AQW 51285/22-27

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 08/09/2026
Answered On Date: 23/09/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities, in light of the findings of Trussell's Pathways to End the Need for Food Banks in Northern Ireland initiative, to detail (i) any steps his Department is taking to support households facing financial hardship, income shocks, housing insecurity and food poverty; and (ii) any financial support options, other than Discretionary Support, that are available or under development to prevent families and individuals from having to rely on food banks.

Answer:

My Department delivers a range of support to households facing financial hardship, income shocks, housing insecurity and food poverty. These include:

£7.7m allocated to the independent advice and debt sector in 2025/26;

£2.2m allocated to the Integrated Advice Partnership Fund between November 2024 to March 2027;

£2.86m allocated to Social Supermarket projects in each Council area in 2025/26;

Continued delivery of the Make the Call service. In 2024/25, 11,486 people were helped to access £63.3m in additional annualised benefits, increasing incomes by an average of £105.95 per person per week;

25 projects currently being funded through the Homelessness Prevention Fund;

£210m invested in new social housing in 2025/26;

£61.5m allocated to deliver the first 300 homes under the Departments Intermediate Rent policy;

Extending the minimum Notice to Quit period from four to eight weeks, with tenants who have lived in their home for more than eight years entitled to up to seven months’ notice; and

Improving home energy efficiency, strengthening energy advice and consumer protections, and reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels through the Warm Healthy Homes Strategy.

Other financial supports available or in development include:

Universal Credit, under which claimants may also be entitled to New Claims Grants, Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans and Budgeting Advance;

The Warm Healthy Homes Fund;

Home Heating Oil Support Scheme; and

Discretionary Housing Payments.

I remain fully committed to delivering the Anti-Poverty Strategy and will bring forward legislative changes to increase the flexibility of the Discretionary Support Scheme, including grants for fuel costs and essential boiler repairs.