Authorities urged to get tough on Belfast poverty
The British government must go beyond rhetoric if it is serious about tackling child poverty, community groups in Belfast today told a House of Commons committee.
During a visit to nationalist and loyalist communities on either side of the peace line in west Belfast, the Westminster Works and Pensions Committee was told by community activists that there were serious levels of depravation in their areas.
Sinn Féin Assembly member Michael Ferguson, who helped organise the visit of the committee chaired by Liberal Democrat MP Archy Kirkwood, said Governments needed to match its rhetoric on child poverty with real funds.
“We had a very good meeting today with the House of Commons Committee,” the west Belfast MLA said.
“We told the committee about the problem affecting an area of 120,000 people from the Shankill to Poleglass.
“We told them that in 17 electoral wards half the children and young people are living below the poverty line.
“We have the highest levels of underweight children, teenage pregnancies, respiratory problems such as bronchitis and asthma, suicide problems and low levels of educational attainment.
“The committee was also told that there has been a complete failure by the government to address the impact of the last 30 years of conflict.”
Mr Ferguson noted that British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Government had vowed to end child poverty within 20 years, to reduce it by half by 2010 and by at least a quarter this year.
He said it was clear from evidence given to the committee by the Falls Community Council, Homestart, Surestart, Lenadoon Forum and the Whiterock Creche that his government pledges meant little.
“If you take an issue like targeting social need, when that was introduced in England it was given a budget but here it was not,” he argued.
“The Neighbourhood Renewal Programme in England also had a budget but here it did not.
“Surestart got mainstream funding in England but here it did not.
“So it is a bit rich for the British government to talk about seriously trying to address child poverty and depravation if there is no funding available for it.
“That is why people are fed up with the rhetoric.”
Mr Ferguson said community workers in west Belfast had also called for changes to the way the Treasury allocated funds to Northern Ireland Government departments, claiming they were the victim of the Barnett Formula which was used to calculate it.
The Sinn Féin MLA said that while he welcomed the committee’s interest, he would have hoped that Assembly members in Northern Ireland would have been able to address local concern.
The absence of a devolved administration at Stormont was a setback for those hoping to address the child poverty issue and depravation locally, Mr Ferguson argued.
