{"id":28976,"date":"2025-05-15T09:27:53","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T09:27:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/stormont-to-sign-off-plan-after-18-years\/"},"modified":"2025-05-15T09:27:53","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T09:27:53","slug":"stormont-to-sign-off-plan-after-18-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/stormont-to-sign-off-plan-after-18-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Stormont to sign off plan after 18 years"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" id=\"\">\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" data-component=\"byline-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dEGcKf\">\n<div data-testid=\"byline-new\" class=\"sc-801dd632-0 eSlECZ\">\n<div data-testid=\"byline-new-contributors\" class=\"sc-801dd632-12 jSIeFi\">\n<div class=\"sc-801dd632-5 kRoBHa\">\n<div><span class=\"sc-801dd632-7 lasLGY\">Jayne McCormack<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>BBC News NI political correspondent<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 gyQxwn\">\n<div data-testid=\"hero-image\" class=\"sc-4abb68ca-1 eOgpjw\"><img decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/8a8c\/live\/51007b10-30e7-11f0-92b4-d99be905cc56.jpg.webp 240w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/8a8c\/live\/51007b10-30e7-11f0-92b4-d99be905cc56.jpg.webp 320w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/8a8c\/live\/51007b10-30e7-11f0-92b4-d99be905cc56.jpg.webp 480w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/640\/cpsprodpb\/8a8c\/live\/51007b10-30e7-11f0-92b4-d99be905cc56.jpg.webp 640w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/8a8c\/live\/51007b10-30e7-11f0-92b4-d99be905cc56.jpg.webp 800w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/cpsprodpb\/8a8c\/live\/51007b10-30e7-11f0-92b4-d99be905cc56.jpg.webp 1024w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1536\/cpsprodpb\/8a8c\/live\/51007b10-30e7-11f0-92b4-d99be905cc56.jpg.webp 1536w\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/8a8c\/live\/51007b10-30e7-11f0-92b4-d99be905cc56.jpg.webp\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"Getty Images An image of an older woman's hands holding a small purse - it is open and a handful of coins can be seen inside it. The hands and purse are resting on the woman's lap and she is wearing a teal dress or skirt with a floral pattern.\" class=\"sc-4abb68ca-0 ldLcJe\"\/><span class=\"sc-4abb68ca-2 kkAKIJ\">Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-1b6a1475-0 feHvAW\">Stormont&#8217;s Executive Committee was found in breach of its legal obligation to adopt an anti-poverty strategy<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dEGcKf\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 hxuGS\">The minister previously described the document as a &#8220;realistic&#8221; but long-term plan to tackle poverty.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 hxuGS\">It must be signed off by ministers before it can go out for public consultation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 hxuGS\">It will then return to the executive for any final changes to be considered before Stormont departments can begin to implement it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 hxuGS\">Recent figures from the Department for Communities (DfC) suggest about <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/c20l0e2g91jo\" class=\"sc-f9178328-0 bGFWdi\">22% of children in Northern Ireland are growing up in poverty.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 hxuGS\">The figures also indicate that about 23% of children are in relative poverty and about 20% are in absolute poverty.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><h2 class=\"sc-f98b1ad2-0 eOFjmw\">What is the Stormont anti-poverty strategy?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 hoQmHM\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-4abb68ca-1 eOgpjw\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.files.bbci.co.uk\/bbcdotcom\/web\/20250508-105310-2a3fc0651-web-2.21.1-1\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-4abb68ca-0 itgEAh hide-when-no-script\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/f52c\/live\/b23247d0-0e44-11f0-bfea-d170975f1d6a.jpg.webp 240w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/f52c\/live\/b23247d0-0e44-11f0-bfea-d170975f1d6a.jpg.webp 320w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/f52c\/live\/b23247d0-0e44-11f0-bfea-d170975f1d6a.jpg.webp 480w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/640\/cpsprodpb\/f52c\/live\/b23247d0-0e44-11f0-bfea-d170975f1d6a.jpg.webp 640w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/f52c\/live\/b23247d0-0e44-11f0-bfea-d170975f1d6a.jpg.webp 800w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/cpsprodpb\/f52c\/live\/b23247d0-0e44-11f0-bfea-d170975f1d6a.jpg.webp 1024w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1536\/cpsprodpb\/f52c\/live\/b23247d0-0e44-11f0-bfea-d170975f1d6a.jpg.webp 1536w\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/f52c\/live\/b23247d0-0e44-11f0-bfea-d170975f1d6a.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"PA Media Gordon Lyons with brown hair. He is wearing a black suit, white shirt and red tie.\" class=\"sc-4abb68ca-0 ldLcJe\"\/><span class=\"sc-4abb68ca-2 kkAKIJ\">PA Media<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-1b6a1475-0 feHvAW\">Communities Minister Gordon Lyons says he believes the anti-poverty strategy is a &#8220;realistic&#8221; but long-term plan to tackle poverty<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p><h2 class=\"sc-f98b1ad2-0 eOFjmw\">&#8216;Can&#8217;t tell you what&#8217;s in it&#8217;<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dEGcKf\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 hxuGS\">Tr\u00e1sa Canavan from Barnados and a member of the Anti-Poverty Strategy Group said: &#8220;Unfortunately we haven&#8217;t had any sight of this document.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 hxuGS\">&#8220;We haven&#8217;t had any engagement with, either as individual organisations or as the anti-poverty strategy group, the minister or his officials on the development of the draft strategy,&#8221; she told <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/sounds\/brand\/b007cps5\" class=\"sc-f9178328-0 bGFWdi\">BBC Radio Ulster&#8217;s Good Morning Ulster programme.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 hxuGS\">&#8220;You know this group did a huge amount of work throughout the course of the 2021, 2022 and subsequent years to input into a co-design process and then develop our own paper recommendations, which was nearly 100 pages.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 hxuGS\">&#8220;So there is a huge amount of work that has gone on and that we shared with the department.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 hxuGS\">&#8220;We really hoped that would have informed the draft but I can&#8217;t tell you what&#8217;s in it because we haven&#8217;t been engaged in the process of the development of this paper.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><h2 class=\"sc-f98b1ad2-0 eOFjmw\">How is poverty measured?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dEGcKf\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 hxuGS\">There are two main measurements of low income used by the government, absolute poverty and relative poverty. <\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 hxuGS\">Income is counted as the money a household has to spend after housing costs are taken into account.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 hxuGS\">Absolute poverty measures how many people this year cannot afford a set standard of living. <\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 hxuGS\">The Department for Work and Pensions at Westminster currently defines it based on the living standard an average income could buy in the year ending in March 2011. <\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 hxuGS\">If your income is 40% below this, after adjusting for rising prices since then, you are classed as living in absolute poverty.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 hxuGS\">Relative poverty is the number of people whose income is 40% below the average income today.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 hxuGS\">An individual is considered to be in relative poverty if they are living in a household with an income below 60% of the typical UK income.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 hxuGS\">This is a measure of whether those in the lowest income households are keeping pace with the growth of incomes in the population as a whole.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><h2 class=\"sc-f98b1ad2-0 eOFjmw\">Do other parts of the UK have anti-poverty measures?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c9q07r7xgdvo\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jayne McCormack BBC News NI political correspondent Getty Images Stormont&#8217;s Executive Committee was found in breach of its legal obligation to adopt an anti-poverty strategy The minister previously described the document as a &#8220;realistic&#8221; but long-term plan to tackle poverty. It must be signed off by ministers before it can go out for public consultation. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28977,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[127,1042,2468,380],"class_list":["post-28976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-n-ireland","tag-plan","tag-sign","tag-stormont","tag-years"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28976"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28976\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28978,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28976\/revisions\/28978"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}