Will the NI Executive Take Action on Poverty?

The Northern Ireland Executive does not have a plan to take action on poverty – or at least that’s what we can glean from the draft Programme for Government.

Despite intensive work undertaken over the past four years to develop a draft strategy, and a legal requirement for the Executive to produce such a strategy, there was not a single reference to the strategy in the draft Programme for Government which was published for consultation. This would be the bare minimum; the Anti-Poverty Strategy Group, and others in civil society, are calling on the NI Executive to include an additional priority of ‘Eradicating Poverty’ in the final Programme for Government.

So many of the challenges facing people across Northern Ireland are either exacerbated by, or have their root causes in, poverty. Furthermore, poverty is inextricably linked with many of the priorities set out in the Programme for Government. Unless our government takes meaningful action to address poverty, set out in a robust, comprehensive, resourced Anti-Poverty Strategy, based on objective need, these challenges will persist.

We recommend that the ‘Eradicating Poverty’ priority includes a commitment to adopting and implementing an Anti-Poverty Strategy, based on objective need. The Programme for Government should detail that this priority is the responsibility of all government departments, and that action on poverty should be a collective effort. Responsibility for co-ordinating the development of the strategy currently rests with the Department for Communities and extensive work has been undertaken within the department, and with the Co-Design Group, to lay the foundations for the strategy.

Not only will taking action on poverty assist with achieving the other priorities set out in the Programme for Government, but the Northern Ireland Executive has a legal obligation to develop an Anti-Poverty Strategy based on objective need. This duty was highlighted by a recent report on child poverty (March 2024) produced by the Northern Ireland Audit Office, which was also critical of the fact that no anti-poverty strategy was currently in place. The report further notes that the previous Child Poverty Strategy 2016-2020 (extended to 2022) was largely ineffective at reducing child poverty in Northern Ireland. It is essential that the learning from this report is reflected in a new Anti-Poverty Strategy.

The ‘Eradicating Poverty’ priority should reflect that Northern Ireland departments will work closely alongside civil society in delivering on this priority. The expertise and relationships held by civil society will enhance the development and delivery of an Anti-Poverty Strategy. The work of the Co-Design Group should be used to inform the development of the draft strategy.

The Programme for Government should specify that the Anti-Poverty Strategy will contain specific, measurable, time-bound targets, identifying the responsible department for delivery. The Programme got Government should also note that the Anti-Poverty Strategy should be accompanied by an action plan, detailing specific actions to be taken, the responsible department and relevant partners.

The Anti-Poverty Strategy Group is made up of some members of the Anti-Poverty Strategy Co-Design Group, who worked alongside the Department for Communities to develop recommendations for an Anti-Poverty Strategy throughout 2021 and 2022.

You can read the group’s full recommendations paper here: Members of the DfC Anti-Poverty Strategy Co-Design Group produce Key Recommendations Paper | NICVA.