Up to 35,000 people with PIP benefits face cuts in Northern Ireland if Stormont doesn’t make up shortfall
Abdullah Sabri, Belfast Telegraph, March 20th, 2025
MENTAL HEALTH CHAMPION WARNS REGION IS DIFFERENT TO REST OF UK
Northern Ireland's “significant history of trauma” must be factored into the proposed welfare cuts before carrying them out, the region's Mental Health Champion has warned.
The Labour Government announced major changes to health and disability benefits this week as Westminster seeks to cut spending, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer claiming that the current welfare system is discouraging people from working.
The proposals would see significant changes to those receiving welfare and disability support.
These include stricter eligibility criteria for Personal Independence Payments (PIP), the scrapping of Work Capability Assessments and an increase in the minimum age to claim Universal Credit.
Professor Siobhan O'Neill, Professor of Mental Health Services at Ulster University said that Stormont must make a “strong argument” to the Government that Northern Ireland should be treated differently. Although welfare is devolved, the cash-strapped Executive may have little choice but to adopt the reforms.
Prof O'Neill said that Northern Ireland's “significant history of trauma and violence” has led to a disproportionate increase in mental health issues here.
Stormont Executive must mitigate cutbacks
“We could ask our Executive to step in with mitigations and not to have these cuts implemented here but they don't seem to have the resources to do that,” Prof O'Neill said.
“But they need to be making a very strong argument that Northern Ireland is different from other parts of the UK. We have a significant history of trauma and violence that has affected the mental health of our population.
“We have high rates of PTSD and they've gotten a lot worse, actually, over the past 20 years. They've changed from 5.1% to 6.1%. And that's higher than other places worldwide, and certainly higher than other parts of the UK. And the Troubles accounts for that difference.”
At the end of last year, up to 318,000 people were economically inactive in Northern Ireland. This includes sick, the disabled, students and unpaid carers.
PIP can be claimed by people regardless of their work status and is not means-tested.
The two components of the benefit are for daily living and mobility, with the maximum weekly payment being £184.30.
Prof O'Neill said there are a number of circumstances that can affect someone's ability to work, with significant stigma around mental health making it more difficult for those seeking to enter the workplace. She said: “There's so many things that impact on whether a person is able to go to work, go out to work or be economically productive, and mental health problems are part of that.
“There's still a lot of stigma and this is making the stigma worse. Employers would maybe be less likely to recruit somebody with a mental health problem.
“Another myth that this seems to be contributing to is the idea that mental illness is somehow different from physical illness and that it's not real in some way, that it's not a real impairment, that you should still be able to work.
“That's not the case — and to say that somebody with a mental illness that's not treated should just be back out in the workplace, that's completely unrealistic.”
Suicidal Thoughts
Crude estimates based on UK total numbers suggest that up to 35,000 PIP claimants here could now miss out on the payments as a result of the new proposals. The Professor of Mental Health Sciences at Ulster University pointed to those losing out being at risk of suicidal thoughts.
The most recent figures from NISRA show that suicide rates double in Northern Ireland's most economically deprived areas.
“Now, a quarter of the people who are on payments in Northern Ireland have those mental health conditions, which are also a risk factor for suicidal thoughts,” said Prof O'Neill.
“So I'm really concerned that all of that together will mean that people will feel like a burden associated with suicide and feel that there's no hope for them — that things are hopeless.
“Because the reality is that simply taking money away from someone doesn't make them go back to work and it won't.”
To tackle the relationship between mental illnesses and welfare, Prof O'Neill proposes providing people with the “right kind of support” to return to employment.
She further stressed the need for a greater emphasis on early “intervention and prevention” to reduce issues such as “the transgenerational transmission of trauma” by supporting parents in those vulnerable areas.
Prof O'Neill added: “What we need to do is invest in programmes and support employers to employ people with poor mental health. Give them a bit extra there so that you're nearly incentivising that and providing support for people, particularly young people.”
A spokesman for the Department of Health said: “The planned PIP changes raise cross-cutting issues for the Executive and the Health Minister expects detailed discussions to be held with Ministerial colleagues around the Executive table.”
How will Labour's proposed changes to benefit system affect people here?
Abdullah Sabri, Belfast Telegraph, March 20th, 2025
The Labour Government's changes to the welfare system will mean that some of society's most vulnerable people will be “seriously impacted”, according to a social security law researcher.
The measures are expected to save more than £5 bn-a-year in 2029/30, with changes to eligibility for Pip (personal independence payments) expected to account for the largest proportion of savings.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said the proposals will help support people into work, as the current social security system was “failing the very people it is supposed to help and holding our country back”.
But University of Ulster lecturer Dr Ciara Fitzpatrick said: “We're absolutely going to see starkly rising levels of poverty.”
What are the major changes?
It will become harder to qualify for Pips, which financially support people suffering from physical or mental health conditions that inhibit day-to-day activities.
The condition must be expected to exceed 12 months and claimants must be over the age of 16.
A recipient's income or savings does not impact the amount they can receive, with the maximum weekly payment being £184.30.
The Government said it will bring in a new eligibility requirement for a minimum score of at least four points regarding how much help the person needs with everyday tasks.
Westminster will also be scrapping the work capability assessment for universal credit by 2028.
Will Northern Ireland be affected?
Despite being a devolved area, Northern Ireland typically mirrors Westminster's decisions on the issue of welfare.
However, it has had mitigations in place here for years in the aftermath of the 'bedroom tax' and benefit cap.
The Executive does possess the power to develop their own rules for Pip but any changes made would have to be funded out of Stormont's budget.
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said that mitigations for the new changes could cost £150m, but the money isn't there to fund them any longer.
Who will be hit hardest by the cuts?
Dr Fitzpatrick warned that young people aged between 18-22 are “a personal worry” outlined in the proposals.
She explained how this demographic typically consists of care leavers and trauma victims who have been in and out of the care system.
Those suffering from fluctuating states such as muscular skeletal illnesses and neurodivergent conditions, such as autism, are also expected to be among the hardest hit.
“Young people with vulnerabilities are really in the firing line here,” she said.
How many people will be affected?
Over 217,000 people were receiving in Northern Ireland were receiving Pip as of November of 2024. Nearly a quarter of those receiving it lived in the Belfast area.
Estimates point to upwards of 35,000 people in Northern Ireland missing out on the changes to Pip rules.
Dr Fitzpatrick warns that proposal will spell “devastating” affects in Northern Ireland due to “rising levels of poverty.”
“I can't put it into strong enough words how devastating this is for the Northern Ireland economy.”
The Department of Communities has been contacted for comment.
Former MRF soldiers may seek to stop prosecutions
Alan Erwin, Irish News, March 20th, 2025
FOUR former British soldiers facing prosecution over shootings in Belfast more than 50 years ago may mount legal bids to halt the cases against them, a court heard yesterday.
One of the accused, referred to as Soldier F, has been charged with the murder of Patrick McVeigh at the height of the Troubles.
He is not the Soldier F being prosecuted in relation to Bloody Sunday.
He is further charged with the attempted murder of four other people during the same incident on May 13 1972.
Three of his former military colleagues, identified only as Soldiers B, C and D, are also jointly charged with attempting to murder another two men in a separate incident a day earlier.
Undercover MRF unit
The defendants were part of an undercover army unit known as the Military Reaction Force (MRF) which operated in Belfast at the time.
All four were due to appear before the city’s magistrates court yesterday for the first stage in the criminal proceedings.
But defence lawyers disclosed that they may attempt to have the cases halted before they reach trial.
Mark Mulholland KC, representing Soldier B, said: “Consideration is being given to making an application to stay these proceedings given the delay, these [incidents] stem back to 1972.”
Members of the MRF used unmarked cars to patrol parts of Belfast before the unit was disbanded the following year.
Mr McVeigh, a father-of-six, was shot at the junction of Finaghy Road North and Riverdale Park South.
He had reportedly stopped to speak to those manning a civilian checkpoint when the gunfire began.
Four other men were shot and wounded in the incident.
The previous day’s shooting occurred at Slievegallion Drive in west Belfast.
Decisions were taken to charge the former soldiers after the Public Prosecution Service examined evidence gathered in a police investigation.
None were present as the cases came before the court for the first time.
Ian Turkington KC, for Soldiers C, D and F, requested a six week adjournment in order to examine the “voluminous” files prepared by the prosecution.
Defence representatives also set out their intention to object to hearsay evidence.
District Judge Steven Keown was told that any challenge to the prosecution going ahead will involve a request to justify the alleged delay.
Insufficient evidence
Referring to Soldier B, Mr Mulholland added: “We will be submitting that there is simply an insufficiency of evidence in relation to one of the two counts against him.”
Adjourning proceedings until April 30, Mr Keown granted interim applications for the former soldiers to remain anonymous and be screened at any future court appearances.
The judge agreed to excuse the four defendants from attending on that date.
Following the hearing a solicitor for the McVeigh family described the start of the criminal proceedings as “a profoundly emotional day” for them.
Gary Duffy of KRW Law said: “This moment has been over 50 years in the making, and the journey to justice has been long and arduous.
“The McVeigh family has endured decades of pain, uncertainty, and a relentless pursuit of accountability for Patrick’s tragic death.
“The court proceedings today represent a significant milestone in their quest for truth and justice.”
South Africa court quizzes ex-RUC man on Co Cavan bomb
Connla Young, Crime and Security Correspondent, Irish News, March 20th, 2025
A FORMER RUC officer facing prosecution for murder in Northern Ireland has been questioned in a South African court about a fatal bomb attack in Co Cavan more than 50 years ago.
Speaking from his home in Cape Town, alleged Glenanne Gang member John Weir revealed he has been questioned in a local court as part of a Garda investigation into the loyalist attack in Belturbet which killed two teenagers.
Geraldine O’Reilly (15) and Patrick Stanley (16) were murdered when the car bomb exploded in the town’s main street in December 1972.
In 2022 gardaí said they had identified new lines of inquiry. The bombing happened on the same day as loyalist blasts in Clones, Co Monaghan and Pettigo, Co Donegal.
It emerged last week that the Public Prosecution Service is to prosecute Mr Weir for murder and conspiracy to murder. He is also charged with an aborted attack south of the border.
Last night he said he has yet to be contacted by authorities in Belfast and stated his intention to fight any attempt to prosecute him. He denied all the allegations.
Mr Weir is alleged to have been a member of the Glenanne Gang, which comprised members of the RUC, UDR and UVF. Based out of a farm owned by former RUC officer James Mitchell in Glenanne in south Armagh, the gang are believed to have carried out around 125 murders. The majority of victims were Catholics.
Its activities are subject to separate examinations by the Police Ombudsman and the Kenova investigation team under the heading Operation Denton.
Mr Weir has now revealed that he appeared at a Cape Town Magistrates Court at the behest of gardai for questioning about the Belturbet attack last October.
Mr Weir said a member of the Garda investigating that and other attacks, who is based in Co Cavan, travelled to Cape Town for the hearing.
Mr Weir said he told the court he had no involvement in the attack.
“I said the man from An Garda Síochána…knows I have nothing to do with it, the Irish embassy, that set this up, knows I have nothing to do with it,” he added.
The former RUC man claims he has been singled out in a bid to “discredit” him “and to stop me talking to somebody like (Operation) Denton – that seems to be maybe making an effort to get at the whole truth”.
Agreed to meet Operation Denton investigators
Mr Weir revealed he has agreed to speak to Operation Denton investigators as part of their review.
“I also made it quite clear that I want all the truth to come out for all sides, but probably most important was the government’s sides,” he said.
“And then people would settle down and live at peace, and I do believe that, if all the truth is told.”
In the north both the PPS and Police Ombudsman’s office have refused to reveal how many murder charges the ex-police officer is facing.
However, it is understood the ombudsman’s office contacted representatives for the family of Elizabeth McDonald (32) last week.
The mother-of-three, who was known as Betty to friends, was killed along with Gerald McGleenan (22) when the Glenanne gang left a car bomb outside the Step Inn in Keady, Co Armagh, in August 1976.
It is believed ombudsman officials also got in touch with the family of Thomas McNamee.
Mr McNamee died almost a year after being injured in an explosion at McArdle’s Bar in Crossmaglen in November 1974.
Mr Weir denied involvement in either attack.
“Nobody will ever come up with something to say, there will be no evidence, DNA or prints, there can’t be, because I had nothing to do with it, there’s just nothing there because I wasn’t involved in it.
The aftermath of the Belturbet bombing. John Weir said a member of the Garda investigating that and other attacks, who is based in Co Cavan, travelled to Cape Town for a court hearing at which Mr Weir was questioned
“And the same with Belturbet, which the garda were looking at.”
Mr Weir believes the recent moves against him by authorities on both sides of the border are connected.
“I would say both of them are linked up,” he said.
“I think they are linked up, maybe even linked into Operation Denton, to make a case why Denton shouldn’t speak to me.”
Mr Weir said he told the South African court that he was “happy to talk to Denton”.
“And that I had already attended a number of inquiries which I thought it was good to bring out the truth and help a peace process,” he said
“And that everybody should know the truth of what happened to their loved ones, I said I want all that to come out.”
Weir believes Irish and British governments have common cause.
“Could it be a coincidence that 50 year later An Garda Siochana have me brought into Cape Town Magistrates Court and now a couple of months later this is happening back home … that can’t be coincidence,” he said.
Claims Gardai had prior knowledge of 1976 bomb
He adds that during the Troubles there was north south co-operation, and claimed that Irish authorities knew about a bomb that went off in Castleblaney, Co Monaghan, in March 1976 killing one man.
It has been claimed the Derry to Dublin bus, which travelled through Castleblaney was the target, but was late on the day of the blast.
“You see the bomb that went off in Castleblaney, they were informed about that before that happened, they were informed of everything that was going to happen in the south,” Mr Weir said.
“Either they didn’t know how to handle it or they agreed not to handle it.
“Is it a coincidence that the garda stopped the Dublin-Derry bus outside Cullaville before it got into Castleblaney?”
Mr Weir said authorities in the south later stopped other planned attacks.
“I think at that stage there was an agreement that they would stop bombs going into the south, or stop these attacks going into the south.
“And everybody was sitting, talking the big talk, but behind the whole lot, they were co-operating together.
“I just have no doubt about that.”
Originally from Co Monaghan, Weir was a member of the RUC’s Special Patrol Group in Armagh when he became involved in the activities of the Glenanne Gang.
The former policeman gave evidence to the 2003 Barron Report – which examined the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings that claimed the lives of 33 people and an unborn child.
In a 1999 affidavit, Mr Weir detailed the activities of the Glenanne Gang.
He and another former colleague, William ‘Billy’ McCaughey were convicted of taking part in the murder of father-of-seven William Strathearn (39) at his home in Ahoghill, Co Antrim, in April 1977.
1980 conviction
Convicted in 1980 he was released from prison in 1993 and later went to live in Africa.
Kevin Winters, of KRW Law, said he has asked the PPS and Police Ombudsman for “clarification” on when decisions were taken and how many incidents are covered.
He added that issues were also raised “in relation to the failure to communicate at all with any of the families and survivors”.
“That communication deficit only serves to raise suspicions on top of ongoing concerns that John Weir is being scapegoated for other serious investigative failings on Glenanne” he said.
Mr Winters confirmed Mr Weir was due to meet Operation Denton.
A spokeswoman for the PPS said: “Due to ongoing proceedings, the PPS is unable to comment or provide any further details at this time.”
Gardaí and the Kenova investigation team were contacted.
Patrick Stanley and Geraldine O’Reilly were murdered in the Belturbet bombing in Co Cavan in 1972.
PIRA man killed by RUC wounded in previous gun battle with security forces
Connla Young, Crime and Security Correspondent, Irish News, March 20th, 2025
Colum Marks was shot dead as the IRA attempted to set up a mortar attack near Downpatrick RUC station on April 10 1991
AN IRA man killed by the RUC was previously shot and injured during a gun battle with the security forces.
Colum Marks was shot dead as the IRA attempted to set up a mortar attack near Downpatrick RUC station, Co Down, on April 10 1991.
It is believed passing security force members were the target.
The 29-year-old, who was a former republican prisoner, was unarmed and unmasked at the time.
Marks was shot several times on open ground by an undercover RUC member.
He was taken to hospital but died while undergoing emergency surgery.
Around a decade earlier the Newry native was shot and wounded during an IRA operation in Kilkeel, Co Down, after an exchange of gunfire with a member of the security forces, it has emerged.
After suffering a serious thigh wound, Marks and other members of the IRA unit abandoned their getaway car as they made their escape, and hid out in the Mourne Mountains for several hours as a manhunt was launched.
Over a week later he was arrested at his family home and taken to Gough Barracks in Armagh where he was held for seven days.
As with previous arrests, the republican refused to undertake an RUC medical examination while in custody.
As a result, his gunshot wound was not discovered by his interrogators.
In 1984 Marks was imprisoned in relation to the Kilkeel incident and spent 14 months on remand before being cleared. It’s believed the prosecution was unaware of the gun wound.
“ Supports the view that the family always held that the RUC did not properly investigate the fatal shooting of Colum Marks
The republican was a former classmate of 12-year-old Kevin Heatley, who was shot dead by the British army in February 1973 and took part in a school guard of honour at his funeral.
He later joined and became an active member of Na Fianna Éireann, a republican youth organisation.
At the age of 14 he was arrested for the first time.
He later moved to Downpatrick where he had “overall responsibility” for local IRA units.
A report published by the Police Ombudsman earlier this week revealed that the SAS and MI5 were involved in the operation that resulted in his death.
In her report Marie Anderson found that a 1991 RUC investigation into the killing “lacked independence and rigour” and was “wholly inadequate in a number of important respects”.
In 2023 the Public Prosecution Service decided not to prosecute the retired RUC officer, known as Officer B, who fired the fatal shots.
Gavin Booth, of Phoenix Law, who represents the Marks family said the ombudsman findings “supports the view that the family always held that the RUC did not properly investigate the fatal shooting of Colum Marks”.
They're off the streets for a long time... that's what matters'
Liam Tunney, Belfast Telegraph, March 20th, 2025
DAUGHTER'S RELIEF AT SENTENCES BUT SHE SAYS FAMILY WILL NEVER GET OVER MURDER
The daughter of an east Belfast man murdered in a frenzied attack in January 2019 has said her family will always be grieving his death after his killers were sentenced to life in prison yesterday.
Ian Ogle (45) was killed just yards from his home in Cluan Place at around 9.20pm on January 27, 2019.
A knife, baseball bat and flick baton were used during the assault, which left Mr Ogle fatally injured.
An autopsy found his skull had been fractured at the roof of his eye socket and he had been stabbed 11 times.
One wound severed his aorta and caused catastrophic internal bleeding.
Five men involved in the gang who killed Mr Ogle were sentenced yesterday.
Walter Ervine (43), from Litchfield Street in Belfast, 42-year old Robert Spiers, from Millars Park in Dundonald, and Glenn Rainey (38), whose address was given as Ballyhalbert Caravan Park, were all handed minimum tariffs of 20 years.
Jonathan Brown (39), from Whinney Hill in Dundonald, and 46-year-old Mark Sewell of Glenmount Drive in Newtownabbey, had previously pleaded guilty to the murder and were sentenced to at least 17-and-a-half years in jail.
Four other defendants were given suspended sentences for assisting offenders and withholding information.
Mr Ogle's daughter Toni made a conscious decision not to be present in court as Mr Justice McFarland handed down the sentences.
Sense of Relief
She said there was a great sense of relief among the family that the case had finally ended.
“I'm pleased with the sentences handed out to the five convicted of murder, because it is good to see they are serious sentences being handed out for such a serious crime,” she told the Belfast Telegraph.
“You always worry about what kind of sentences are going to be handed out. They are away for a long time, they're off the streets for a long time and that's what matters.
“On the day of the convictions, that was what we were waiting for the most. That's why on that day it was a more emotional time.
“Today has almost been like 'get it over and done with'. That was the attitude, definitely for myself. That was another reason I didn't want to go in.”
More than six years have elapsed since Mr Ogle's murder. His family and friends have been forced to wait patiently to see his killers brought to justice for the attack, which the judge described as arising from a “long-standing dispute with echoes of a turf war”.
Toni said the family has been overwhelmed by the support they have received from the wider community.
“My phone has been blowing up,” she said.
“Everyone has been waiting patiently on it. The whole community has just been on to us waiting for the sentences.
“We have had great support and it's continued throughout. I think it has meant a lot because it shows how much my daddy meant to the community.
“They have continued to remember my daddy in their own way. We meet up once a year on the date he was murdered. We stick together and just want to remember him in our own way now.
“Obviously at the beginning, it was a big thing. It was so high-profile. You had the vigil, the funeral was such a huge event but now close friends and family can remember him in our own way and we are happy with that.”
Despite the obvious relief at seeing justice finally delivered, Toni said there was no euphoria or joy in seeing the sentences handed down.
“Today is something everyone has been waiting for — my family and the community included — but he is never coming back,” she said.
“This is something we will always live with, but you have to continue on with life and grieve for him. You'll always live with the memories but just that difficulty of moving on in life without him.
“It is bittersweet. I said that on the day of the conviction too; he'll never be coming back. There are absolutely no winners in this.
“I feel like I don't know what to say anymore. Throughout it, I have spoken out and spoken out but now I'm almost lost for words.
“There is relief, but disbelief too that it's all over. I almost can't believe it. It's all over regarding the court side of things, but it will never be over for us because we will always be grieving.
“That's the saddest part about it.”
Community praised
During the hearing, the judge praised the public for their vigilance in reporting elements linked to the case, and the police for the manner in which the investigation was carried out.
Detective Inspector Michelle Griffin said Mr Ogle's killing had been a “senseless, brutal crime”.
“It is distressing to think that such a large group of people could have been complicit in such an orchestrated, targeted crime,” she added.
“This has been widely condemned by the local community, who remain disgusted by the actions of these individuals.
“Today's sentencings signify the end of the judicial process,however I am very mindful that Ian's family live with the pain and anguish of what happened to him every single day.”
PPS Assistant Director Martin Hardy said this was a “complex case with multiple defendants”.
“We recognise that the length of time it took to progress through court was understandably frustrating for Mr Ogle's loved ones,” he said.
“The prosecution team including independent counsel worked to minimise delay as much as we could, and we engaged with the family to keep them updated as the case continued.
“I want to thank Mr Ogle's family for their great fortitude throughout the process.”
