SDLP Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan
He was speaking at the SDLP Conference on Saturday.
Mr Durkan said the Executive’s failure to mention an anti-poverty strategy in the Programme for Government was startling.
Foyle MLA Mr Durkan said: “Since the return of the Assembly the SDLP Opposition has been doing everything in our power to highlight the challenges facing families living in poverty and presenting routes the Executive could take to alleviate the pressure on them.
“We have dedicated Opposition Days to showcasing measures like removing the two-child benefit cap, alongside proposals to address fuel poverty and ban no-fault evictions.
“In stark contrast the Executive has showed total disregard for dealing with poverty, barely mentioning it in their much celebrated, but shallow as a puddle Programme for Government while being in breach of their legal obligation to introduce an anti-poverty strategy.
“The outcry from stakeholders in the aftermath of the programme shows that they had expected something meaningful from the Executive on an issue that impacts thousands of families.
“The reality is that there are families across the North living in cold homes, without enough to eat, who struggle to clothe their children or put a roof over their heads.
“Addressing these issues should be a basic requirement of any government, but again the Executive is found wanting.
“The SDLP Opposition believes that the least they can do is introduce a strategy before the end of the current Assembly mandate with targets to reduce poverty and improve the lives of people in our communities.”
