To ask the Minister of Health to detail the reason why the Overarching Winter Preparedness Plan 2025-26 has not resulted in meeting the two hour target on ambulance handovers.

I set out in the published Winter Preparedness Plan, a target to improve ambulance handover and turnaround times and that this requires a collaborative approach between the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and HSC Trusts. I welcome their ongoing partnership working and the development of a regional Ambulance Handover Protocol and reduced ambulance conveyances through increased use of alternative pathways.

The expectation was that waits exceeding two hours should be eradicated by December 2025, and I can confirm that the regional average handover time for January 2026 was 1 hour 58 minutes. However, this improvement needs to be sustained and consistent. I have been clear that while winter preparedness can mitigate winter pressures, it cannot prevent them and the interplay of demand, capacity and flow are symptoms of whole system dynamics.