Alliance MLA Kellie Armstrong has welcomed news the current Covid-19 self-isolation grant is set to be enhanced. The Alliance Party’s Communities spokesperson was speaking after the Minister revealed the improved scheme will increase the daily allowance payable and extend the number of days for which a grant can be awarded. She said: “Whilst Northern Ireland […]
Statutory sick pay (SSP) needs to be increased in line with the real living wage, to prevent anyone being forced to choose between their health and paying bills, Alliance Communities spokesperson Kellie Armstrong MLA has said. The Strangford MLA said she had heard anecdotal evidence of some people deleting the Stop COVID app, due to […]
Alliance Communities spokesperson Kellie Armstrong MLA has received confirmation the minimum income floor for self-employed universal credit claimants will remain suspended until next year. Following the extension by the UK Government, Ms Armstrong wrote to Communities Minister Carál Ní Chuilín to enquire about discussions with her counterparts in Westminster regarding extending the suspension here. The minimum income floor […]
Alliance MLA Kellie Armstrong has backed plans to make it easier for people to manage their pensions and plan for the future. The Communities spokesperson voted to support the passage of the Pension Schemes Bill Legislative Consent Motion at the Assembly, a move that will also make it clearer how money is being invested in […]
Alliance MLA Kellie Armstrong has called for more awareness for fertility issues, as Fertility Week 2020 begins. The subject for the week is ‘You are Not Alone,’ something which Ms Armstrong said was vital in breaking the taboo around fertility issues, which one in six couples across the UK face. “Having fertility issues can be […]
Alliance Communities spokesperson Kellie Armstrong MLA has called on the Department for Communities to review its assessment process for Personal Independence Payments (PIP), branding them “degrading and dehumanising”. Since the pandemic, face-to-face assessments for the benefit have been changed to telephone interviews. Strangford MLA Ms Armstrong said the change meant many aspects of the assessment […]
There is a pressing need for a culture strategy to recognise all ideas, customs and social behaviour are part of our shared society, Alliance Communities spokesperson Kellie Armstrong MLA has said. Ms Armstrong was speaking after Communities Minister Carál Ní Chuilín announced over £15 million in funding to the Arts Council and indigenous language partner […]
The Executive should now move to change the benefits system, Alliance Communities spokesperson Kellie Armstrong MLA has said, after a terminally ill woman was awarded £5,000 for being denied fast-tracked benefits due to uncertainty over how long she would live. The High Court awarded Lorraine Cox, who has Motor Neurone Disease, the damages for discrimination […]
The definition of an elite athlete should be altered to allow for those under 16, Alliance MLA Kellie Armstrong has said. With new coronavirus regulations coming into effect today, indoor sporting activities are not allowed and outdoor contact sports will be limited to elite athletes, for the next four weeks at least. However, the definition […]
Alliance Communities Spokesperson, Kellie Armstrong MLA, has said the First and Deputy First Ministers could do more to make the public message around Covid-19 engaging. The MLA for Strangford said Northern Ireland has a fantastic creative industry which could compliment the podium announcements coming from OFMdFM, especially as we move towards a worrying few weeks […]