Mr. Bill Forbes:

There is constant engagement through the INTERREG VA programme, and the PEACE PLUS, with the community and voluntary sector. We see them as vital to the delivery of the programme, both currently and going forward.

A number of partners from the community and voluntary sector are working with us to deliver services on behalf of the stakeholders through the rigours of SEUPB and the financial constraints of tendering. We envisage full engagement in future with PEACE PLUS. In PEACE PLUS, there must be an emphasis on community and voluntary sector engagement and social prescribing. As part of our programme in PEACE PLUS, there will be full engagement with all sectors of the community to help to deliver on these programmes. It is a very demanding schedule of programmes and with our lack of workforce resources we see them as vital as we move forward into PEACE PLUS. We will recruit these people through workforce optimisation and upskilling the existing workforce so that we can deliver a higher level of service. That is all central to the PEACE PLUS programme.