AQW 49630/22-27

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 25/06/2026
Answered On Date: 07/07/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities to detail any cross-departmental, funded action plan that exists to address the three drivers identified in the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report entitled, Disability and poverty in Northern Ireland, including (i) extra costs; (ii) employment barriers; and (iii) inadequate social security.

Answer:

Actions to address the root causes and impact of poverty, including for people who are Deaf and disabled, will be taken forward through the Executive’s Anti-Poverty Strategy, supported by the Disability Strategy, and the Disability & Work Strategy.

In addition, under the NI Public Sector Transformation Fund, a Pathways to Work and Wellbeing Project was awarded £16m as a joint initiative between Department for Communities, Department of Health, and Department for the Economy. This Project seeks to design a better integrated work and health model for Northern Ireland that addresses disability and health related barriers to employment, supporting more people to find and progress in work.