Government needs to 'break the cycle' of child poverty on Island

Committee report accepted by Tynwald in court's final sitting

Government needs to 'be aware' of the attainment gap facing those on free school meals versus their peers and be actively working towards closing it.

That's the core message of the first report from the Select Committee of Tynwald on Poverty into Child Poverty which has been received by Tynwald.

It came included 26 recommendations - largely for the Department of Education, Sport and Culture, and to a lesser extent the Department of Health and Social Care.

Committee member Douglas East MHK Joney Faragher says making changes now for children would help society as a whole:

The near-500-page report's recommendations include:

• ensuring consistent access to affordable early morning meal provision across all schools
• consideration of reinstating free bus travel for all school children
• the development of a national framework for parental engagement, identifying minimum expectations of communication and involvement so that there is consistency across schools
• and - the commission of a review of maintenance grants for non-degree further education courses on-Island

It was met with widespread support in Tynwald but some members, such as Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK Tim Glover, questioned when children here would see tangible action:

The report in full can be found HERE.

Joney Faragher is seeking re-election in September's House of Keys General Election. 

The other candidates standing in Douglas East are Dave Mackey and Andrew Saunders.