Spatial Deprivation Measures Seminar: Informing Spatial Targeting in Northern Ireland

1. Mainstreaming social inclusion seminar - 26 April 2004Developing measures of spatial deprivation in Northern Ireland Robert Beatty

2. Targeting need • “New Targeting Social Need is about identifying people and areas in greatest need in our society and trying to ensure that government programmes are more effective in helping them.” • Subject - developing measures to inform spatial targeting.

3. Outline of talk • Part 1 – Description of the spatial measures of deprivation currently used in Northern Ireland • Part 2 – Dissemination of the information and examples of application of the measures

4. What is required? • Robust statistical indicators • Relevant to ‘deprivation’ or ‘disadvantage’ • Available for all geographic areas

5. A little history • 1970s – Areas of special social need • 1980s – Areas of relative social need • 1990s – Relative deprivation in Northern Ireland (Robson)

6. Census of Population • 1971 • 1981 • 1991 • Ten-year cycle • Can be using 12 year-old data

7. Using administrative data • Attraction in using administrative data • Low-cost, up-to-date, full coverage • Historical access problems (IT) • Also allocating cases to geographic units

8. Assembly Areas (Parliamentary Constituencies) • (18) • Local Government Districts • (26) • Electoral Wards • (566) • Av. population 3,000 (Old) Administrative geography

9. Size of target areas • Depends on the nature of policy intervention • Major industrial initiative – Local Authority level (Local Area Unit 1 [LAU 1]) • Community based – Ward level (Local Area Unit 2 [LAU 2]) • Most user interest at Ward level

10. Deprivation indicators • As direct as possible a measure of the domain deprivation • Major feature of the deprivation (not experienced by just a few people) • Up-to-date and updateable • Statistically robust • Available and applicable throughout Northern Ireland

11. Using administrative data • Requirement to link administrative data sets to geographic areas • UK system ‘postcodes’ • Operated by Post Office • Every address has a postcode • Postcode covers, on average, 15 households

12. Assembly Areas (Parliamentary Constituencies) • (18) • Local Government Districts • (26) • Electoral Wards • (566) • Unit Postcodes • ( about 40,000) (Old) Geography

13. Research project 2000-2001 • Team from University of Oxford (Mike Noble) • Identify set of indicators • Combine into measures of deprivation • Published summer 2001

14. Domains of deprivation Income Geographical Access Employment Social Environment Health Housing Education Brought together in measure of multiple deprivation

15. Income Deprivation: Indicators • People in households receiving – • Income Support • Income Based Job Seekers Allowance • Family Credit • Disability Working Allowance • (All from DSD, August 1999)

16. Income Deprivation: Measure • Four benefits non-overlapping • System identifies number of people in household of recipient • Simple addition of people in such households • Expressed as percentage of area’s population • Measure is a percentage

17. Education Deprivation: Indicators • GSCE point score • School-leavers not staying-on • 17-20 year-olds not applying to HE • Year 11 & 12 not in grammar school • Absenteeism at secondary level • School-leavers with no qualifications • Adults with no qualifications

18. Education Deprivation: Measure • Person or household can experience more than one indicator • Measure created by combining indicators using factor analysis approach • Data reduction method • “Weighted average approach”

19. Measure of multiple deprivation • Measures on 7 domains • Desire to have a measure of overall, or multiple, deprivation • Common problem – how to give relative importance to domains • Weights subject to agreement

20. Weighting Income Deprivation 25% Employment Deprivation 25% Health & Disability Deprivation 15% Education, Skills & Training 15% Geographical Access 10% Housing Deprivation 5% Social Environment 5% Criteria - Priority Order - Robustness

21. Interpreting multiple deprivation rankings

22. Pockets of Deprivation • Used the geography of the 1991 Census • Census Enumeration Districts • Typical population about 450 people • Identify pockets of deprivation • Income domain and Employment domain

23. Assembly Areas (Parliamentary Constituencies) • (18) • Local Government Districts • (26) • Electoral Wards • (566) • Census EDs • (3729) • Unit Postcodes • (c40,000) – • search only (Old) Geography

24. What information is available? • Each ward scored and ranked on 7 domains of deprivation, plus a multiple measure • Enumeration District scores on the two most important, and robust, domains (pockets of deprivation) • A number of summary statistics at LGD level

25. Use of the measures • Commended for use by all departments for spatial targeting • NISRA recommendation is to use the targeting tool most appropriate for the programme – need not be Noble • Spatial only one aspect of targeting

26. Targeting and monitoring • Noble measures are the preferred tools for targeting • Composite measures not well-suited to monitoring change • For monitoring, use individual indicators • Neighbourhood Statistics system (later)

27. Updating the measures • Published in 2001 • Data refer to mid 1999 • More up-to-date data available now • 2001 Census • New research underway • Publication early 2005

28. In part two …. • Applying the measures • Disseminating the information • Linkages to other statistics • Examples of applications

29. Spatial measures of deprivationPart 2 – Dissemination and application Robert Beatty

30. Information about deprivation • Internet main dissemination tool • Hard copy report • Hard copy User guide • Series of presentations and seminars

31. Neighbourhood Information System (NINIS) • NISRA’s online Geographical Information System • Ward-level statistical information • Includes deprivation outputs • Interactive mapping facility • www.ninis.nisra.gov.uk

32. Neighbourhood Information System (NINIS) • Demonstration

33. Application of the measures- comments • No ‘master list’ of deprived wards • Application appropriate to the policy • Promoting the use of the domains

34. Applications of the measures - examples • International Fund for Ireland • Stamp Duty Relief • PEACE II allocations to LSPs

35. International Fund for Ireland • Non-government body that targets deprivation with an emphasis on labour market • Used multiple deprivation measure and employment deprivation • Historically targeted about one-third of Northern Ireland, using wards

36. International Fund for Ireland • Identified 175 most deprived wards on multiple deprivation measure and similarly on employment deprivation • Wards qualified on either / or basis • Target list of 197 wards • Augmented by small number of deprived EDs in 34 non-designated wards

37. Stamp duty relief • Stamp duty charged on house purchases over £60,000 in UK • UK initiative to encourage deprived areas – no stamp duty up to £150,000 • Applies to 10% worst wards throughout UK • NI wards defined by the measure of multiple deprivation

38. PEACE II allocations • Resources from Priority 3 of the PEACE II Operational Programme • Requirement to allocate resources to 26 Local Strategy Partnerships (LSPs) • Guidelines state that resources should be allocated on the basis of a formula based on “population weighted by deprivation”

39. PEACE II allocations • Allocations to LSPs based on: - • 1/3 - ‘most deprived areas’ • 1/3 - ‘number of deprived people’ • 1/3 - population

40. Most deprived areas • The most deprived 10% of EDs across Northern Ireland used for allocation. • Strabane has 16 EDs among the 10% most deprived, with 3.7% of the population • Use of EDs allows pockets of deprivation to contribute • Measured using a combination of Income and Employment domains

41. Most deprived areas

42. Defining deprived areas

43. Scale of deprivation • ‘Most deprived areas’ approach can be criticised as excluding deprived people outside deprived areas • Scale of deprivation counts all ‘deprived’ people within an LGD - need count data to use this method • Can use income and employment domains • Dungannon has 3.45% of income deprived people in Northern Ireland • Similar exercise for employment deprivation

44. Scale of deprivation - income

45. Population share • Relatively straightforward • Fermanagh has 3.39% of the Northern Ireland population so gets 3.39% of the resources

46. Population shares

47. Example - Lisburn • PEACE II had £74m to distribute • £24.7 m on each of three bases • Deprived areas • Deprived people • (Half using income deprived, half using income deprived) • Population

48. Example - Lisburn • Deprived areas – Lisburn has 5.6 % of population living in the worst EDs in Northern Ireland, so receives £1.38m (5.6% of £24.7m) • Deprived people – Lisburn has 5.4% of income deprived persons, so receives £0.67m (5.4% of £12.35m) • Deprived people – Lisburn has 5.0% of employment deprived persons, so receives £0.62m (5.0% of £12.35m) • Population – Lisburn has 6.58% of NI population, so receives £1.62m (6.58% of £24.7m) • So Lisburn receives £4.3m in total

49. Conclusion • Widespread dissemination of the research • Use of the internet as the main tool • Proactive organisation of seminars • Publication of guidance • Widely used by government and beyond

50. The End