To ask the Minister for Communities whether any consideration will be given to adopting labour market progression for low income working parents as a key outcome measure within Northern Ireland’s Child Poverty Strategy, given evidence that most children in poverty now live in working households.

The Executive’s Anti-Poverty Strategy aims to address poverty and the impacts of socio-economic disadvantage for all communities across NI including children and young people in “in-work poverty.” This represents the NI Executive’s commitment to a joined up, long-term approach to addressing poverty.

I welcome the finding by Action for Children in their recently published “Work Isn’t Working” report, which indicates that Northern Ireland currently has the lowest rate of child poverty in working households across the UK.

The Action for Children Report also recommends developing labour market progression as specific success measure of the UK Child Poverty Strategy. The draft Anti-Poverty Strategy contains a wide range of interventions that align with this recommendation, including actions designed at helping working families, including improving childcare provision, skills and training programmes and encouraging further uptake of the real Living Wage.

Following consideration of responses to the public consultation, my officials are currently working on the draft Anti-Poverty Strategy to reflect the contributions of all Departments, in preparation for presentation to the Executive. Final decisions on the Strategy’s content and implementation will be subject to Executive agreement.