Grant Calls For Executive Commitment to Protect Those Against Benefit Cuts

Nicola Grant Workers Party representative has called on the Executive and the Northern Ireland Assembly to give a commitment, that regardless of the Westminster Governments decision tomorrow, that those most vulnerable in Northern Ireland will be protected. Those on benefits now and in the future will suffer a disproportionate impact given the prominent levels of mental health and health inequalities across Northern Ireland.

Nicola also said thirty years of conflict and violence has left thousands of people with both mental and physical disabilities and the proposed changes to Personal Independence Payments and Disability Living Allowance will inflict more pain and suffering. Making it harder to qualify for these benefits will do nothing to get people into work, but it will cause even greater levels of poverty and deprivations. She continued if anything is broken it is the promises Labour made in the run up to the General Election when they claimed there would be no more austerity measures, and they would protect the most vulnerable in society. These proposed draconian changes are austerity measures by another name. The Workers Party is calling for political leadership from our elected representatives. They need to act on behalf of all our citizens in Northern Ireland who has suffered more than their fair share of earlier austerity, it is now time for our politicians to step up and say no.