1. Mr O'Toole asked the Minister for Communities when he will announce his next steps in relation to the social inclusion strategies. (AQO 766/22-27)

I will be writing to Executive colleagues before the end of September to outline the next steps in developing the anti-poverty strategy. Details of the proposed timetable for the next steps in developing the disability, gender equality and sexual orientation strategies will follow in the coming weeks.

Minister, we have now been waiting more than seven months for meaningful progress on the inclusion strategies. A few months ago, when we had an Opposition day focused on poverty, the Opposition were dismissed and told that lots of work was happening in this area, but, as of now, we have not seen a single strategy published. We have not seen the anti-poverty strategy, the gender strategy, the disability strategy or the strategy on sexual orientation. Obviously, we did not get any detail in the Programme for Government about when they will be published. Can you be specific today and give me dates of when one or possibly all of those strategies will be published?

Just because you do not see the work going on does not mean that work is not taking place. That work has been happening, and I outlined in the answer — perhaps the Member had already prepared his supplementary question before he listened to the answer to the first question — and was clear in saying that I will write to Executive colleagues before the end of September.

I also do not accept what he says about the Programme for Government. Although there is no specific reference to the anti-poverty strategy, it is clear that so many of the areas in which we are bringing forward work will be used to tackle poverty. For example, getting good housing for people in Northern Ireland is a way to tackle poverty. Getting more and better jobs for people in Northern Ireland helps us to tackle poverty, as does better educational attainment and, indeed, better health outcomes. All of those will contribute to reducing poverty, and I look forward to being in a position to publish that strategy in the near future. Of course, the Member will understand that it will be subject to Executive referral and approval.

Given the rise in poverty with the cost-of-living crisis, will the Minister commit to prioritising the anti-poverty strategy?

Absolutely, but not just because there is a legal duty on me, as there has been on all of my predecessors since 1998, but because this is an issue that we need to tackle. We need to see real progress on this because too many of our people are out of work and too many of our people live in poverty, and we need to do everything in our power to change that. I am committed to doing that, and I am taking concrete steps to make sure that greater progress has been made on the issue than at any time in the past.

Minister, given the deadline that you have spoken about — we had it in our DFC key deliverables plan for 2024-25 — are any initiatives being discussed to combat rising poverty levels?

Absolutely. We are doing a number of things that help to minimise the risk of people getting into poverty, limit the impact of poverty and help people escape poverty. The strategy will bring those together, add measures and make sure that we have Executive buy-in so that we can do something concrete. I am determined that we will deliver on that.

Can the Minister detail the last time his officials engaged with the expert panel members who helped shape the strategies?

It is important that we have that coordination and that we listen, and it will certainly be my intention to make sure that the strategy is viewed and that we have further time for input on the strategy. The Member will forgive me: I do not have the specific date that he asks for, but I am happy to provide it to him.