Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what funding has been allocated to help address health inequalities across Northern Ireland.

The operation and funding of the health service in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter.

The UK Government has supported the Executive to invest in Northern Ireland’s public services with a record £19.3bn block grant settlement. In addition, we have provided £235 million through the Public Sector Transformation fund which has been allocated across 12 projects, including two relating to health, namely:

• £61m to the expansion of Multi-Disciplinary Trusts. This project will help stabilise Primary Care, focus on prevention and management of conditions away from hospital settings and better utilise the skills of the community and voluntary sector.

• £42m for E-Pharmacy reforms. This programme will enable electronic prescription transfer and a new digital platform for community pharmacy clinical services, expanding access to care and bringing treatment closer to patients’ homes.