Motion

Tackling Child Poverty

Motion TitleTackling Child Poverty

Motion TextThat this Assembly expresses alarm at the rate of child poverty in Northern Ireland, with one in five children living in absolute poverty, as detailed in the Northern Ireland Poverty and Income Inequality Report 2023/24; expresses concern that the proposed Anti-Poverty Strategy will have little impact in addressing this challenge, with no new policies, no timeline for delivery and no budget; and calls on the Executive to make the eradication of child poverty a cross-departmental priority and to develop a fit for purpose Anti-Poverty Strategy, shaped by lived experience, including commitments on the creation of a new child payment, an enhanced Childcare Subsidy Scheme and enhanced provision of free school meals.

Motion CategoryPrivate Members' Motion

Motion TypeOpposition business

Date Tabled to Business Office30/09/2025

Date of Plenary Debate14/10/2025

View Official Report

Tabled By

Member Name	Tabled As
Mr Matthew O'Toole	MLA - South Belfast

Bills

Outcome/Voting

The Motion Was Carried by Oral Vote

Amendments

Selected Amendments

No amendments tabled were selected for this motion.

Other Amendments Tabled

Tabled Date	Amendment Text
10/10/2025	Leave out all after ‘2023/24’ and insert: ‘believes that the proposed Executive Anti-Poverty Strategy can have a significant impact in addressing this challenge by establishing a clear framework in which poverty and its impacts can be eradicated and by enabling new policies and practical and sustainable timelines for delivery and budgets; calls on the Executive to make the eradication of child poverty a cross-departmental priority in the context of a final Anti-Poverty Strategy; and further calls on the Executive to give consideration to further initiatives, shaped by lived experience, including the feasibility of a new child payment, an enhanced Childcare Subsidy Scheme and enhanced provision of free school meals in the context of competing priorities and the highly challenging budgetary situation facing all departments.’
10/10/2025	Leave out all after 'Childcare Subsidy Scheme' and insert: ‘universal provision of free school meals and a commitment to mitigate the two-child limit if the UK Government does not remove this in full by the end of the calendar year.’

Tabled Date

Amendment Text

10/10/2025

Leave out all after ‘2023/24’ and insert: ‘believes that the proposed Executive Anti-Poverty Strategy can have a significant impact in addressing this challenge by establishing a clear framework in which poverty and its impacts can be eradicated and by enabling new policies and practical and sustainable timelines for delivery and budgets; calls on the Executive to make the eradication of child poverty a cross-departmental priority in the context of a final Anti-Poverty Strategy; and further calls on the Executive to give consideration to further initiatives, shaped by lived experience, including the feasibility of a new child payment, an enhanced Childcare Subsidy Scheme and enhanced provision of free school meals in the context of competing priorities and the highly challenging budgetary situation facing all departments.’

10/10/2025

Leave out all after 'Childcare Subsidy Scheme' and insert: ‘universal provision of free school meals and a commitment to mitigate the two-child limit if the UK Government does not remove this in full by the end of the calendar year.’

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Tackling Child Poverty

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