Last week members of the All-Party Group on the Voluntary and Community Sector gathered in the Senate Chamber of Parliament Buildings for its March meeting.
The meeting was well attended by a broad range of VCS organisations and MLAs.
It was a busy agenda chaired by APG Chair Diane Forsythe, MLA.
Agenda Items and issues under discussion at the meeting included:
A briefing from Communities Minister Gordon Lyons on a £1500 payment being made to organisations funded through his department's Voluntary and Community and Community Empowerment Divisions. You can read more on that announcement HERE. The Minister also took questions from the floor.
- An update from NICVA CEO Celine McStravick on how NICVA is responding to key challenges facing the sector, particularly with regard to the current budgetary environment and impacts for the sector and those it serves.
Useful discussion followed on how the All-Party Group and its MLA members can help amplify the sectors concerns and key asks across government. A number of next steps were agreed including inviting the Finance Minister to brief the APG at its next meeting in May. In addition it was agreed that the Funders Forum for NI would be invited to join a future meeting.
- Dr Lindsay Cordery-Bruce CEO of Welsh Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) joined the APG online to share the Welsh experience of advocating for core funding for the VCS. Many of the challenges experienced in Wales appear similar to the Northern Ireland context. Lindsay provided updates on some interesting developments including the updated Funding Code of Practice for Wales and alternative funding sources being explored for sector via investment in green energy. It was agreed it would be extremely useful for the APG to maintain links with WCVA and other VCS colleagues from across the UK to share insight and learning and to explore opportunities for collaboration on shared issues in a UK context.
This meeting also saw us welcome new APG MLA member Nicola Broghan, Sinn Féin.
A note of the meeting is attached in this article.
Next All-Party Group Meeting - May 2025
The next meeting of the All-Party Group on the Voluntary and Community Sector is due to take place on Tuesday 27 May 1pm- 2pm in the Senate Room, Parliament Buildings, Stormont
The Minister of Finance John O’Dowd, MLA has been invited to attend.
Details of how to register for this meeting will be available soon.
Full Meeting Schedule for 2025
You can view details of the full schedule of planned APG meetings for 2025 here: https://bit.ly/43K7NK3
You can read about the previous APG meeting held in January here
Join our All-Party Group Mailing List
To receive meeting notices and updates on the work of the All Party Group please contact Kathy Maguire, NICVA at [email protected] to join the APG mailing list.
What is the All Party Group on the Voluntary & Community Sector ?
All Party Groups (APGs) provide a forum by which MLAs and outside organisations and individuals can meet to discuss shared interests in a particular cause or subject. In this case, the wide range of issues facing the Voluntary and Community Sector – from funding through to recognition and collaboration.
The stated purpose of the All Party Group is to :
‘ensure issues affecting voluntary and community organisations are recognised and discussed throughout the workings of the Northern Ireland Assembly, in order to recognise the value of the sector and ensure that the relationship between government and voluntary and community organisations contributes to the wider well-being of people in Northern Ireland and that organisations are enabled to operate to their full potential.’
Chaired by Diane Forsythe MLA with NICVA as Secretariat, this APG provides a platform to advocate for the future role and sustainability of our sector and provide meaningful opportunities to engage directly with local MLAs on a collaborative basis.
The current Office bearers for the APG are as follows:
- Chair: Diane Forsythe MLA
- Vice Chair: Sian Mulholland MLA
- Secretary : Brian Kingston MLA
