Progress must be made on child poverty - Cobain

Ulster Unionist North Belfast MLA Fred Cobain, addressing an event organised by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, has said that "increased commitment and activity" from politicians is essential in tackling child poverty.

"I represent a constituency that unfortunately knows poverty and child poverty directly, social exclusion directly and the legacy of the Troubles. I am acutely aware of the fact that poverty and child poverty can very easily become generational and entrenched," the UUP Chief Whip said.

"In order to ensure children are removed from poverty we must give them and their parents the opportunity to gain worthwhile employment. This means we must simultaneously tackle issues such as educational underachievement, absenteeism from school, childcare and parenting skills.

"Equally parents must be given the freedom and incentives to work and provide for their children.

"These are easy things to say but extremely difficult to deliver, especially in communities that suffer acute social exclusion, Para-militarism and criminality. That is why work on the ground and in communities is so vital," the North Belfast UUP MLA said.

"The Minister for Education must introduce an educational underachievement strategy and an Early Years Strategy immediately - to do so is well within her power.

"The Executive must do all it can to maintain funding for after school clubs and access to social and leisure activities for children.

"The wider issues of the economy and jobs will take a more strategic and long-term approach but we must make progress.

"On issues such as the Government's decision to remove the exemption of employer-funded childcare vouchers from tax and National Insurance Contributions we must co-ordinate our approach. I believe the Government is wrong to scrap this support which so many parents rely on.

"Child Poverty is a moral economic and political scandal that we must address. There are immediate actions that we can take and we must rise to that challenge."