AQW 50849/22-27 Written question to the Minister for Communities
To ask the Minister for Communities to detail any support his Department gives to community groups to train volunteers.
Asked by Connie Egan MLA on 3 September 2026
- Answered
- Written
- Tabled
- 3 September 2026
- Answer due by
- 18 September 2026
- Answered
- 14 September 202611 days after tabling
- Department
- Department for Communities
- Priority question
- No
Answer
My Department supports community groups to train volunteers through the Volunteering Infrastructure Support Programme; this funds volunteer support organisations to provide training and development opportunities for volunteers and organisations that engage volunteers.
My Department provided funding of £727,000 in 2025-26 to support volunteer recruitment, training and development within local communities through seven Volunteer Centres across Northern Ireland.
The Department also provides wider support to communities through ‘People and Place: A Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal’; in 2025-26, this supported community activity and volunteering, including 340,842 volunteer hours with an estimated value of £4.3 million.