Mr. Stephen Moffatt:

Regarding the recovery for children, there are two points, which Ms Connolly referenced. There needs to be direct additional support for children to help with issues around their social and emotional progression and development and their education development. Some steps have been taken by the Department of Education, but whether they go far enough is a wider debate. There has been some regression in children's development. We need to ensure that there is sufficient support to get children to where they want to be and where they should probably be in their development.

We need to remember that children have been impacted by what has happened to their parents during Covid. For many children, particularly those experiencing disadvantage or from disadvantaged backgrounds, their parents may have faced additional adversity and hardship over the past 18 months or so. We know from a survey that we conducted that there was a major increase in financial stress, overall stress and mental health issues. There was also an increase in tensions within the home as well as social isolation for parents. Many of those parents will need additional support. If they do not get it, there is a concern about what the negative impact on the children will be. We will advocate that more family supports need to be available to those parents so that they can get the support they need to address the issues that arose for them during Covid.

Regarding energy costs, we have been having discussions with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, for example. Families are struggling to meet energy costs. We have been fortunate that the weather has not been terrible, but it will get worse. There have been multiple increases in energy costs across various providers and other providers have pulled out, which has reduced competition. We need to ensure that no child is living in a home that is inappropriately heated. Practical steps can be taken by support agencies like ourselves. We try to work with energy providers to ensure that payment plans are in place and energy is not switched off at any point, but what of a wider plan? Steps were taken by the Government to increase the fuel allowance, but it will not go anywhere near meeting the increased costs this year. We need to think about whether we believe it is acceptable that children are at risk of living in inappropriately heated homes and what the Government believes should be done about this issue. Living in a poorly heated and poorly lit home has repercussions for a child's development.