Analysis in progress: 97,639 of 97,778 records assessed (99.9%). Totals and rankings will change until it finishes. Progress details
Mr Gordon Lyons: Assembly records
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.
Of course, it is absolutely the case that the housing supply strategy will look at all tenures, but that is not in any way meant to replace the need for sufficient funding for new-build social homes. We have seen an increase in the funding that had originally been allocated by the Executive at the start of this year,…
As I previously stated, I have been meeting Executive colleagues who have a key strategic remit around housing supply to garner support for full implementation. I have a couple more engagements that I would like to have with other Executive Ministers before this can be concluded, but I am finalising the strategy to…
The Member has highlighted her area, and there are particular challenges there, especially with temporary accommodation. As I have said on every issue since I have come into post, as a result of the constrained budgetary environment that we are operating in, we need to make sure that every pound that we spend goes as…
It is no surprise to anyone in the House that the Member has spoken up for her constituency. As I said to Mr Durkan, schemes can be delivered in any location, and I would like to see them delivered right across Northern Ireland. There will be some constraints placed on our doing that, of course. There will be areas…
It is certainly our intention to make sure that intermediate housing schemes are available across Northern Ireland. Schemes will not be limited to any one particular area. That falls in with what the Department is trying to do, which is to increase shared housing across Northern Ireland.
Intermediate rent funding will be awarded on the basis of whom the highest scoring applicant is. There will be an intensive period of due diligence done on the applicant and the applicant's proposals. Legal arrangements will then be required. As to who will benefit from the scheme, I do not intend or want to limit…
I am grateful to the Member for his question. I begin by welcoming him to this place. It is good to have another former member of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council here. There are quite a few of us, and the Member is very welcome. For me, it is important that we progress with the intermediate rent option as an…
The competition for funding, which closed at the end of August, attracted interest from a range of organisations. My officials are now assessing the applications received. By the end of this year, I expect to be able to make the outcome public and to move on to the next stages and towards awarding funding.
With your permission, Mr Deputy Speaker, and in compliance with section 52 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, I wish to make the following report on the British-Irish Council (BIC) housing work sector ministerial meeting on 20 September. Aisling Reilly MLA, junior Minister in the Executive Office, also represented the…
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I sincerely thank the Member for North Belfast, Miss McAllister, for securing today's Adjournment debate. I appreciate the contributions that have been made. I have listened to them all very carefully and hope to address all the points that have been raised. Let me say at the outset that…
I beg to move Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. This rule primarily makes two technical amendments to the principal regulations — the Occupational Pension Schemes (Collective Money Purchase Schemes) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 — to clarify certain provisions and to ensure that the regulations meet the original…
I beg to move The rule that we are considering today introduces measures to support trustees in sponsoring employees of defined benefit occupational pension schemes to plan and manage their schemes' funding over the longer term. Most defined benefit schemes are closed to either new members or new accruals. That means…
Mr Speaker, with your permission and in compliance with section 52 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, I wish to make a statement regarding the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) Language Body meeting that was held at the NSMC joint secretariat offices on 29 May. The Executive were represented by me, as Minister for…
That is the issue that I was talking about. We need to make sure that the rules are changed with Treasury so that we can see that borrowing against our own stock, not only to improve the properties like the ones that Ms Bunting was talking about but to ensure that we can build more homes. That is exactly what I was…
Those are serious issues, and I encourage the Member to feel free to come to me if she feels that there specific examples that she thinks that I can help her with. In respect of those other, wider issues and what we can do to help, she mentioned the Housing Executive and reiterates why it is important that we ensure…
It is absolutely right that the Member raises that issue. My Department does significant work to tackle the impact of poverty, but that is not good enough any more. We need to tackle the root causes of poverty. There are a number of issues that we have discussed before, and it is about housing, health and education,…
Homelessness is a key priority for me, not only because of the seriousness of the situation but because of how much we currently need to spend at the end, when it is most expensive. We should invest earlier to make sure that we prevent homelessness rather than address it when it arrives. The housing supply strategy is…
I had the opportunity, in recent weeks, to meet a number of UK Government Ministers, Northern Ireland Office officials and others in housing, and I have expressed to them the issues around housing in Northern Ireland. The main issue that I have been progressing with them is the need for Treasury to change its rules…
The Member is right to mention the Ulster-Scots tradition because it goes far beyond a language and is about the culture, history, heritage and tradition that we want to celebrate. It goes beyond our shores. It is not something from here that remained here; there is so much more for us to celebrate throughout the…
I am really impressed by the commitment and dedication shown by the members of the US/NI cultural working group. Excellent work has been done in collaboration with the United States. There has been good collaboration between National Museums NI and the Smithsonian Institution and between the Public Record Office of…
Yes, absolutely, because it will be successful only if it is cross-departmental. Energy has a large role to play in this. Infrastructure will have its role, and Health, in my view, absolutely has a role as well. Not only will it be beneficial for it to be Executive-wide but it is necessary.
Unfortunately, I am not able to give a definitive date on that because it will be subject to Executive approval, but I can reassure the Member that we have progressed with it at pace. As I have said, we have done more on it than has been done for some time, and I am looking forward to being able to share that as soon…
Yes. Although it is right that we celebrate the amazing achievements of our Olympians, it is also appropriate that we set in place all that is necessary so that we can have a real and lasting legacy from those incredible games. We need to make sure that we are directing the proper resources towards those performance…
I am grateful to the Member for the question, and I know that he has an interest in this, with a gold medal winner coming from his constituency. I was delighted to be able to celebrate with Rhys, Jack and others that evening. I am pleased to be able to say that there will be a celebration event for all our athletes,…
It is very disappointing that the Member simply cannot understand what I am saying to him. It is very straightforward and simple. It is very concerning that an MLA, as someone who sits in the House, is unable to process and understand that information and simply parrots the kinds of things that he says. I share the…