Long-delayed anti-poverty plan for NI agreed by executive

Ministers in Northern Ireland have reached agreement on a long-delayed anti-poverty strategy.

The announcement was made at Stormont Castle by First Minister Michelle O’Neill, deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly and Communities Minister Gordon Lyons.

Figures from the Department for Communities suggest that 22% of children in Northern Ireland are growing up in poverty.

A court ruling in March said that Stormont’s Executive Committee was in breach of its legal obligations by not adopting a plan to tackle poverty, deprivation and social exclusion.

It will go for public consultation and then return to the executive before implementation.

The strategy was first committed to in 2006.

‘It’s not a sticking plaster’

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said the strategy was not just a paper document but a commitment to try and change lives.

“It’s not a sticking plaster, it’s not the short-term fix but a long-term plan to tackle root causes of poverty,” he said.

The plan was agreed by the Executive almost two decades after it had first been mooted.

The intervening years had seen several periods of political collapse, with legal challenges also delaying work on it.

First Minister Michelle O’Neill acknowledged that there was a difference of opinion around the Executive table about the best way of addressing poverty, but denied there had been a political fall-out.

“Everything doesn’t need to be painted a row. Are there differences of approach at times? Yes.

“On this issue do I think it could go further? Probably yes, but let’s work that out through consultation,” she said.

‘Meaningful change for children’

Groups working on the ground to alleviate poverty said they would wait to see the detail of the document when it is published next week.

Save the Children (NI), which works to support families, said it would reserve judgement until then.

“This can’t be a strategy for strategy’s sake. During the 18-year wait for this day, child poverty has accelerated, and record numbers of children are being failed.

“We need to see a strategy that is ambitious and delivers meaningful change for children.

“We want to see its implementation shaped by the lived experiences of families and for it to be properly funded and prioritised across the Executive.

“A focus on getting back to work simply can’t be the cure as most families in poverty have someone in their household who works.

“Families need targeted support and more money in their pockets,” said head of the charity Peter Bryson.

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