To ask the Minister for Communities for an update on any meetings he has held with the Housing Executive on the Task and Finish group set up through Homeless Connect regarding the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol.

I have not held any meetings with the Housing Executive specifically on the work of this group.

The Housing Executive has informed me that while the original proposal was that a Task and Finish Group should be established, it was later agreed that it would instead establish a Homelessness Local Area Group for Belfast City Council area.

The Local Area Group will bring together a range of statutory and voluntary sector representatives from across the homelessness sector and provide a long-term framework through which the Housing Executive will engage on issues relating to homelessness delivery in Belfast.

What I have done is prioritise funding for all homelessness services: record levels of funding for temporary accommodation and the first ever ring-fenced allocation for homelessness prevention. This allocation is maintained in the initial 26/27 budget provided to the NIHE while departmental budgets remain to be agreed. I have invested capital funding and FTC respectively in providing new homelessness services under the New Foundations and LAMA Programmes. In the meantime I have directed officials towards detailed assurances on the NIHE’s delivery of its Out-of-Hours service both when SWEP is in place and when not.