Less parity – continued parrotry and plagiarism? The review of welfare mitigations in Northern Ireland

Social security has long been a devolved matter in Northern Ireland, but for 90 years the development of law and policy was almost entirely determined by the principle that parity should be maintained with the system in Great Britain. This led Lundy to conclude in 1996 that social security in Northern Ireland was shaped by “parity, parrotry or plagiarism” Almost three decades later there are signs that parity’s grip is weakening, with measures introduced to mitigate the impact of UK-level reforms from 2012 onward. While parity with England and Wales remains the starting point for policy development, there are new signs of learning from Scotland, particularly in the recommendations of the recent independent review of welfare mitigations. This article outlines both the current and possible future mitigation measures. With limited divergence from England and Wales now accepted as a possibility for the devolved social security system, it goes on to consider whether it is possible to move on from Lundy’s conclusions.