The New Welfare State?

Is a new welfare state emerging in Northern Ireland? Change is certainly occurring as the region rapidly catches up with the efforts of the coalition and Conservative governments in Great Britain to reshape the social security system for the 21st century. However, the delay between the welfare reform legislation for Great Britain and that for Northern Ireland also demonstrates that in the devolution era, a single UK approach to supporting citizens’ welfare can no longer be taken for granted.Ulster University was delighted to welcome members of the Committee for Communities to our seminar on ‘The New Welfare State?’, providing an opportunity to reflect on the lessons of the last mandate and start a conversation about the new Committee’s priorities for the new Assembly term, involving members, Ulster University academics and representatives of various voluntary sector stakeholders. This focused on three core, and interconnected, policy areas within the remit of the Department and the Committee, and in which the University offers particular expertise: social security, housing and child poverty.