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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 qualifying, uncertain or not yet analysed.
I do not want the Member to misunderstand me. I have given you the position as of August 2026. The mandate does not end until next May. That is the period for which we will calculate the final number of starts. I am not saying that the target is out of reach: I still believe that we can reach that target and ensure…
Yes. Not only does Sinn Féin have a brass neck but it has no credibility at all when it comes to housing. We have challenges in Northern Ireland. We have priorities, and social housing has been a priority for me. That is why I put the paper to Executive colleagues and said to them, "We have made a commitment to the…
The Member is absolutely right: it does not meet the need that is there. We have 5,000 social homes under construction right now. South Down is very similar to East Antrim in that regard. I would like to see far more social homes being built in my constituency as well, but we are building what we can with what we…
Up to 31 August 2026, 3,441 of the 5,850 social home starts committed to in the Programme for Government (PFG) have been delivered through the social housing development programme (SHDP). I am focused on delivering the remaining 2,409 homes in this mandate, which will depend on a budget for them being made available.…
I beg to move Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. The regulations are part of the annual uprating package. They increase the lump sum compensation that is payable by the scheme under the Mesothelioma, etc., Act (Northern Ireland) 2008. As with the previous motions, we do this every year. It has the same benefits as the…
I beg to move The uprating of our benefits in line with the consumer price index is something simple that we do every year, so I do not intend to detain the House for too long. We understand what the statutory rules do, why they are necessary, and why it is necessary for us to stay in line with the rest of the UK and…
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank Members for their contributions to today's debate and for the constructive tone in which it has been conducted. I look forward to seeing the Bill progress. We have set a high bar, though. The legislation that the House passed most recently was the Sign Language Bill. After we…
I beg to move Thank you, Mr Speaker. Charities are vital to our communities. They provide essential support, strengthen social bonds and enrich daily life for thousands of people across Northern Ireland. Throughout periods of uncertainty and challenge, the community and voluntary sector has stepped forward…
I hope that that is welcome. I understand the Member's concerns about a genuine 20% reduction. We will use a number of measures to ensure that we have an accurate forecast of the market rent in those areas. Further details on that can be found as part of the policy development process on the Department's website. I am…
Thank you, Mr Speaker. I welcome the opportunity to update Members on the progress of the affordable rent programme. I am pleased to announce that I have made an award of £61·5 million of financial transactions capital (FTC) loan funding to Maple and May. I can also now provide information on the locations where we…
Absolutely. I was involved in the past few days in ensuring that the Housing Executive had the resources that it needed. I also activated the financial assistance scheme to make sure that any additional support that was needed for the voluntary and community sector was provided. I am there to support the front-line…
I absolutely acknowledge the role of the voluntary and community sector. We want to do everything that we can to make sure that that support is in place. We will look at that, as we do after every significant event, and ensure that we can improve on what has gone on in the past. The voluntary and community sector has…
Sorry, but I do not agree that that is the case. We have certainly seen the voluntary and community sector play a significant role over the past number of days and in various crises that we have faced over many years. That is absolutely the case. However, the Member's question does a disservice to the Northern Ireland…
The Member is absolutely right. We have seen outright hostility from Sinn Féin on those issues, and especially from the Chairman of the Committee for Communities and the Deputy Chair. Sinn Féin has shown publicly disregard and hostility towards our marching bands and other musical instruments programme recipients,…
I have been very pleased with the response to the Northern Ireland community infrastructure fund. It was oversubscribed, which tells you a little bit about how much demand is out there in all parts of Northern Ireland for that fund. It is also a positive example of how two Departments can work together to deliver for…
First of all, I am genuinely disappointed that Mr Durkan has jumped on —. Regardless of whether it is "perceived" or not and whether he uses that word or not, he has made a cheap political point. He said that he wanted an end to the Punch and Judy style of politics, and then he jumped straight in on that. That is…
Again, I place on record my thanks to all the staff in the Housing Executive and, indeed, in the community and voluntary sector who have done so much over the past number of days to help those in need. What happened was absolutely horrendous. I have spoken to people who have been affected, including those who have had…
Yes, absolutely. While we understand that people are rightly horrified about what happened in north Belfast last Monday, nothing can excuse the violence and disorder that we witnessed in the days and nights that followed. Everyone has the right to peaceful protest, but, sadly, there are people who are intent on…
Unlike the Member opposite, I will never condone violence. I have always been against violence, and my party has always been against it. Whereas Sinn Féin is opposed to violence — sometimes. It is opposed to intimidation — sometimes. Of course, it believes that, in certain circumstances, there is no alternative to…
It is not nonsense. I was at the Executive, and then I had other appointments in the diary. The Member publicly complained because I did not come to the Committee meeting. He tried to further politicise the situation this morning. I can be very clear that I am against all violence and intimidation, regardless of where…
He has done nothing but politicise the situation since it started. The Member knew that I was going to be at an Executive meeting to update my colleagues and that I would not be able to attend the hastily arranged Committee meeting.