To ask the Minister of Health to detail any steps his Department plans to take to decrease the infant mortality rate.

My Department remains committed to improving outcomes for mothers and babies and to reducing infant mortality rates in Northern Ireland.

Infant mortality is influenced by a range of factors including maternal health, deprivation, smoking during pregnancy, prematurity, and congenital conditions. My Department is taking forward several measures aimed at improving outcomes for newborn babies and their families.

These include continued investment in maternity and neonatal services and ongoing work to improve the quality and safety of maternity care across Northern Ireland. My Department is also progressing the implementation of recommendations arising from independent reviews of maternity services, including the establishment of a new Maternal and Newborn Partnership, to drive improvements and oversee a regional action plan for safer, higher-quality care.

In addition, my Department continues to promote smoking cessation during pregnancy, support vaccination programmes, improve maternal health and wellbeing, and enhance early-intervention and public health measures. These measures are known to contribute to better outcomes for babies. The Public Health Agency (PHA) and HSC Trusts work closely to support women before, during and after pregnancy, particularly those at greater risk of poor outcomes.

My Department monitors perinatal and neonatal outcomes through established surveillance and review processes. HSC Trusts are required to undertake multidisciplinary reviews of stillbirths and neonatal deaths to ensure that learning is identified and applied to service improvement.

Reducing the infant mortality rate remains an important priority. My Department will continue to work with partners across the HSC system to improve maternity and neonatal services, reduce inequalities, and give every child the best possible start in life.