To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister, pursuant to AQW 43430/11-15, for their assessment of the importance of developing a children's budgeting pilot to assess the impacts of financial decisions on child prospects and well-being.

The issue of budgetary analysis has been raised by the UN Committee of the Rights of the Child and it is recognised that clear information on public expenditure on children can help to illustrate the importance which Government attaches to children’s rights, prospects and wellbeing. Experiences in other countries show that bringing clarity to the public expenditure on children’s services bears results and we are fully committed to this.

NICCY and The Atlantic Philanthropies published their “Fund-Mapping: The Investment of Public Resources in the Wellbeing of Children and Young People in Northern Ireland” report, on 15th October 2015. This formed the basis for discussion at their Investing in Children at a time of Austerity: Developments in Children’s Budgeting conference held on the 16 October 2015.

Fund map information is used to aid understanding of how current investments align with key child development outcomes and to maximise opportunities to better coordinate programmes and services different departments and agencies and/or how to improve the commissioning of services.

Following the publication of the report we will consider how best to take this matter forward in the light of budgetary constraints and the forthcoming restructuring of Departments.