To ask the Minister for Communities to detail any cross-departmental, funded action plan that exists to address the three drivers identified in the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report entitled, Disability and poverty in Northern Ireland, including (i) extra costs; (ii) employment barriers; and (iii) inadequate social security.

Actions to address the root causes and impact of poverty, including for people who are Deaf and disabled, will be taken forward through the Executive’s Anti-Poverty Strategy, supported by the Disability Strategy, and the Disability & Work Strategy.

In addition, under the NI Public Sector Transformation Fund, a Pathways to Work and Wellbeing Project was awarded £16m as a joint initiative between Department for Communities, Department of Health, and Department for the Economy. This Project seeks to design a better integrated work and health model for Northern Ireland that addresses disability and health related barriers to employment, supporting more people to find and progress in work.