Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the total amount of multiply funding that has been allocated for Northern Ireland; how that funding has been distributed; and how that funding compares to that previously provided by the European Social Fund.

Over the course of 2023-25, approximately £8.75m of Multiply funding has been allocated to projects in Northern Ireland.

£5.9m was allocated to the Department for the Economy, who are leading a partnership of all eleven NI councils, the three universities, and four of the six further education colleges to deliver a suite of linked activities, including vocational mathematics (linked to traineeships and apprenticeships), maths for speakers of other languages, engaging mature learners, and support that helps children and parents learn numeracy together.

The remainder of the funding is being used by community and voluntary organisations to address numeracy barriers that may prevent the economically inactive people they support from returning to employment.

Comparable data for the European Social Fund is not available.