NCT Watch

The motion “I love my smoke-free childhood” has been passed by the Scottish Parliament. The motion was lodged in support of the World Health Organisation and International Union Against Cancer “I love my smoke free childhood” campaign which encourages mothers not to smoke while pregnant and warn their children of the dangers of passive smoking. The motion also notes that passive smoking increases the risk of cot death, low birth weight in babies and childhood illness and that it is estimated that 700 million children regularly breathe air polluted by tobacco smoke.

SDLP Equality Spokesperson Dolores Kelly MLA has commented on a Save the Children report which reveals that Northern Ireland has double the rate of persistent child poverty than other parts of the UK stating that “levels of child poverty across the North are reaching crisis levels” and pointed out that at present there is no distinct budget set aside to tackle the problem of poverty, including child poverty, in the North. She challenged the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister to deliver a focussed strategy for dealing with child poverty, with clear target setting, monitoring, and evaluation. The report showed that 21 per cent of children in Northern Ireland are living in long term poverty

In response to a written question to the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for Northern Ireland regarding Northern Ireland’s caesarean section rates, Michael McGimpsey, the Health Minister has revealed that 28 per cent of deliveries in Northern Ireland are by caesarean section, a rate 13 per cent higher than the optimum rate of 15 per cent recommended by the WHO. When asked how the rates in Northern Ireland compared with rates across the rest of the UK the Health Minister responded that direct comparisons cannot be made due to the lack of directly comparable and up-to-date published data for England, Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland. However, the latest figures show that caesarean section rates are approximately 23 per cent in England and 25 per cent in Scotland and Wales.