A human rights organization is suing Northern Ireland's regional government for failing to fulfill a nearly two-decade-old statutory obligation to establish an anti-poverty strategy. Over the years, poverty has intensified, mirroring the enduring political divides in the British-ruled province, even after the commitment was made as part of the peace process. Government data from last year indicates that 19% of Northern Ireland's population lives in relative poverty, slightly below the UK average of 21%.
However, research reveals that areas with Irish nationalist majorities are disproportionately affected by child poverty. In West Belfast, for example, one-third of children are living in poverty.
The Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) initiated legal proceedings last month to request a judicial review against the regional administration for its inaction since the regional assembly resumed activities in February 2024. Daniel Holder, the CAJ director, informed Reuters, We are almost a year on and no draft strategy has gone to the Executive, out for public consultation, and no strategy has been adopted.
The 2006 St Andrew's Agreement modified the law linked to the 1998 Good Friday Peace deal, compelling local politicians to implement a poverty strategy. The legislation stipulates that the strategy must be founded on objective need, prohibiting equal resource allocation between unionist and nationalist communities if there are notable differences in poverty levels.
A Department for Communities (DfC) spokesperson for the province expressed hope to submit a paper to the executive "in the coming weeks." In 2015, Northern Ireland's High Court had previously ruled in response to a CAJ complaint that the executive was unlawfully refraining from adopting an anti-poverty strategy.
The power-sharing government between pro-British unionists and Irish nationalists disintegrated for three years from January 2017, and again from 2022 to 2024. A hearing on the CAJ's case is scheduled for January 31.