To ask the Minister for Communities, following the publication of the Northern Ireland poverty bulletin 2018/19 released by her Department on 14 May 2020, to provide a written plan of the actions that she will take in 2020/2021 to reduce the growing number of children and older people in poverty.

I am currently considering a draft plan and timetable outlining the co-design and co-production approach to the development of an Anti-Poverty and Child Poverty Strategy as outlined in New Decade, New Approach. I will be engaging with the Executive and the Communities Committee at key stages in the development of this work.

My Department is responsible for compiling a Child Poverty Annual Report which describes the actions implemented across departments to ensure that, as far as possible, children do not experience socio-economic disadvantage. The Annual Reports can be accessed on the Department’s website https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/publications.