AQW 41254/22-27

Mr Nick Mathison
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 24/02/2026
Answered On Date: 27/02/2026
Priority Written: Yes

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education whether he intends to extend the funding provided to the Tiny Life charity, beyond March 2026.

Answer:

The Budgets for 2026-27 or subsequent periods have not yet been formally set by the Executive. However, the Finance Minister has published his proposals in respect of a draft budget for 2026-2029/30 and a consultation exercise is currently underway. Current indications are that the Department will have a resource funding gap of c£0.7bn increasing to over £1 billion in 2028-29.

I am therefore not presently in a position to provide any commitments to funding. Any decision regarding future funding will be considered in the context of my Department’s 2026-27 budget allocation and wider financial pressures.