REPORT REVEALS URBAN SOCIAL DEPRIVATION

RESULTS from a new report show that the most socially disadvantaged areas in Northern Ireland cover urban areas in Belfast and Derry.

The report was launched by the Minister of Finance and Personnel Mark Durkan and shows that the most concentrated levels of deprivation were found in urban areas, particularly in Belfast and Derry Council Districts.

Unveiling the new deprivation indicators the Minister said: “These are very important findings which will now be used to target our resources, in line with the Programme for Government, in areas of greatest need.

“This piece of research will influence and inform policies and programmes across government, and beyond, in the immediate and medium-term future.”

The report, known as the 'Measures of Deprivation in Northern Ireland' was published by the Northern Ireland Statistical Research Agency (NISRA) an agency of the Department of Finance and Personnel.

The research, which was undertaken by a team from the University of Oxford and Queen’s University, Belfast, used information collected by Northern Ireland Government Departments and Agencies to measure social and economic deprivation throughout the region.

Researchers identified seven types of deprivation which can affect people: income; employment; education; health; access to services; housing and social environment. The distribution of each type of deprivation is then examined through a range of indicators such as the numbers of people in receipt of means-tested benefits, unemployed people, adults with low educational qualifications, people receiving prescribed medication, levels of crime and housing in need of repair.

The result is a complex array of measures, which can be used to assess deprivation at various levels, including District Council, electoral ward and at smaller areas of around 150 households.

(AMcE)