Scope Articles

Universal Credit: more reasonable in Northern Ireland

8 Jun 2018

Welfare Reform faces plenty of controversies, but the Department for Communities has taken a more sympathetic approach than is seen in GB. Scope speaks to Law Centre NI about their DfC funded guide to avoiding sanctions.

Sanctions have been a dystopian farce but there are wider problems for social security

25 May 2018

A major report from Welfare Conditionality, released this week, slammed the sanctions programme that is a key strut of Universal Credit. Scope takes a look.

Hand to mouth: Northern Ireland’s poverty outlook

8 Dec 2017

Employment is no guarantee against poverty, and lack of qualifications makes things harder still. A new Joseph Rowntree Foundation report shows Northern Ireland is not well equipped to tackle this issue.

Citizen’s income and globalisation’s crisis of confidence

22 Jul 2016

The global village was meant to bring harmony and prosperity to the human race, is progressing roughly as predicted – and is in a state of peril. One mooted solution is free cash for everyone.

Sinn Fein Assembly manifesto for 2016

29 Apr 2016

We continue to look at the main party's manifestos ahead of the Assembly elections - and find that Sinn Fein's document is unsurprising.

The changing face of local poverty

16 Mar 2016

The whys and wherefores of being poor in Northern Ireland are changing and could become more difficult to address, according to a new Joseph Rowntree Foundation report.

NICVA publishes manifesto ahead of elections

19 Feb 2016

Election seasons is upon us and Scope will have a heavy focus on policy. This week NICVA published its own paper. We highlight their ideas.

What now for welfare?

29 Jan 2016

Social security does not occur in a vacuum and, while Tory changes might look absurd by their own criteria, there are huge global socioeconomic trends that effect what is possible and these have no easy solutions.

Welfare Reformed

Eileen Evason (centre) with members of her team that produced the WR mitigation report as well as the First and deputy First Minister

21 Jan 2016

Scope takes a summary view of this week's paper on how to spend the £585m set aside for mitigation of Welfare Reform.

Equality, austerity and peace in 2016

Panel members at the October conference which led to the report

7 Jan 2016

Scope looks at the Equality Coalition's recent report into a shrinking public purse, stagnant economy and the risk of violence - and concludes a relapse is currently unlikely but 2016 will be a big year for NI generally.

Equality, austerity and the threat of violence

Panel members from the recent Equality Coalition's austerity and inequality event

29 Oct 2015

If people lose faith in what society offers then violence can rear its head. Scope looks at recent efforts from the Equality Coalition into whether there is a risk of a Troubles relapse as the public purse tightens and our economy splutters.

Tax Credits Crunch - unpicking the July budget's effect on NI

1 Oct 2015

The importance of Welfare Reform in Northern Ireland has shrunk, grown or both - depending on your views - thanks to the Chancellor's July budget. Over 100,000 homes have projected income reductions of over £1,600. Scope takes a look.

Whatever happened to Heenan Anderson?

14 Aug 2015

Whatever happened to the Heenan-Anderson Commission?

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