To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister for an update on funding allocations for the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Change Funds in the absence of an agreed Executive budget.

Mrs Little-Pengelly

With your permission, Mr Speaker, junior Minister Bunting will answer this question.

Ms Bunting

With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 5 and 12 together. I may need slightly more than the allocated two minutes to give a wholesome answer to the Members. Ending violence against women and girls is an Executive priority and a key part of our Programme for Government. Our first two-year delivery plan focused on prevention through community investment, targeted campaigns and strategic collaboration. Our second delivery plan, which launched in April, builds on that momentum, with a continued focus on driving action by sustaining grassroots investments, introducing new campaigns to shift attitudes and expanding partnerships into new sectors. Our change fund has supported over 5,000 events, reaching more than 96,000 participants to date. Awareness campaigns, including Power to Change and Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, are increasing public understanding. Substantial work continues as we deliver our second delivery plan. We continue to work closely with partners, particularly our sectoral groups in workplaces, safer socialising and education, to help bring about the societal change that we all want to see. We know that addressing this long-term issue will require a coordinated whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, but we remain committed to playing our part when it comes to ending violence against women and girls. We are all well aware of the financial pressures that Northern Ireland faces. However, we remain focused on delivery, which is why, this financial year, we have committed over £4 million for communities, working with partners across society to raise awareness on violence against women and girls and to equip everyone to take action to prevent it. That includes the allocation of interim funding to continue the delivery of the regional change fund as well as issuing funding awards to all councils to support community activity under the local change fund, which will allow community organisations to get their grassroots projects up and running. The funding allocation will ensure that our change fund can continue to support regional and local initiatives as well as community-based interventions that contribute to preventing and addressing violence against women and girls.

Ms Hunter

This week, I tried to get a constituent who is a victim of domestic violence a safe space and access to services to keep them safe in a refuge, and that was not possible due to the large number of people who desperately need help. Many community organisations that work tirelessly to help victims of domestic violence say that they are disheartened by the lack of agreement on a Budget and the impact that that is having on victims. Any words of confidence that you can give them today that funding will continue for them would be greatly welcomed.

Ms Bunting

I am grateful to the Member for her question. We understand the seriousness of the issue. The Member will be aware that issues around domestic abuse also factor into the Department of Justice. The deputy First Minister indicated in an earlier answer that letters of offer have gone out. That applies to those engaged in the change fund, regionally and locally. I am sure that the Member and her constituents will take reassurance that those letters of offer have issued, which will enable delivery to be taken forward.

The Member will appreciate that issues relating to refuges are part of a bigger, cross-departmental Executive issue. With regard to services and ending violence against women and girls, however, the Member will have seen the recent Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes campaign, which encourages people to reflect on their relationship and their behaviours and what is healthy. Each campaign advertisement carried a QR code that directed people to specific services to enable them to get the help that they may need. If we can assist the Member with anything else, I ask her to highlight it.

Mr Speaker

We move to topical questions. I call Matthew O'Toole.

Mr O'Toole

Thank you, Mr Speaker. First, I wish to add my sincere condolences to those expressed about Mr Stephen Walker, who was an extraordinary journalist, a very decent and kind man and someone who will be greatly missed in our public life and in politics here. There is universal feeling for him and his family.