To ask the Minister of Health to detail the amount (i) spent on actions within the Online Safety Strategy in each year since it commenced; and (ii) budgeted for the Strategy and Action Plan in the next two years.

The Department of Health has sponsorship of the Executive’s ‘Keeping children and young people safe: an Online Safety Strategy for Northern Ireland.’ Although this is an Executive Strategy, no funding from the Executive Office was ever secured. My department has provided direct funding to the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland (SBNI) to support implementation of the Strategy. The funding breakdown is as follows:

2022/23: £130,187

2023/24: £83,494 (plus £16,680 additional spend by SBNI)

2024/25: £101,200 (plus £21,000 additional spend by SBNI)

2025/26: £101,200 (plus £20,304 additional spend by SBNI)

2026/27 (forecast): £101,200

The additional spend by SBNI is covered from within its existing budget allocation. Other government departments are responsible for funding their own actions under the Strategy.