Debate contribution: Emergency Food Parcels for Children

Debate contribution by Mr Andy Allen MBE on 27 January 2025.

MLA

Mr Andy Allen MBE

Party at the time

Ulster Unionist Party

Date

27 January 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Emergency Food Parcels for Children

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4758847

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I, too, thank the proposers for tabling this important motion. Today, we are confronted with the grim reality that, over the past five years, the number of emergency food parcels distributed by Trussell Trust food banks to children in Northern Ireland has risen by 90%. That is a staggering and shameful figure. Worse still, the number of food parcels provided to children here is proportionately higher than that in any other region of the United Kingdom. Those numbers tell us something that we cannot ignore: we need to do more. Child poverty is not just a statistic; it is a daily struggle for families who must choose between heating their home or feeding their children. Some do not even have that choice. Regularly, my office, like so many others, is approached by individuals and families in desperate need of support for the basic essentials of food, electricity and heating. Far too often, it is the third sector that steps in to provide that critical assistance. I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the wide range of organisations, such as the Trussell Trust, National Energy Action and the Bryson Charitable Group, that work tirelessly, day and night, to support households. Their dedication and compassion is a lifeline for so many in our communities. Many households are unable to keep their homes warm, especially during the winter months. For children, cold homes mean more than discomfort; they mean higher risk of respiratory illness, poor educational outcomes and emotional stress. Equally, far too many find themselves heating their homes only for the heat to escape through poorly insulated cavity walls, which is another area on which we need to do more. One action to support households and improve energy efficiency could be for the Department for the Economy to supplement the Northern Ireland sustainable energy programme, which I have already raised with the Minister. Meanwhile, the soaring costs of food and essentials have left too many parents having to make impossible choices. That is not a sustainable or acceptable reality. Short-term relief is crucial, but we must think beyond emergency measures. We need a coordinated, multi-tiered approach to tackle poverty at its roots. The response must be immediate, strategic and long term. There must be three pillars to the approach. It must be short-term focused because families need immediate financial support, as I already highlighted. An enhanced fuel allowance and emergency food grants can provide a lifeline, and, as has already been outlined, those have been provided by so many organisations. In the medium term, as we have already heard, reforming the social security system is essential. We must work with the Department for Work and Pensions to design support that truly meets the needs of families, whether through increased child benefits, free school meals or affordable childcare, with the latter two being within the scope of the Executive. In the long term, addressing poverty requires investment in education, housing and jobs. Economic development must focus on creating opportunities so that families can build secure, sustainable futures. We can draw inspiration from other nations. In Norway and Sweden, for example, robust child benefit systems and subsidised childcare have drastically reduced child poverty. Canada's child benefit system has lifted hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty with targeted direct financial support. New Zealand's well-being budget prioritises measurable social outcomes, targeting investment to where it will have the greatest impact. Those examples prove that, with the right policies, poverty can be reduced and even eradicated. The amendment acknowledges the commitment of the Minister for Communities to a new anti-poverty strategy. That is a step forward, but we cannot delay. We need the strategy to be brought to the Executive, published and opened for public consultation. While we can learn from worldwide examples, as I have highlighted, we must also implement learning from our own experiences, such as the findings in the recently published Public Accounts Committee 'Report on Child Poverty in Northern Ireland.' We cannot stand idly by while families suffer. Poverty is not inevitable. It is a challenge that can be overcome with the right policies, the right investment and the right will. We must act swiftly and decisively to ensure that no child in Northern Ireland grows up hungry, cold or without hope. Let us not just discuss poverty. Let us end it.

722 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:46 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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