Answers demanded after ‘wholly inadequate’ update as progress stalls in tackling child poverty in NI

Senior officials from the Department for Communities will face further scrutiny at Stormont this week after a key Assembly committee criticised the department’s latest update on tackling child poverty as “wholly inadequate”.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has recalled departmental representatives to provide fresh oral evidence on Thursday, 12 March, amid mounting concern about the pace of progress on the Child Poverty Strategy in Northern Ireland.

The move follows a strongly worded letter sent in February by PAC Chair Daniel McCrossan MLA to Emer Morelli, Interim Permanent Secretary at the Department for Communities, after the committee reviewed the department’s response to recommendations set out in its 2024 report on child poverty.

Mr McCrossan said the committee had been left deeply dissatisfied with the response it received.

“At our meeting in mid-February, we considered correspondence sent to us by DfC. This was an official government reply to recommendations we made in a PAC report published in November 2024 on ‘Child Poverty in Northern Ireland’,” he explained.

“In that DfC correspondence, there is little evidence of any urgency in addressing an issue which the Committee, and indeed the Department, have previously called a matter of critical public importance.

“It is a wholly inadequate response to the serious concerns we raised and the numerous recommendations we set out.”

The committee’s original report in autumn 2024 delivered a stark assessment of the department’s handling of the Child Poverty Strategy, describing it as a “catalogue of failures”.

Alongside that critique, PAC issued a detailed set of recommendations aimed at strengthening a new cross-departmental approach to tackling poverty among children.

While the department formally accepted most of those recommendations, the committee says tangible progress has been limited.

According to the update reviewed by PAC, just two of the committee’s 11 recommendations have been completed. The remaining nine are recorded as ongoing.

Mr McCrossan said the explanations provided so far have failed to demonstrate meaningful action.

“The other nine recommendations are marked as ‘ongoing’ but the actions listed as being taken are vague and lack meaningful timelines,” he said.

“Of particular concern is the Department’s reliance on the absence of an agreed Executive strategy as justification for limited progress. DfC doesn’t explain what actions can, and should, be progressed in the interim.”

The PAC chair stressed that the issue is far from theoretical for families across Northern Ireland.

“Child poverty is not an abstract policy issue — it affects thousands of children and families across Northern Ireland every day,” he said.

“For many households, it means going without basic essentials, facing financial stress and living with ongoing uncertainty.”

He added that the committee expects officials to show clear evidence of action when they appear before members this week.

“Children experiencing poverty cannot wait for processes to conclude,” Mr McCrossan added.

“The Committee expects the Department to demonstrate what actions are being taken now to make a tangible difference to families’ lives.

“We don’t accept that progress on such a significant societal issue can remain largely static pending wider strategic developments.

“We will be seeking substantive and detailed answers from officials. Where further clarification is required, we will continue to pursue it.”

The upcoming committee session is expected to examine what practical steps the department is taking while a broader Executive strategy is still being developed.

At a glance

• The Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee has recalled Department for Communities officials for further questioning on the Child Poverty Strategy.

• The move follows criticism from committee chair Daniel McCrossan MLA, who described the department’s latest update as “wholly inadequate”.

• The committee previously issued 11 recommendations in a November 2024 report examining child poverty in Northern Ireland.

• Only two recommendations have been completed so far, with the remaining nine listed as ongoing.

• PAC says the department’s progress reports are vague and lack clear timelines for delivery.

• The department has cited the absence of an agreed Executive strategy as a reason for limited progress.

• Officials are due to provide oral evidence to the committee on Thursday, 12 March.