousands of disabled people—particularly in Northern Ireland, where disability benefit receipt is significantly higher than in other parts of the UK. The group also emphasise the stark difference of approach taken by the Irish Government, who scrapped its own Green Paper reforms which proposed a tiered system similar to the current system in the UK, after significant back lash from Disability organisations and campaigners.
Northern Ireland: A Special Case
The AISSN highlights that Northern Ireland’s unique history and socio-economic context make it especially vulnerable to the proposed cuts. Research by AISSN working-group member, Dr Anne Devlin shows that disability benefit rates in NI are nearly double those in Great Britain, a disparity not fully explained by demographics or health outcomes. Instead, the legacy of the Troubles—including trauma and mental ill health—plays a significant role.In some areas of Belfast, over 40% of residents receive disability-related benefits. The Department for Communities estimates that the proposed changes could slash disability benefit spending in NI by up to £191 million. This would not only harm individuals but also damage the local economy, where disabled people’s spending disproportionately supports small businesses and essential services.
Mental Health and Neurodiversity Overlooked
The Green Paper proposes a new rule requiring claimants to score four points in a single activity to qualify for PIP. The AISSN warns this will exclude many people with mental health conditions or who have neurodiversity, whose challenges often span multiple areas but don’t meet the new threshold in any one category. In Northern Ireland, where mental health conditions account for around 45% of PIP claims, this change could be catastrophic. Suicide rates remain higher than in the rest of the UK, and mental health services are underfunded and overstretched. The reforms, the AISSN argues, ignore the complex and fluctuating nature of many disabilities.
A Missed Opportunity for Inclusive Reform
Rather than imposing stricter eligibility criteria, the AISSN urges the UK Government to co-design a new system with disabled people and their organisations. They point to the Republic of Ireland, where labour force participation has increased without harsher conditionality. Instead, the Irish Government has invested in childcare, raised the minimum wage, and expanded social protections. The AISSN also notes that the UK’s current system has already been found in violation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The proposed reforms, they argue, would deepen this non-compliance and further erode the rights of disabled people.
AISSN has done some preliminary work comparing disability benefits North and South of the border and found that comparisons are complex between both jurisdictions are not clear cut, however there are some provision South of the Border which point to enhanced supports in some cases, for example Free Public Travel for recipients of Disability Allowance, Blind Pension and Invalidity Pension and Carer’s Allowance. Partners of claimants of these three payments are also entitled to travel for free. The number of disabled people entitled to free travel under these three payments alone (excluding partners) comes to c. 230,000 people.
Economic Inactivity and the Risk of Regression
Northern Ireland already has the highest rate of economic inactivity in the UK, driven largely by sickness and disability. The AISSN warns that the proposed reforms could worsen this by creating more barriers to work, not fewer. The group also highlights the valuable unpaid roles many disabled people play in their families and communities—roles that are often invisible in economic statistics but vital to social cohesion.
A Call for a Fairer Future
“Changes to social security which will disproportionately impact individuals in NI and see a sharp reduction in government spending in the jurisdiction will have a significant negative impact on the local NI economy and on towns and villages across the North” the authors write.
As the bill moves through Parliament, the AISSN urges policymakers to listen to those most affected—and to build a system rooted in dignity, equality, and respect.
The response itself can be read in full here –
All-Island Social Security Network 