SDLP Opposition Communities Spokesperson Daniel McCrossan MLA has welcomed the extension of welfare mitigations in the North.

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons confirmed on Thursday that mitigations would be extended for three years.

West Tyrone MLA Mr McCrossan said:

“I welcome the extension of welfare mitigations that will remove the threat facing vulnerable people across the North who would have been left facing a very difficult situation if these mitigations were removed.

“However, we cannot forget that the reason people on welfare are forced to face this cliff edge situation every few years is because Sinn Féin and the Alliance Party joined with the DUP to hand welfare powers to a Tory government with a policy of crippling austerity and they have spent the intervening years trying to spin their way out of it.

“Like in 2021, people will now have another three years of respite until this situation rears its ugly head again. What we actually need to see is the Executive bringing forward permanent solutions so that nobody in the North has to worry about facing the Bedroom Tax or having this important welfare support stripped away from them every few years.

"The SDLP Opposition will also be holding the Executive to account on the delivery of additional welfare mitigations including, removing the five week wait for Universal Credit, delivery of the Larger Families Payment for families impacted by the two-child rule and support for private renters impacted by the Local Housing Allowance."