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.
The Member will be aware of what we were able to do with regard to small settlements during COVID-19 in collaboration with DAERA. I am keen to explore that to see what more we can do. If the Member has specific suggestions about the type of issues that we should work on, I will, of course, be happy to hear from him.
My Department invests considerable resources in delivering a wide range of services to the public throughout Northern Ireland in rural and urban settings. It is delivered through our arm's-length bodies and includes ensuring the availability of good, affordable housing; the delivery of social security, child…
Utter rubbish from the Member. Utter rubbish. He asked me what I have done, and I outlined the list of the things that I have done during my time in office. He is shaking his head: well, it is factual. That is absolutely what I have done. I assure the Member that he is not rattling me. He is making me excited because…
I will tell you what I am doing about it: I am doing things that no Minister has done before. I am bringing in intermediate rent using financial transactions capital, bringing in loans for move-on accommodation and working with housing associations to make sure that we deal with void properties. I have pushed more…
My Department's review of the Executive's People and Place strategy has broadly concluded with the development of a draft strategic framework. That has been informed by the views expressed by stakeholders through a wide-ranging sectoral engagement exercise. The draft strategic framework, which will align with the…
In the next number of days, I will launch a public consultation on the draft fuel poverty strategy to provide a long-term framework to reduce fuel poverty, recognising that it will have positive impacts on mental and physical health, especially for the most vulnerable in our society. The fuel poverty strategy proposes…
The Member is absolutely right, and that is why any new scheme will be considered in the light of what came before and also the success of the scheme that is in place. Let me make this very clear: I want to do everything that I can to make it as easy as possible to live in a warm and safe home. That is why, in the…
On 21 September 2023, owing to budgetary constraints, my Department announced the closure of the boiler replacement scheme. Prior to that decision, the scheme had seen a significant decrease in the number of enquiries and application forms received in the previous two financial years. It was therefore decided to…
The Member says that he knows that, but he spent the opening monologue to his question saying all of that. There has been a bit of a mixed message from him today. I am about promoting Northern Ireland. I want to tell people in the United States who we are, what we have done and what we are about. That is what I will…
I thank the Member because, knowing that I am struggling with my voice, he decided to talk and talk and talk to give me a break. I am very grateful. Let me say this: I did not mention divisions or difference. Those are words that the Member used. This is not about opposition or one side against another. What I am…
In the group, from the Department for Communities, we have officials from culture division and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI); the Executive Office; the Northern Ireland Bureau; the Ulster-Scots Agency; the North/South Ministerial Council; Invest NI; Tourism NI; Tourism Ireland; the US Consulate;…
There are a number of ways in which the Member's constituency will benefit. First, we have been highlighting the people who left these shores to go to the United States and whose descendants ascended to the highest office in the land. In his constituency, he will be aware of Chester A Arthur, whose father was born in…
The most recent meeting of the United States/Northern Ireland cultural working group was hosted by Historic Royal Palaces at Hillsborough Castle yesterday, Monday 25 November. National Museums Northern Ireland was invited to that meeting to update the group on its exhibitions and programming plans for 2025-26 to…
The Member will be aware of the regulations that I am progressing through this place. I think that it was just last week that I took through some of the additional regulations that came about as a result of the 2022 Act. We will introduce longer notice-to-quit periods, as set out in section 11 of the Act, which was…
I do not have timescales at this time. I hope that she recognises that I have limited resources. The staff in the Department are fully focused on this piece of work. It will be a challenge to complete what has already been agreed by the Assembly. However, we are determined to keep going and make sure that we have…
The Member is right to raise the situation in Scotland. Scotland tried to put in place what is, in theory, a no-fault eviction ban, but, in practice, it has been something very different. There are 18 exemptions and grounds on which a landlord can apply for an eviction order. The notice period for an eviction depends…
I understand the concerns that the Member raises, and that is why I am taking forward work with the reforms that were voted on in the Assembly in the Private Tenancies Act 2022. There is a duty on me to bring those into place in the first instance, and they will greatly increase security of tenure for individuals and…
The sample size for the Renters’ Voice survey was low, and it may not be representative of all private rented sector tenants. Having said that, I entirely understand the negative impacts that both the fear of eviction and being evicted can have on individuals and families living in the private rented sector. That is…
The annual cost of a carer's recognition payment, as set out in the independent review of welfare mitigations, would be in the region of £25 million. My officials have been working to update that estimate. I will be in a position soon to share those updated costs with Executive colleagues. Any future mitigation…
I hope to be able to do that in a matter of weeks. The information will be with the Executive, I hope, in the coming hours. It will then be for the Executive to decide what comes next, but I believe that there will be a consensus on that. It will be with Executive colleagues very soon with recommendations that, I…
Yes, absolutely, and I thank the Member for raising the question, because it gives me an opportunity to thank all the carers across Northern Ireland who do fantastic work in caring for others. It is work that would otherwise fall on the public purse to pay for. It takes huge pressure off public resources. I want to…
Depending on individual circumstances, carers may have access to a range of support through the social security system. Carer’s allowance is the main benefit for unpaid carers and provides a measure of financial support to those unable to work full-time because of caring responsibilities. My Department will shortly…
The redevelopment of Newtownards library is a key priority for Libraries NI. I am grateful to Michelle McIlveen for taking me to see it. For a town the size of Newtownards, the library facilities are poor in terms of the available space. I am pleased to confirm that an updated business case has been submitted to the…
I would be more than happy to come to Banbridge to see what the library provides and, importantly, what it cannot provide because of the lack of additional facilities. I assure the Member that I want to see the new build progressed as quickly as possible. I know that that is of concern to the Member — she has raised…
Libraries NI, in line with its long-term estates development strategy, has proposed refreshing and modernising library facilities in Banbridge. As an initial step, with the support of £115,000 of capital funding from my Department, Libraries NI has recently acquired a potential development site from Armagh City,…