Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)

I welcome that. Hopefully, the expansion of this scheme will come in, especially for those in need and those in disadvantaged areas.

We have seen a dramatic rise in the number of children in child poverty in the past year. It now exceeds 100,000 children, according to the Central Statistics Office. That is certain to mean that the deprivation profile of some of the schools that did not qualify in 2022 has deteriorated to the point where they may now qualify. While the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 pledged to reduce consistent poverty to 2%, it was at 3.6% in 2023 and has actually increased to 5% in the latest figures. These are households that our school pupils come from. It is no wonder, therefore, that child poverty has increased even more dramatically. According to the Child Poverty Monitor, the rate of consistent poverty among children has almost doubled, from 4% in 2023 to 8.5% in 2024. This shows the clear need for these schools to be brought in under DEIS.

See this speech in context