§ Lady HermonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress in Northern Ireland in reducing child poverty. [150674]
§ Mr. SpellarNew Targeting Social Need (TSN) is the Government's main policy for tackling poverty and social exclusion in Northern Ireland. New TSN aims to tackle poverty and social exclusion by targeting efforts and available resources within existing departmental programmes towards people, groups and areas in greatest social need.
An independent external evaluation of New Targeting Social Need has now been completed. This assessed the way in which the policy had been implemented and examined its impact. The outcome of the evaluation will feed into future thinking on New TSN and will soon be the subject of public consultation.
Presently in Northern Ireland, the Government are placing significant emphasis on initiatives that are focused on the early years of life, such as the Sure Start and Book Start and the Pre-School Education Expansion Programme. These complement mainstream service programmes.
Alongside these initiatives the Government are developing long-term strategies dealing with child poverty. To this end the Children's and Young People's unit of The Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) is currently developing a 10-year strategy of which child poverty is one of the key themes. The focus of the strategy is poverty, participation, protection and provision. As part of the development of this strategy, a multi agency group in November 2003 produced a strategic objective and related measures and outcomes specifically tackling child poverty. The group also considered how to take this forward and how the 453W Children's Strategy should dovetail with the wider New TSN strategy (current and future) for tackling poverty and social exclusion in Northern Ireland.
A total of £36 million has been made available through the Children's Executive Programme Fund with the specific aim of supporting children in need and young people at risk. £17 million has already been allocated for projects involving children and young people in areas including health, education, play and working with children at risk.
Recent research commissioned by OFMDFM entitled "Low Income Households in Northern Ireland" shows that the concentration (proportion of those in poverty who are children) of children in poverty between 1990–94 has dropped from 36 per cent. to 33 per cent. between 1999–2002. A copy of the report has been placed in the House Library and it can also be viewed on the internet at http://www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/research/lowincome/index.htm