To ask the Minister for Communities whether she will arrange for the reopening of priority shopping schemes for vulnerable people, and in particular for terminally ill patients diagnosed after the closure of the 2020 scheme.

In response to the Covid emergency, my Department and the Department of Health worked to set up registrations for priority online shopping for those who were shielding. While the registration period ended in line with the pause in shielding at the end of June, prioritised slots with the major food retailers continue indefinitely for those who had been registered by this time. Importantly, all of the major retailers have significantly increased their capacity for online delivery in the intervening months and delivery capacity outside of the Christmas period has not been reported to be a major issue.

Alongside the major retailers, there are also numerous delivery options through smaller shops as well as a large variety of independent retailers which now offer home delivery. More information on this can be located through the Consumer Council website at the following link https://www.consumercouncil.org.uk/coronavirus/vulnerable#section-2849

My Department will continue to keep the situation under review; if anyone who is Clinically Extremely Vulnerable is experiencing difficulty with accessing food, either through these routes or through family and friends, they should contact the COVID-19 Community Helpline on Freephone 0808 802 0020, text ACTION to 81025, or email covid19@adviceni.net