202503 - Northern Ireland Stakeholder Group Minutes - March 2025 (Easy Read)

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Published: June 3, 2025

Independent Living Fund Scotland

Northern Ireland Stakeholder Group Meeting Minutes

4 March 2025

People meeting at a table - someone taking minutes in the foreground

Man on a laptop computer taking part in an online Teams meeting.

What this document is about

This is an Easy Read document.

It is a set of Minutes to say what happened at a meeting.

In this document

the Independent Living Fund Scotland is ILF Scotland for short.
Northern Ireland is NI for short

The meeting was at The Mount Conference Centre and on Zoom.

A watchface showing 11 o'clock with a red arrow pointing to a watchface showing 3 o'clock.

It was on 4 March from 1 to 3 in the afternoon.

Who was at the meeting?

David McDonald - Chairperson
Niqi Rainey
Amanda Paul
Colin Dunlop
Aisling McHugh
Greta Gurklyte
June Best

ILF Scotland Staff
Peter Scott
Harvey Tilley
Emma O'Neill
Lee House
Karen Burnett on Zoom

Who was not at the meeting?

A group of people meeting at a table with a red line through the image.

Frances McHugh
Michaela Hollywood
Robert Dallas
Linda Scott

1. Welcome and introductions

A group of people meeting around a table.

David welcomed everyone to the meeting.

2. Minutes from the last meeting

A hand giving the thumbs up next to a laptop computer with a www website link on it.

The minutes were checked and agreed.

ILF Scotland's Communications Team will put them on the website.

Actions from the last meeting

Man in a blue top pointing to list with green ticks on the first two items.

These actions have been done:

Sandra will make information about Universal Credit and Lee will email it to the Group
Lee will contact Frances McHugh and include her in any emails sent about the NI Advisory Group

These actions are still being worked on:

David will write a letter to the Minster of Health asking him to meet with the Group

3. What do we need to talk about?

Application Form with cartoon hands and a red x cross through it.

David said that IMNI cannot take new applications to join it at the moment.

IMNI is the Independent Mechanism Northern Ireland.

Two women sit in a cartoon house at night. A large British pound sign and a fan of cash money sits in the top right corner.

David said he has sent Colin a copy of Revenue and Customs information about:

how employers have a duty to give employees the National Minimum Wage including when they work through the night

Man presenting at flipchart to other person on the right.

handovers – when a staff shift ends and new staff start
travel as part of work
training

Colin will check if it applies to Northern Ireland.

People meeting round table with empty speech bubbles above their heads

The group will talk about this at future meetings.

4. Anniversary celebrations in Northern Ireland

Peter will write to the Minister of Health, inviting him to the celebration event.

David will check the dates of 11, 18 or 25 June with Danny Donnelly.

Peter will arrange a planning meeting with Communications and Senior Management on 1, 8 or 15 April.

5. Re-opening the ILF in Northern Ireland

Man pointing to clipboard with plan written on it at the top.

Harvey asked Colin when the re-opening plan should be sent to the Department of Health.

An invoice document with a pile of cash money in front of it.

Harvey said it must wait until the Programme for Government has had its budgets approved.

This sets out the work the Government will do and how much money there is to do it.

A hand holding cash money notes in a fan with a green arrow pointing down.

Colin said:

the Department of Health budget will be 400 million pounds short for next year
there must be a consultation for any new policy decision

A thinking man. He is thinking of a green tick and a red cross in a thought bubble above his head.

by April this year it will be decided if the re-opening goes to the consultation stage

Colin will tell the Group what is decided.

6. ILF Recipients Northern Ireland (NI)

David said there should be a NI ILF group like the Direct Payments User Group NI started by Caroline Wheeler.

Niqi suggested posting on the Direct Payments User Group and will talk to Caroline about this before our next meeting.

A man scratching his head in confusion. There are black question marks above his head.

Harvey suggested that ILF Scotland's Communications Team could prepare Questions and Answers for the post to help anyone new to ILF.

Niqi and Harvey's suggestions will be followed up for the next meeting.

7. Wage Uplift – an increase to the amount of money workers are paid an hour

A support worker (with a red hat) shows a lady in a wheelchair something on a laptop. Above them is a fan of cash money with two green up arrows.

Peter said that ILF Scotland and the NI Sponsor Team are working on the next uplift in April after increases to the National Minimum Wage.

Colin said that from April 2025 the uplift of ILF would happen at the same time as the uplift of Direct Payments.

Hand holding cash notes with green up arrow

Peter said that ILF Scotland would need extra funding for it to match the Direct Payments rate for everyone.

8. Universal Credit Practice Note

Cartoon Universal Credit leaflet. Money in coins and notes point to the leaflet.

Emma agreed to work with Sandra Sweeney to make a Universal Credit practice note.

9. Policy Update and 10. Terms of Reference

A form with an i in a circle with a big green tick over the top.

There was no policy update.

Information about Terms of Reference has been moved to the next meeting.

Terms of Reference explain the work of an organisation and how it will be done.

11. Anything else we need to talk about

Anything else we need to talk about?

A woman with an image of money in notes in a thought bubble above her head. She looks anxious.

David asked who covers Award Managers if they are ill and how is it paid for?

Peter said that in Scotland there is financial management available.
It could take over for a while and ILF Scotland could pay for this.

Three people talking with speech bubbles above their heads, one showing money and one showing a green tick.

Peter will talk to companies like the Centre for Independent Living Northern Ireland (CILNI) to see what could be available.

ILF Scotland would pay for this extra support if needed.

Four people standing round a table looking at documents laid out.

Emma and Linda are working on a feedback plan to look at how people connect with ILF Scotland information.

They will ask the Group to say what they think of it.

12. Next meeting and arrangements

The next meeting will be on Tuesday 3 June at The Mount Conference Centre.

This is the end of the Minutes.