Debate contribution: Holiday Hunger and the High Cost of School Uniforms

Debate contribution by Mr Robbie Butler on 12 November 2024.

MLA

Mr Robbie Butler

Party at the time

Ulster Unionist Party

Date

12 November 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Holiday Hunger and the High Cost of School Uniforms

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4658445

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I beg to move

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. The purpose of today's motion is to ensure that, as an Assembly, we recognise the immediacy of the crisis and that we take steps to move beyond consultation and procrastination to address the serious issue of holiday hunger and the high cost of school uniforms and PE kits that places a heavy burden on families across Northern Ireland. We, the Ulster Unionist Party, are gravely concerned by the impact that the absence of a functioning Executive had on social support programmes. The absence of a Government for five out of eight years means that, today, we revisit matters such as school uniforms and holiday hunger that, during my time as an MLA, we have debated at length, as far back as 2017 and, again, in 2020. They were probably debated even before 2017. One of the most impactful measures, which, my party believes, was a critical loss, was the funding for the school holiday food grant scheme. The scheme previously offered support to prevent holiday hunger for around 100,000 children and young people across Northern Ireland. Its loss has left families facing deep uncertainty. The end of that vital scheme demonstrates a failure to recognise the reality of holiday hunger, which is a real and present issue that, sadly, affects many children today. The situation is compounded by the rising cost of living. The costs of basic necessities, including food and clothing, continue to rise, pushing many families to the brink. The high costs associated with school uniforms, particularly branded uniforms and PE kits, add an extra financial strain. A recent survey by Parentkind revealed that over 66% of parents in Northern Ireland find buying school uniforms to be a major financial challenge. The issue disproportionately affects vulnerable groups, including families with children who have special educational needs and disabilities, who often face extra uniform-related costs. There are two amendments to the motion, which, I believe, are mutually exclusive. That means that we have to choose between them. In my estimation, the DUP amendment highlights concerns that holiday hunger relief could be further removed into the Executive abyss, potentially ignoring the immediate needs of children and families. That stance risks diluting our focus on this pressing issue. Our community and voluntary sector has filled the gap, with groups such as Children in Northern Ireland and Angel Eyes NI standing in over the summer to provide hot meals, food vouchers and inclusive events for families, thereby directly addressing holiday hunger. According to the recent Angel Eyes NI report, 100% of families who received that support stated that it had had a positive impact. That underscores the importance of continuing such support on a formal level. I might add that, when families respond in the manner that they are, they do not do so with any sense of pride. It is a deep hurt for any family or any parent to face into that pressure. By contrast, the Alliance amendment seems to take a more practical approach and recognises the crucial and valuable motion that the Ulster Unionist Party has tabled. That amendment calls for a comprehensive review of eligibility criteria for free school meals and uniform grants and supporting measures to cap uniform costs. Alliance at least recognises the dark co-morbidity of poverty and its impact on many of our children. Alliance's emphasis on removing branded items, such as compulsory PE kits, and expanding access to free school meals is an important recognition of the financial struggles that a growing number of families across Northern Ireland face. The financial pressures faced by families across Northern Ireland are increasing at an alarming rate. They disproportionately affect disabled people and low-income families. Carers NI's statistics show that 83% of disabled individuals in Northern Ireland have seen their financial situation worsen in 2024 alone, which underscores the urgent need for policies that support all members of society, especially vulnerable populations. Angel Eyes NI, which I mentioned, had a recent summer programme that identified the desperate need for holiday hunger relief. The programme provided meals, food vouchers and family outings and had a significant and positive effect. It employed a holistic strategy, and the results speak for themselves: as I stated, 100% of families felt that the food vouchers and free meals alleviated financial pressure, and over 99% reported that the events positively impacted on their families. Such programmes should be backed by government support and scaled to meet the demands across Northern Ireland. In response to these challenges, we call on the Minister of Education to do a number of things. They are captured in the motion, but I will take the opportunity to read them into the record and perhaps expand on them a little. We ask the Minister to provide an urgent update on holiday hunger relief, to inform the Assembly about the steps being taken to restore or replace the school holiday food grant scheme and to ensure continued support for our families. Immediate action is needed to prevent children from experiencing hunger during school breaks. We ask the Minister to provide an update on the steps being taken to address school uniform costs. I know that he is working on that, and I am grateful, but I ask him for an update on the pace of departmental work in that regard. The Department of Education's recent consultation on school uniform price caps and exploring legislative potential is in train, but we need to see action to ensure that it does not just slip further down the priority line. We also ask the Department to consider the removal of mandatory branded items in PE kits and to lower the cost. We also seek the Minister's view on widening free school meals access and to develop a plan to widen access across the estate, targeting, perhaps, larger groups of families in need and, perhaps, expanding the criteria to provide support for children who are currently ineligible and who struggle with food insecurity — an issue that is very much in our sights. A great start would be to provide a single, universal, free school meal at primary school and to ensure that the impact that that would have on learning, health, well-being and childhood poverty is captured, and that we build upon it and do not do it simply for the sake of doing it. Additional support for families of children with special educational needs is paramount to what we do. That means providing supplementary support for families with children who have special educational needs or disabilities. As we know, those families face unique and often higher costs related not only to school uniforms but to other educational materials. A national parents' survey from Parentkind has revealed troubling statistics: 41% of parents in Northern Ireland have had to ration heating, and nearly one in five is accruing monthly debt. Furthermore, one third of parents are struggling financially, with many skipping meals to make ends meet. The value of providing a school meal cannot be overlooked in the further benefits that it might provide to families. The cost of school uniforms and the pressures of school-related expenses, such as trips and voluntary donations, are taking a significant toll on many families across Northern Ireland. More than one in three parents has reported a major financial strain due to school uniform costs alone. As much as we would love to think that education is free at the point of access, that, inevitably, is not the case in some schools. The Assembly has an obligation to respond to those issues with immediacy and compassion. We must look beyond consultation and begin implementing policies that relieve families from the constant financial stress related to schooling expenses. A holistic anti-poverty strategy that prioritises basic needs, food security, adequate, affordable and available clothing and a safe learning environment must be at the forefront of our educational agenda, and it will have a knock-on benefit for health and well-being outcomes in later life. Supporting the motion signals a commitment to providing vulnerable families with the resources that they need, ensuring that no child faces hunger or the stigma of inadequate clothing simply because their family cannot afford it. We urge the Assembly to take decisive action to support our children and build a society where access to basic needs is no longer a barrier to basic education.

1,397 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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