‘No child should go hungry during school holidays’ - MLA

Omagh-based MLA Nichola Brogan has called for urgent action to tackle child poverty and ensure thousands of children across the North do not go hungry during school holidays.

The West Tyrone Sinn Féin representative has urged fellow Assembly members to support proposed legislation which could provide financial assistance to around 90,000 children from low-income families who currently rely on Free School Meals during term time.

Her call comes amid alarming new research published by Trussell, revealing that almost 200,000 people across Northern Ireland are at risk of needing to use food banks.

The findings paint a deeply concerning picture of the scale of hardship facing households, with one in seven people having been forced to cut back on food in the past three months to afford other essentials, including housing, heating and transport.

Even more shocking, 35 per cent of households with children reported having run out of food and being unable to afford to buy more.

Ms Brogan said the figures highlighted the desperate reality facing many families, with parents skipping meals to ensure their children have enough to eat.

“No family should have to make that choice and no child should experience hunger,” she said.

She warned that the pressures can be particularly acute in rural areas such as West Tyrone, where isolation, limited public transport and the additional costs of travelling to work, accessing services and heating homes place further strain on already stretched household budgets.

With one in three children across the North living in poverty, the MLA said urgent and practical measures were needed to prevent children being disadvantaged because of their family's financial circumstances.

She has thrown her support behind a Private Members' Bill brought forward by her party colleague, Danny Baker, which would introduce financial support for families receiving Free School Meals during school holidays.

The proposed legislation would see payments made directly to parents to help cover the cost of feeding their children outside school term time.

It is estimated that around 90,000 children could benefit.

Describing the proposal as a meaningful intervention for struggling households, Ms Brogan said: “This is a practical and meaningful intervention that would provide a lifeline to thousands of families.

“It is not a complete solution to child poverty, but it is an important piece of the wider puzzle in addressing hardship and ensuring that children are not disadvantaged simply because they come from a low-income household.”

However, with the Bill due to reach its final stage of debate at the Assembly next week, Ms Brogan has expressed concern over reports that the DUP is attempting to put pressure on other unionist MLAs to sign a petition of concern to prevent the legislation progressing.

She said political disagreements must not be allowed to stand in the way of measures that could make a tangible difference to children's lives.

“At a time when families are struggling to afford even the most basic essentials, political games cannot be allowed to stand in the way of measures that could make a real difference to children's lives,” she said.

Ms Brogan has now appealed directly to the public to contact their constituency MLAs and urge them to support the legislation.

“Every child deserves access to nutritious food, regardless of their family's financial circumstances or the time of year,” she said.

“This Bill offers an opportunity to make a real difference to 90,000 children and their families.

“I urge fellow elected representatives to do the right thing and join us by supporting this Bill.”