To ask the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety how his Department will be effected by a two thirds reduction in funding for Early Years services which include initiatives to address physical and emotional health of children and their families.

All Executive Ministers are having to make difficult funding decisions in difficult financial circumstances. It would not be appropriate for me to second guess decision-making by the Minister of Education or any other Executive Minister.

In terms of our mutual early years commitments, my Department is working with collaboratively with the Department of Education and three other departments to deliver a range of new early intervention projects under the Early Intervention Transformation Programme (EITP). The EITP is underpinned by a £30 million Fund. The Fund is made up of contributions from the Delivering Social Change Programme, all five participating government departments and private philanthropy. The Programme aims to improve outcomes for children and young people across Northern Ireland by embedding early intervention approaches in a transformative way in services for children and families, including services to address children’s physical and emotional health.