To ask the Minister for Communities whether organisations who provide additional bed spaces when the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol is triggered are remunerated for doing so.

This issue is an operational matter for Northern Ireland Housing Executive; they have advised me as follows:

‘Remuneration will vary depending on the nature of any additional bed spaces ranging from additional emergency congregate crash provision, for which additional staffing resources are required, and therefore remuneration is provided, to short-term additional capacity within existing services.

For short-term additional capacity within existing services, the provision of a bed space while a SWEP is implemented has been facilitated on a short-term basis without any additional staffing resource requirement and therefore remuneration has not been required.

The Housing Executive recognises the valuable input of all partner agencies when a SWEP is implemented and upon any additional resourcing requirement being identified, will always work with providers to meet such asks.’