AQW 26473/22-27

Mr Danny Donnelly
Alliance Party
East Antrim

Tabled Date: 01/05/2025
Answered On Date: 24/06/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities how his Department ensures that timely financial support is available when it is most needed for children and young people with cancer and their families, in light of Young Lives vs Cancer's The Cost of Waiting research, which states that 57 per cent of these patients in Northern Ireland begin facing extra expenses within the first month of diagnosis.

Answer:

Depending on individual circumstances families facing a cancer diagnosis may be able to access a range of support in the social security system.

Where a child or young person has been diagnosed with a terminal condition and has a life expectancy of 12 months or less, access to immediate financial support is provided for in Disability Living Allowance for children or Personal Independence Payment respectively.

My Department’s Make the Call Service can carry out an entitlement check to ensure a person is receiving all the benefits, supports and services available to them. It can be contacted via Freephone number 0800 232 1271 or by emailing makethecall@dfcni.gov.uk.