Politics 'must tackle social problems'
NORTHERN Ireland still has much to learn from the rest of the UK in tackling social problems, secretary of state Owen Paterson has said.
Responding to a report released by the Centre for Social Justice yesterday - which detailed the extent of problems such as drug abuse, poverty, joblessness and mental health – Mr Paterson said it was time for politics here to move forward.
"It highlights that in tackling poverty Northern Ireland has much to learn from Great Britain, but Great Britain can also learn much from the excellent work being done in Northern Ireland," said the MP.
"I have seen a great deal of this at first hand in opposition and now in government.
"The report also reinforces the need to move politics forward in Northern Ireland to focus on the mainstream issues that affect people in their daily lives."
According to the report, society in Northern Ireland is breaking down, with soaring levels of unemployment, family splits, mental illness and addiction.
While the study – Breakthrough Northern Ireland – painted a stark picture of social disintegration, it claimed the decline was reversible.
"The political system in Northern Ireland, primarily concerned with the necessity of delivering political stability, must begin to provide answers to the severe social problems outlined here, with the aim of reversing intergenerational social breakdown," stated the think-tank, which was established by former Conservative leader Ian Duncan Smith.
"Although the hallmarks of conflict remain important factors in social breakdown in Northern Ireland, many people face issues entirely in common with social problems across the UK as a whole."
Key findings the CSJ claimed highlighted the extent of breakdown included the highest level of economic inactivity in the UK; cannabis use up 50 per cent from 2002 to 2006; drug-related deaths up 100-fold in the last 40 years; and the divorce rate more than five times the level of 40 years ago.
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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