I was delighted to be appointed to the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) in January 2026. SSAC is an independent statutory body that provides impartial advice on social security related matters. It scrutinises the majority of complex secondary legislation that underpins the social security system and also conducts research as part of its independent work programme.
I had good knowledge of SSAC and the importance of its work in advance of joining the Committee. I head a Social Security Unit at Law Centre NI providing specialist support to members of the public and the local advice sector. I was aware that SSAC reports have been exhibited as part of the evidence demonstrating the underlying policy intent behind the legislation being challenged through test case litigation. I was also able to directly interact with SSAC through my attendance at stakeholder engagement events, including annual visits to Northern Ireland. Since I have joined SSAC it has been a rewarding change of perspective to witness and contribute to the work of the Committee from the inside.
In May, SSAC again returned to Northern Ireland for a stakeholder engagement which, conveniently for me, was hosted by Law Centre NI. This hybrid event was attended by key stakeholders from across the jurisdiction.
The stakeholder engagement comprised a recap on the function of SSAC, an overview of some of the most recent work of the Committee and, importantly, provided an opportunity for stakeholders to draw the Committee’s attention to issues impacting locally.
SSAC’s scrutiny of secondary legislation
Among the updates provided to stakeholders was SSAC’s response to The Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment and Employment and Support Allowance (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (The ‘Right to Try’ Regulations). These Regulations were subject to scrutiny in my first meeting following appointment to SSAC in January 2026, with the Committee deciding to take the Regulations on Formal Reference.[1] The pro-active scrutiny of these Regulations has been an excellent introduction to the inner workings of SSAC. It is part of the Committee’s role to advise and assist, and on this occasion, it was important to communicate that the proposed draft Regulations alone would not achieve the stated policy intent of more clearly assuring claimants with disabilities or health conditions that they can try work without the fear of automatically losing entitlement. It was pleasing to see that officials were genuinely receptive to the advice of the Committee and the subsequent report produced by SSAC resulted in the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions accepting four of the Committee’s five recommendations, with the remaining one partially accepted.
Personally, as someone who is aware of the challenges associated with litigation and policy advocacy after legislation has been passed, it has been gratifying to observe how the Committee can achieve positive influence much further upstream. Ensuring equality impact or unintended consequences are considered before legislation has been passed benefits the Department, and most importantly, those interacting directly with the social security policies involved. The legislation underpinning the Social Security system is vast, and achieving policy intent can be complex. The value of the independent expert Committee is that it can find potential deficiencies in the proposed legislation at an early stage and this provides officials with a ‘stitch in time’ opportunity to amend. I have been impressed to observe the skilful collective approach of the Committee to scrutiny and the important value of advice at an early stage.
SSAC’s independent work programme
Back in Northern Ireland, stakeholders were next updated about some of the Committee’s projects as part of the independent work programme. Our independent work programme allows SSAC to support robust scrutiny and impartial advice to ministers by providing evidence, enriching debate on current issues, stimulating discussion, and introducing new data-driven insights. The Committee updated stakeholders on a recent SSAC report considering The influence of the Social Security system on educational and vocational decision making at age 16. This report explores how the design of the social security system influences the choices 16‑year‑olds and their families make about staying in full‑time education or moving into apprenticeships and other vocational routes. The report was timely, in advance of the interim Milburn Report into Young people and work, with one of the findings highlighting the unintended loss of benefit and subsequent overall household income if a young person chooses an apprenticeship over remaining in mainstream education.
Stakeholders in NI were also updated on two additional reports that SSAC are currently working on as part of the independent work programme. The first of these will consider ageing transitions and explore how the social security system supports incomes and employment opportunities for those aged 60 and over. The second project will document the processes and decision making on irregularly uprated benefits and the impact this has.
The importance of stakeholder insight
The remainder of the stakeholder engagement meeting in Northern Ireland was a dedicated space to share issues and trends that local practitioners are seeing on the frontline. My experience is that Northern Ireland has a very engaged and proactive advice sector so it was beneficial for the Committee to hear the issues being seen on the ground. A consistent theme raised was the Universal Credit managed migration process which will feed into ongoing scrutiny undertaken by SSAC.
The last six months has been a busy introduction to the Committee, but I have been impressed to see how much influential work SSAC produces. I look forward to continuing in my role, learning from my colleagues and making a positive contribution to the ongoing development of an effective social security system, something I am passionate about.
[1] Section 172(1) and 174(1) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992
seen at 16:40, 1 July in Social Security Advisory Committee.