AQW 8910/16-21

Mr Stewart Dickson
Alliance Party
East Antrim

Tabled Date: 09/12/2016
Answered On Date: 09/01/2017
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy for an update on future funding of Social Enterprise Hubs.

Answer:

The Social Enterprise Hubs pilot project was one of the Signature Programmes taken forward with funding support, to the end of financial year 2015/16, from the Northern Ireland Executive’s Delivering Social Change framework.

Following a positive evaluation of the pilot phase, an extension to funding in the 2016/17 financial year was provided by the Department for Communities and my Department. The contracts for that one year extension are due to end on 31 March 2017. Consideration is currently being given to the potential for future funding beyond that date.