All of Mr Gordon Lyons’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not flagged, uncertain or not yet analysed.
Work on that continues. The consultation has closed and come back to Departments to consider. At that stage, it is for Departments to consider what additional measures can be put in place. However, I hope that the Departments will look at their priorities and at the additional measures so that we can make sure that we…
I have already set out my position. I said that I am happy to provide additional information to the House. She rolls her eyes and shakes her head, but I gave a direct answer to her question. I will provide the additional information. She does not need to act like a child when it comes to that issue. I have been clear…
I fully accept that the severe weather emergency protocol is something that the Department follows. It is not a statutory requirement, but I have increased funding for the protocol, because I recognise its importance. I cannot speak to the confusion that the Member references, because I have been told that the…
Scrutiny? There is no scrutiny from that Committee. It is a farce. At every single opportunity, it is a mess. The Committee mentioned a business case 35 times. There is no business case. Do we agree that ring-fenced money should be made available for social housing? I do, but those parties do not.
All that I can say is that there are people in my Department who are paid to watch the Communities Committee. They probably need to be paid to watch it. I received a report of the session, and I watched some of it back. It surprises me that Sinn Féin and the Alliance Party did not take the opportunity to agree that…
Absolutely. It is a peculiar attitude to take to social housing. That attitude was laid bare at the Communities Committee last week. I had presented a very sensible proposal, which was —.
The House will be aware that the Executive agreed targets for social housebuilding in the Programme for Government and the housing supply strategy. Historically, my Department has consistently received insufficient funding from the Department of Finance, and that has meant that we have not been able to meet those…
The Member is right: the issue is about housing supply, which is why it will be part of the housing supply strategy and the action plans. It should be incorporated into that rather than another stand-alone document. I am happy to update her on that when the action plans are agreed by the Executive.
Absolutely. You will see proposals coming forward in the action plans. Work is ongoing with other Departments. We are also conducting research on holiday lets, which are becoming a growing problem, according to some of the anecdotal evidence that we have. We need to do proper research on the issue. That is going on as…
That is certainly the outcome that we all want to see. There seems to be some confusion around that, so if I can provide any clarity and additional information, I am happy to do so. I hope that the Member recognises my commitment to making sure that the protocol is stood up. When I entered office, the budget in…
That is why I wanted to see some support in the three-year Budget, but it is not there. As always, we will look at some of the issues that are brought forward to see how we can help. I am certainly not making promises — we all understand the difficulties around it — but we need to support those who do so much to…
I recognise the concern that many across the community and voluntary sector have expressed. That is why I was surprised by the lack of reference to it in the Finance Minister's Budget. However, I will continue to discuss the issue with Executive colleagues so that we can explore solutions that will prevent some of the…
As the local growth fund will be administered directly by the UK Government, my Department is unable to assess in detail the impact of the potential loss of funding on the community and voluntary sector. Economic inactivity rates remain too high in Northern Ireland, but it is not an issue that my Department or one…
As I said in response to the Member's first question, officials are currently undertaking an analysis of that. We will be more than happy to share that data when we can.
Subject to the consent of the Assembly to the legislative consent motion, the universal credit two-child limit will be removed from April 2026. That represents a significant step in supporting low-income families and reducing child poverty in Northern Ireland. It is a change that I wholeheartedly welcome. Following…
One of the reasons why the Olympic legacy fund was put in place was to ensure that there would be funding streams available to sports clubs so that they could apply. Sport NI has now approved 37 projects across nine different sports and all 11 council areas, totalling £1 million. An additional 39 projects, with a…
If that has come as a Barnett consequential, it has not come through to me. Unfortunately, that is often the case when it comes to the Department for Communities. Throughout the breadth of my portfolio, millions and millions of pounds every year do not make it to the Department, so I would be interested to find out…
The UK Government’s public tennis court refurbishment fund is available only in Great Britain. Therefore, no money from it was allocated to Northern Ireland.
It is a really positive move, because it means that, as so many Members in the Chamber often call for, there will be more money for the arts and culture. Let me go through some of the projects that have been funded. For the National Museums NI project 'The Stories of Us' there was £50,000 to tell the stories of people…
I absolutely welcome that. I welcome working closely with Mr McCrossan on that. John Dunlap, at 10 years of age, left Strabane to go to the United States and made an incredible contribution there. I thank Mr McCrossan and Mr Tom Buchanan for their proposal. I have instructed officials to progress that work at pace. I,…
FlaggedDecided on a second assessment.Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policyCriteria met: Identity framing, Cultural grievance politics.
I say this to Mr O'Toole: get over it, OK? Some people out there are determined to highlight the fact that, yes, it is about the independence of the United States and that, of course, there were differences with Britain at that time. That is OK. We have gotten over that, and he should too. I am trying to highlight the…
The 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to strengthen political, cultural, economic and community links, given the historical connections that exist between Northern Ireland and the United States. I provided £426,000 to a wide range of…
Yes, absolutely. That is why I will go out at night to meet those who are most affected and see for myself the impact that we are having and what, if any, changes can be made. I am more than happy to report to the House on that. Absolutely, we need to ensure that we spend money as wisely as we can. It can go towards…