Publications

The Benefit Cap is a limit on the total amount of benefit that working-age people can receive. From 31 May 2016, the amount a household could receive in benefit income was limited to £26,000 per...

The letter of expectations sets out Ministerial priorities for 2025-26 to ensure strategic alignment is achieved between the aims and objectives of the Department for Communities and the work of the Arts Council for 2025-26...

The Scheme of Emergency Financial Assistance (SEFA) is designed to aid individual householders who have suffered severe inconvenience as a result of internal flooding to their properties. Householders who are deemed eligible under the criteria...

Local Government Circular LG 14/24 - Terms and conditions for the payment of civil contingencies grant 2024/25 (Q’s 1and2 2024/25). Article 29 (1) of the Local Government (NI) Order 2005 confers powers on district councils...

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is the minimum an employer must pay an eligible employee if they are unable to work due to illness or injury. To be eligible an employee must have average weekly earnings...

Local Government Circular LG 04/2025 – District Council (Northern Ireland) Rate Statistics 2025/2026

This review was commissioned by the Department for Communities under section 23 of the Licensing and Registration of Clubs (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) (2021). The report has been produced by the University of Stirling.

The Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 provided for the Department to make a Scheme of Delegation for the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (the Commission) to permit some of the Commission's functions to be delegated...

The total number of appeals registered during the year to which this report relates was 4269, of which 661 were monitored. Unfortunately, there has been a large increase in the overall level of incorrectness.

District rates as struck by each district council for the forthcoming 2025/2026 financial year.

The Department for Communities has published an Outcome Report which presents the findings from the targeted consultation on “Proposals to allow the NIHE and Registered Housing Associations to work better together on the investigation of...

As part of the Department for Communities’ (DfC) review into social housing tenancy fraud, it is proposed that 2 new tenancy fraud legislative provisions are to be included in the Department of Finance’s (DoF), Financial...

To mitigate against the policy changes to the Winter Fuel Payment scheme (WFP), the Department considered several options to support those pensioners impacted by the changes. The options for an emergency fuel payment were based...

These memos contain advice for decision makers on Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, new style Jobseeker’s Allowance and new style Employment and Support Allowance.

The fact sheet provides a quarterly overview of the performance and composition of the Fund for the three months ending 31 December 2024.

Information about payment methods used in relation to the Motability Scheme in N.Ireland

Information about media engagements and interviews involving the Minister since taking post

Information about flights taken by the Minister and Permanent Secretary since February 2024

Information about a meeting between the Minister and representatives of the Loyalist Communities Council

Information about a meeting between the Minister and the Gaelic Athletic Association