To ask the Minister for Communities to detail (i) the number of regular volunteers operating in Northern Ireland; and (ii) the estimated amount these volunteers save the public purse each year.

The most recent NISRA survey data on volunteering shows that approximate 28% of the population aged sixteen and over regularly volunteer. This equates to an estimated 416,948 people aged sixteen or over regularly volunteering.

Estimates of value are based on the number of volunteers, hours of volunteering, the type of volunteering and the national/regional average wage.

Based on an assumption that volunteers offer 2 hours per week of their time and valuing this at the average hourly wage we would estimate the

economic value of volunteering in 2019/20 to be approximately £566million.