Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 to 18, inclusive, together.

I was delighted to host the child poverty and well-being summit on Thursday, 23 May in Dublin Castle.

I welcomed the former UK Prime Minister and Chancellor, Gordon Brown, who shared what he had learned from his experience of reducing child poverty rates in the UK in his keynote address. My colleague the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O’Gorman, also gave a keynote address.

Children’s participation was an important feature of the day. In advance of the summit, a youth advisory group on child poverty and well-being was established. I wanted to hear directly from young people living in Ireland about what is important to them. An important output from the youth advisory group was a video that was shown at the summit, which highlighted the key issues that matter to them.

While it is important to consult with children and young people, it is also essential to have accountability and to show how we have taken their views on board. That is why I have committed to following up with the youth advisory group again later this year.

Children’s participation also included an art exhibition and a specially written musical performance from Music Generation. It was a pleasure to see the artistic contributions from children and young people and it was a highlight of my day to meet many of the children and young people at the summit. The summit itself had three objectives: to increase the focus on child poverty and well-being across government and its agencies, to take stock of progress and learning to date and to inform future considerations. To further that end, policymakers from across the public service were in attendance as well as representatives from the non-government sector and research organisations.

A panel discussion took place in the morning and 17 innovative case clinics took place in the afternoon. Each case clinic engaged the collective experience of the group to discuss a challenge or new idea that will help address child poverty or well-being. Case clinic topics were wide ranging and included preventing family homelessness, maximising the impact of social welfare payments, and improving educational outcomes for migrant children.

Discussions from the summit will inform cross-government dialogue in advance of budget 2025 as the Government seeks to support and deepen the focus on child poverty and well-being. A summary report on the summit will be published by the child poverty and well-being programme office in due course.

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