To ask the Minister for Communities (i) what his Department is doing to address the increasing high street vacancy rates; (ii) what discussions he is having with councils; and (iii) whether he will bring forward a vacancy strategy.

My Department continues to provide significant support to town centres through our ongoing programme of physical regeneration interventions which have been in place for many years. These include Public Realm and Environmental Improvement schemes and the Revitalisation programme which has received additional funds to provide targeted support to traders in the current Covid-19 pandemic. In addition to my Department's work to help address the increasing high street vacancy rates, the Department of Finance has confirmed that, for this financial year, to help minimise the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on our business sector and to help reduce the number of empty properties, the Executive has provided an unprecedented £300M plus in rates support packages for businesses here in the form of a 12 months rates holiday.

My Department engages with councils on a continual basis in relation to physical regeneration schemes and this is particularly evident in the approach taken to deliver the current Covid-19 Revitalisation programme.

Vacancies in town centres and any strategy to address them cuts across many Departments and it is likely that this will be an issue considered by the Executive Office led High Streets Task Force.