Mark Simpson, Lecturer in Law at Ulster University, has been awarded a total of £4,375 in funding for a seminar on devolved social security at the National Assembly for Wales.
Social security is a fully devolved matter in Northern Ireland and partly devolved to Scotland. The National Assembly currently has very few powers in this area, but a committee of Assembly Members recently called for this to change. The seminar, which will also feature Ruth Patrick (University of York) and Sharon Wright (University of Glasgow), will focus on the opportunities and challenges associated with devolved control of benefits.
The seminar – the date of which will be determined as coronavirus restriction ease – will draw on Simpson and Patrick’s recent work on universal credit in Northern Ireland, and Wright’s on universal credit in Scotland. The funding has been awarded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which supported both universal credit projects, and the Socio-Legal Studies Association.