To ask the Minister for Communities whether he will develop a community emergency resilience network that can work with agencies to deliver local support during future storms.

The Civil Contingencies Group (Northern Ireland) (CCG (NI)) is the principal strategic civil contingencies preparedness body for the public sector, while the NI Civil Contingencies Framework sets out the NI arrangements for effective emergency management, identifying the processes involved in preparing for, responding to and recovery from an emergency.

The recent experience of Storm Eowyn has again evidenced the value of the Voluntary Community Sector (VCS) input to problem solving, intelligence-based targeting of effort and dynamic response. My officials are currently developing my Departments’ Civil Contingencies Framework. This work will explore the policy direction and action needed to scope any form of community-based emergency resilience recognising that all departments have a duty to engage with VCS organisations relevant to their policy remit.