IPH responds to Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (NI) Rural anti-poverty/social inclusion framework

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) Rural anti-poverty/social inclusion framework aims to strengthen the social and economic infrastructure of rural areas and highlights five key areas for action, including addressing fuel poverty in rural areas.  IPH have responded to this calling for greater recognition of potential health impacts of the framework and the need for cross-sectoral action to implement it.

Key points from the IPH response:

•    IPH welcomes the approach DARD has taken within this Framework to identify and focus on vulnerable groups in rural areas.
•    IPH suggest the Framework could be strengthened by focusing more on specific outcomes for each of the five key areas.
•    IPH believes more attention should be given to how fuel poverty will be addressed within rural areas.
•    IPH recommends consideration is given to cross-border working as a large geographical section of rural Northern Ireland is situated on the border with the Republic of Ireland.
•    IPH highlights that addressing poverty is not the same as addressing inequality and therefore there should be a greater focus to addressing inequalities within the Framework.

Read the full IPH response here