THE Department for Communities has bid for funding to mitigate the end of a £20 weekly uplift for people in the North claiming Universal Credit.
The uplift is being withdrawn across the UK on Wednesday.
It is understood that an initial bid of £55m has been submitted to come from Stormont’s October monitoring round.
A briefing paper to Stormont’s Communities Committee said it was “vital that support continues”.
The department said this was due to ongoing impacts of Covid and rising food and fuel prices.
The UK government has said it has “always been clear” the uplift to universal credit was temporary.
Monitoring rounds are reallocation of spending exercises that take place quarterly.
Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey previously called on Westminster to reverse the reduction in the uplift and said Stormont departments would struggle to make up the shortfall.
Her department has now said it has made a request for funding, but the move would be “subject to executive agreement”.
The briefing paper adds that the Department for Communities will have a “recurring requirement of £108m per year”, which will rise to £200m as “people are migrated from legacy benefits to universal credit to maintain the £20-per-week uplift”.
A spokesperson for the department said: “The minister has clearly stated that the actions by the British government are outrageous and abhorrent.
“Minister Hargey has prioritised support for the most vulnerable in our society and will continue to do so.
“She has also highlighted that we have to be real about our abilities to mitigate yet again another cut by the Tories.”
The spokesperson added that the budget was “not infinite” and that any decision would be a matter for the executive.
Ms Hargey has asked for it to be discussed by the executive on Thursday.
Stormont received an extra £180m from the Treasury in September and that money is yet to be distributed.
The expectation was that most if not all of that money would go on health spending.
SDLP Foyle MLA member Mark H Durkan welcomed the move and said it was right the minister had “heeded calls to take action”.
“We knew this cut was coming down the line. The department should have laid the groundwork and made preparations before now,” he said.
“Nevertheless, action at the 11th hour is better than no action at all.
“This intervention if approved, will save lives.”
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