Final Report on the Committee's Inquiry into Child Poverty in Northern Ireland : Third Report Session 2007/2008 - v. 1 : (Report) Together with the Minutes of Proceedings of the Committee Relating to the Report and

Children are identified as being in relative income poverty if household income is less that 60 per cent of the median household income in the UK.

Living in poverty has the potential to limit the aspirations and expectations of children and thereby contribute to a renewed cycle of poverty.

The Committee found that there has been no significant decrease in levels of child poverty during the past three years and there are still more than 100,000 children living in relative income poverty in Northern Ireland.The Committee makes recommendations on: tackling rising costs (especially food and energy); promoting employment; increasing the provision of affordable childcare; policies to increase income and ensure low income families receive their full benefit entitlement; measures to tackle long-term disadvantage - in the long-term, improving the health and well-being and educational outcomes of families in poverty has a critical role in helping to address the cycle of deprivation.The Committee recommends the establishment of an independent expert panel that would examine and report to the First Minister and deputy First Minister on the contribution of the Programme for Government, Budget, Investment Strategy and associated delivery plans, to tackling child poverty. The development of a robust, properly resourced, implementation plan, supported by effective arrangements to ensure that all departments deliver on their child poverty commitments is critical if the Executive is to achieve its targets to reduce child poverty and eliminate severe child poverty.