Debate contribution: Dilapidation Bill: Funding Issues
Debate contribution by Mr Andrew Muir on .
- MLA
- Mr Andrew Muir
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 15 June 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Dilapidation Bill: Funding Issues
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5613711
Read the official Assembly record
Text
As I have outlined, the Bill's powers are discretionary. It is really important to have a wider perspective on the matter. Where there are dilapidated buildings in neighbourhoods, towns, villages and cities, that takes them potentially off the rates base and makes it less likely that people will invest in the area. It is in district councils' interests, therefore, that the legislation is used so that buildings can be refurbished and brought back into use and that neighbourhoods are not blighted by dilapidation. We are seeking to give councils those discretionary powers so that they can use them. Obviously, when councils consider the use of those powers, they will consider whether they will get the cost recovery associated with that. The legislation puts additional methods in place to allow them to do that. I thank the AERA Committee for its scrutiny of the Bill and for its engagement with local government. The Bill will be a good piece of legislation for councils to use in order to address the issue of dilapidated buildings across our constituencies, which many Members have raised.
181 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.87).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.87 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 1.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
| Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:50 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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