To ask the Minister for Communities to detail (i) any actions he is taking to improve access to social security advice for people with life-limiting conditions and their carers; and (ii) whether he has considered providing additional funding to hospices and other voluntary sector providers to expand their capacity to offer financial and social support services.

My department’s Make the Call Service provides free and confidential needs assessments for individuals to check for entitlement to social security benefits, as well as additional supports and services.

Make the Call has a team of community outreach officers, who conduct home visits with vulnerable people through age, disability, illness, or adverse circumstances to provide face to face assistance and support.

For those nearing the end of life because of illness, there is provision for benefits to be paid without the need for an assessment and claims are fast-tracked for payment.

To ensure that customers with life limiting conditions can access the disability benefits to which they are entitled, the Department works closely with voluntary and community stakeholders. This includes engagement with the Disability Consultative Forum and MacMillan Cancer Support.

My department does not have any funding relationships in place with Hospices.

In terms of other community provision my department provides significant annual funding in the region of £6.6m to the independent advice and debt sector to provide local and regional advice on a range of issues, including advice on benefit entitlements and debt support.

My department also provides direct support through the Neighbourhood Renewal programme to community-based projects working in the most deprived areas in Northern Ireland and delivering a range of support services.