To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister whether any funding is being provided through the Strategic Framework to End Violence Against Women and Girls to improve lighting of public spaces.

The Strategic Framework to End Violence Against Women and Girls focuses on prevention, early intervention and a wholeofsociety approach to tackling violence against women and girls.

Whilst responsibility for street lighting is for the Department for Infrastructure, EVAWG officials have explored safer spaces by participating in research led by Queen’s University Belfast, working with partners to apply design principles and embed safety considerations into the planning and design of public and built environments. This includes the recent publication of the Ministerial Advisory Group for Architecture and the Built Environment principles document: Ending Violence Against Women and Girls through the Built Environment.

A relevant example of wider Executive investment is The Realm, an Urban Villages Initiative capital project in Derry/Londonderry with a total investment of approximately £6 million, which will deliver enhanced public realm infrastructure, including upgraded street lighting designed to create safer, more accessible public spaces and well-lit travel corridors. The scheme has been developed with consideration of community safety and inclusive design principles, including measures that support improved perceptions of safety for women and girls while encouraging greater use of shared public spaces by all members of the community.