The first anti-poverty strategy has been set out today (June 17) by Communities Minister Gordon Lyons.

Speaking in the NI Assembly, the Minister reiterated his intention to tackling poverty, stating it was "a key priority" as part of his focus on improving lives and transforming communities.

The Minister said: "I am pleased to bring forward a new approach that has secured Executive backing and will deliver real change through joined-up working across government.

"The draft Anti-Poverty Strategy is designed to tackle the root causes of poverty as well as delivering a range of interventions to effectively support those people experiencing poverty and provide pathways out of poverty. "I thank my Executive colleagues who have worked to develop a Strategy which can and will make a difference to people's lives. The Strategy is the culmination of considerable hard work, collaboration and co-design. Ministers and officials across the Executive departments have worked together on the draft in a real spirit of co-operation and collective ownership."

The cross-government strategic delivery model includes a new Anti-Poverty Strategy Board, which will drive forward measures and actions on the ground and monitor delivery against targets over the next ten years.

An extended 14-week consultation process opened today. For more information, visit the Department for Communities website.

The full Assembly statement is also available to view here.