NCT Watch

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