To ask the Minister for Communities to detail (i) the Housing Executive’s funding bid for £92.45 million for the Supporting People programme in 2026-2027, as per their projected expenditure, broken down by thematic area; (ii) any new pipeline schemes included within the bid, including the (a) thematic area; (b) geographical location; (c) proposed annual cost; (d) anticipated number of service users; and (e) funding sought for each scheme; (iii) whether any assessment has been made of the impact on Supporting People services if funding for 2026-2027 is provided at a level below that sought by the Housing Executive.

A number of these issues are operational matters for Northern Ireland Housing Executive, they have advised me as follows:

“(i) The table below provides a breakdown of the Housing Executive’s 2026-27 Supporting People funding bid by thematic area, together with externally funded programme funding and the balance of discretionary funding. The figures total £92.446m, rounded up to £92.45m.

I can confirm that the Balance of Discretionary Funding (£550k) is a balancing figure comprising:

Recoupments: (£400k)

Strategic Needs Assessment Funding Bid: £500k, to address gaps identified through the Strategic Needs Assessment

Provider Investment Fund Bid: £450k

This results in a net discretionary funding requirement of £550k. The £73k is no longer required.

(ii) “The proposed £1m pipeline provision has been intentionally positioned to align with the findings of the Strategic Needs Assessment (SNA), which is currently being developed and is expected to be published in Autumn 2026 (Q3 2026/27). The SNA will assess current and future housing-related support need and demand across Northern Ireland and will provide an evidence base to inform future service planning and the development of Supporting People services. The outcome of this work will play a key role in shaping decisions on the thematic focus, geographical distribution, scale and resource requirements of future pipeline provision, including the proposed £1m investment.

(iii) While a detailed impact assessment has not been undertaken on a service-by-service basis, consideration has been given at a programme level to the potential implications of funding being provided below that sought by the Housing Executive. The extent and nature of any impact would depend on the level of funding available and a range of factors, including provider capacity, financial resilience and service delivery decisions taken by individual provider organisations. In particular, providers' ability to absorb funding pressures, together with decisions taken by independent provider Boards, may influence whether services are reduced, reconfigured or withdrawn. Consequently, the actual impact and associated costs may vary significantly across providers and service types.”

My Department’s assessment is focused on the need to consider, at programme level, the risks to services and the risk of service withdrawal, to avert loss of services where there is evidence of continuing need. Relevant to this consideration is the Housing Executive’s assessment and advice, including its response set out above.