To ask the Minister for Communities to detail any (i) targets; (ii) indicators; and (iii) timelines, his Department is using to reduce poverty among disabled people, in response to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report entitled, Disability and poverty in Northern Ireland.

Ensuring that Deaf and disabled people have the same rights and opportunities as the rest of our community remains a key priority for me. My Department is taking action to improve outcomes for those affected by, and at risk of being affected by poverty.

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

This will be accompanied by an action plan with clear delivery milestones and targets on putting actions in place to ensure that the Executive is delivering. The Monitoring, Reporting and Governance section of the draft Anti-Poverty Strategy contains details on a proposed suite of measures and monitoring structures designed to track progress of the actions to tackle poverty.

While the Department for Communities is leading on the Anti-Poverty Strategy, it remains an Executive Strategy and final decisions its content and implementation will be subject to Executive agreement.