Research and insight

The Consumer Council is funded by HM Treasury to address the issue of illegal money lending in Northern Ireland. The focus of our work is research, education and supporting the development of alternatives forms of lending. This study explored the opinions, thoughts and experiences of consumers in Northern Ireland about financial matters concerning lending, savings and debt.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on consumers and The Consumer Council is concerned about the resilience of Northern Ireland consumers. There is a range of evidence outlined in this report that indicates Northern Ireland consumers were already ill equipped to deal with income shocks before the impact of COVID-19, with our levels of discretionary income lower than other UK regions and our level of savings the lowest across the UK.

The primary objective of this project was to explore the nature and extent of illegal money lending and problematic debt in Northern Ireland and place these findings in the context of knowledge and experiences gained in other parts of the UK and further afield.

This report details the findings of a meeting in February 2019 of the George Best Belfast City Airport’s Accessibility Forum which involved a tour of the airport building. The Accessibility Forum was established in November 2018 and is made up of a range of organisations who represent consumers with a disability or reduced mobility [1]

[1] IMTAC, Guide Dogs NI, Disability Action, Alzheimer’s Society, Crohn’s and Colitis UKNI, Urostomy Association, NI Assistance Dogs, NOW Group, PEAT and Action on Hearing Loss

This report details the findings of a meeting in February 2019 of the Belfast International Airport’s Accessibility Forum which involved a tour of the airport building. This was the first meeting of the Accessibility Forum, which is made up of a range of organisations which represent consumers with a disability or reduced mobility.

This report details the findings of a meeting in March 2019 of the City of Derry Airport’s Accessibility Forum which involved a tour of the airport building. This was the first meeting of the Accessibility Forum, which is made up of a range of organisations which represent consumers with a disability or reduced mobility.