Child poverty levels ‘a shame and disgrace’: McNulty

Mr. McNulty asked Stormont’s Communities Minister to detail the number of children living in poverty across the North. At present, 76,000 children are living in poverty, with the highest number of children living in poverty being found in Newry & Armagh.

SDLP MLA Justin McNulty said: “It is a shame and disgrace that 1 in 4 children in the North of Ireland are living in poverty. Tens of thousands of children across our communities are growing up in families who are unable to make ends meet. It is unacceptable that in a society as wealthy as ours, so many children are deprived of basic needs and swimming against the tide from the very start of their lives.

“This week, along with my SDLP colleagues, I met with the Cliff Edge Coalition, which is made up of over 100 organisations across the North working to protect the most vulnerable in our society. What we need to see is decisive action from the Executive to address the root causes of poverty and to break the cycle of poverty for future generations.

“There are a number of steps that should be taken immediately by the Executive, such as lifting the two-child cap and resolving the five-week wait for Universal Credit, working in partnership with schools to end childhood hunger, supporting working parents buckling under the weight of childcare costs, and bringing down the prices of school uniforms.

“At the same time, we need to see long-term investment in addressing the root causes of child poverty, including dramatically increasing our investment in affordable housing and boosting take-home pay in the North.

“Along with my SDLP colleagues, I will be working to establish a cross-party forum to end child poverty. It is vital that all parties roll up their sleeves and come to the table prepared to take the action necessary to address this alarming problem.

"We must act immediately and decisively to break the cycle of poverty and ensure that every child in the North has the chance to succeed and thrive.”