Short answer
State Pension and other pensioner benefits are one of the largest single items of public spending in Northern Ireland. They are funded outside the block grant by the UK Treasury.
What we know Fact
- Social security spending, including pensions, is funded through "annually managed expenditure", not the block grant.
- Pension rates are the same as in Great Britain.
What is still unclear Interpretation
[CHECK: add the latest total from Department for Communities or HM Treasury figures before publishing.]
