Siobhán continues to attend meetings of the Cliff Edge Coalition Working Group which is working to strengthen the existing mitigations package for Northern Ireland.
On 16th April the SDLP held their second Opposition Day Debate including a motion on the two-child limit which is one of the Cliff Edge Coalition’s key asks.
The SDLP’s motion on the two-child limit called for Minister for Communities, Gordon Lyons, to present a plan by the end of 2024 on steps to remove the policy. A DUP amendment removed this and instead called for the Minister to consider the merits of a Better Start Larger Families payment. The introduction of a Better Start Larger Families payment was recommended by the Welfare Mitigations Review’s Independent Advisory Panel in 2022. The motion passed with the DUP’s amendment.
While Cliff Edge welcomed the debate and the focus on the two-child limit the Coalition was disappointed that stronger actions was not taken to remove the two-child limit which is one of the biggest drivers of child poverty in the social security system.
Siobhán contributed to a range of materials for the Opposition Day including a briefing for all MLAs, a press release, social media activity and a statement following the debate.
