Date Posted:Thu, Oct 30 2003, 13:53:35 GMT Author: Lynn Subject: More kids living in poverty in Ulster
More kids in Ulster living in poverty
30 October 2003
Northern Ireland has more children living in poverty than any other region of the UK, and the average household income here is 22% lower than the UK average.
About 21% of average household income here is derived from social security benefits, compared with 12% in the UK (15% in northern England).
According to the Citizens Advice Bureau, providing necessities such as fuel, light and food costs everyone here more - 26% of average household income compared with a UK average of 20%.
The poorest families spend only half as much on fuel as the better-off, but what they do spend is a much higher proportion of their income.
Similarly, despite the fact that the largest proportion of the income of poorer families goes on food, they actually spend considerably less on food than better off families.
In Northern Ireland, 33% of all households are fuel poor, compared with only 9% in England.
Fuel poverty correlates very closely with low household income: 87% of households in fuel poverty have total incomes of less than £10,000 a year.
The NSPCC claims that one in four families here, and one child in three, lives in poverty.
Department of Social Development statistics reveal that 32% of children live in households that rely totally on benefits.
