Debate contribution: British-Irish Council: Housing

Debate contribution by Mr Gordon Lyons on 7 October 2024.

MLA

Mr Gordon Lyons

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

7 October 2024

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Ministerial Statements

Heading

British-Irish Council: Housing

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4578844

Read the official Assembly record

Text

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 Executive at the meeting. The report has been endorsed by us both, and she has agreed that I make the statement on our behalf. The British-Irish Council, established in 1999, is a forum for its members to discuss, consult and use best endeavours to reach agreement on cooperation on matters of mutual interest within the competence of its member Administrations. The British-Irish Council housing work sector is led by the Executive. The group has proved to be a constructive forum for facilitating thematic evidence exchange and practical collaboration. The meeting on 20 September focused on the housing work sector's programme of work carried out since 2021 as well as the forward work plan that will cover the period from now until 2026. I chaired the meeting in my role as Minister responsible for housing, and, as I said, the Executive were also represented by junior Minister Reilly. The Government of Ireland were represented by Mr Alan Dillon TD; the Scottish Government by Mr Paul McLennan; the Welsh Government by Jayne Bryant; the Isle of Man Government by Tim Crookall; the Government of Jersey by Sam Mézec; the Government of Guernsey by Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez; and the UK Government by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage. Ministers considered and reflected on the papers that were presented at the ministerial meeting, which included a discussion of the challenges and opportunities of improving housing supply. Much of that reflects the work that I am taking forward in the delivery of a new housing supply strategy that will provide a framework to address the challenges here. Ministers also noted and agreed the content of the forward work plan for the housing work sector, which identified the work sector's areas of focus for the next three years. The areas of focus for the sector that were agreed by Ministers are residential net zero and retrofit; the private rental sector; affordable housing models; attracting private sector investment for housing; and homelessness and temporary accommodation. All member Administrations have demanding targets for achieving net zero and preparing for a switch away from carbon-based fuel sources that are used to heat homes and water. While there are challenges with new builds, there are particular challenges with retrofitting old buildings that were not built for such technologies. The housing work sector will include consideration of more energy-efficient building techniques, new heating technologies, changing resident behaviour and ensuring a just transition. Different approaches have been taken across the islands to ensure that the private rental sector delivers high-quality, secure and affordable homes for tenants. Members will be aware that we are undergoing a process of reform here, as are most other BIC Administrations. We can learn from what is being done elsewhere.

Housing costs form the largest part of most household budgets, and ensuring that costs remain affordable is key to avoiding an increase in poverty. Private rents and house prices continue to rise, and, as a result, there is considerable pressure right across the housing system but in particular on social housing. All Administrations continue to innovate to introduce new models of intermediate housing, and much of that work has been informed by the conversations that have taken place in the BIC's housing work sector. Given the pressures on the conventional sources of investment that are traditionally used for affordable housing, Administrations have sought out more innovative forms of subsidies, such as loans, loan guarantees, long-term private capital loans and developer contributions. Indeed, some Administrations have been very innovative in that area, and others are keen to examine what more they can do in that space. All Administrations are managing the increased use of homelessness services and temporary accommodation. That is partly due to pressures found across the housing market. There is also the increasing complexity of people presenting with mental health and addiction issues who require much support. Collectively, we can continue to learn from various approaches across these islands. Finally, I thank all my ministerial colleagues who participated so productively in the meeting. It has been agreed that the next ministerial meeting for the housing work sector will take place in 2026.

No, that was not mentioned at the meeting, and I do not think that it will be the case that we will receive additional funding for housing. I have, however, made the case to Executive colleagues on the importance of housing. I secured a commitment in the draft Programme for Government that housing is a stand-alone item, and I expect that to be reflected when budgetary conversations take place. I have been able to secure additional funding this year for the social housing development programme, and I hope that I will be successful in securing more.

Over the past number of years, we have seen various changes to the law across the UK and Ireland and in other Administrations on that issue. As the Chair will be aware, I am taking forward some of the issues that were included in the Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022. We have made good progress on some of them already, albeit more is to be done. The private rented sector is an area of concern, and the meeting was another good opportunity for us to share the learning that exists in different Administrations.

Yes, that is an issue that was raised at the meeting. We had a conversation about the approaches that are taken in different areas. The powers in the Private Tenancies Act have lapsed, but, in any case, the independent research commissioned by the Department clearly outlined the potential negative impacts of rent controls. In particular, the research report highlighted the point that a large proportion of landlords may exit the private rental market and that would result in a greater shortage of available private rented properties in an already stretched market. The research report concluded that the best way for us to relieve pressure on affordability for renters is by increasing the housing supply and ensuring that the benefits system properly takes account of the cost of housing.

As the Member will be aware, the housing strategy has been under development for some time. I like to think that a lot of the issues that have been talked about in the British-Irish Council housing work sector are already part of or will form part of the housing supply strategy. I heard what the Member said just a few moments ago, and I recognise the importance of ensuring that we move that forward at pace. Nevertheless, I believe that many of the actions that we can take in terms of housing supply have already been taken. It is worthwhile outlining some of the things that the Department has been able to do since the return of devolution. We have moved forward with the intermediate rent product. We have provided more financial transactions capital for move-on accommodation. We have increased the property value limit for co-ownership. We have continued to provide the Supporting People programme with additional funding. We have secured additional funding for the social development housing programme. I have worked with housing authorities to make sure that we can identify void properties in order for us to take the pressure off homelessness. We have got housing as a stand-alone item in the Programme for Government, and we are bringing forward the housing supply strategy and progressing the issues in the Private Tenancies Act. We are making progress on a lot of issues. The housing supply strategy will ensure that we have collective agreement from other parties so that we can take a whole-Executive approach to dealing with the issues that the Member has raised.

Absolutely. As I said, one of the items in our forward work programme relates to residential net zero and retrofit. In my opinion, given the very challenging climate targets that we have, one of the best things that we can do is invest in energy efficiency measures. We need to make it cheaper for people to heat their home. That is why it is so important that this work sector goes forward with that focus on making sure that we invest so that people can save on their energy bills.

The Member is right to highlight those issues. The issue of homelessness was part of our conversations, as was the importance of investing to prevent homelessness in the first place. That is certainly what I want to do. I want to make sure that we have the funding available to have temporary accommodation where it is needed. More importantly, however, we need to invest earlier and in those challenging cases as well. We need to do everything that we can to make sure that people have a safe, secure and affordable home.

It is a key part of the housing strategy to make sure not just that we have the land and the ability to build on it with the infrastructure but that the planning is as quick and efficient as possible. To that end, in preparing the final draft of the housing supply strategy for the Executive, I have requested meetings with a number of ministerial colleagues. A couple of those colleagues have yet to take up the invitation to meet me, but I hope that that will be forthcoming. I have met the Infrastructure Minister and have raised with him the importance of ensuring that the issues are sorted out. The easiest way to deal with the housing crisis that we face is to make sure that we have the ability to build more homes. If planning is holding that up or if we do not have the waste water connections, that will be difficult, especially in those areas of high demand. That will form part of the housing supply strategy, but, most importantly, we need to make sure that we have an action plan in place from that strategy that means that we see real delivery on those issues for towns such as Enniskillen and others.

There are a number of regulations to be brought forward, and some already have been. The Member will be aware of the work that has already taken place on, for example, smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms and electrical safety checks. Other issues have still to be progressed, but those commitments have been made in legislation, and we will take them forward as soon as is practicable.

I do not remember that being discussed. I will check and come back to the Member. I cannot remember that specifically being addressed during the conversations that we had, which makes me think that it was not. I am certainly happy to provide further information on that and potential dates for the publication of the report that she referred to.

We are nearing the point — I hope very soon — at which I will be able to take it to the Executive. I had hoped to meet two more Executive colleagues on issues that are pertinent to their Departments. I have not heard back from them yet. Regardless, it is important that we press on with the strategy. It will provide a long-term, cross-departmental framework for the actions that are required to increase supply and address the main barriers to supply here. We need to move that forward as quickly as possible, and I hope to do that in the very short term.

Of course, there is a statutory duty on us to provide the services that the Member refers to. I would like to see much less money being spent on temporary accommodation and much more being spent on prevention because that will give us the best benefit in the longer term. That may be better for budgets, but, more importantly, it will be much better for the individuals who are most affected by homelessness. We are in a difficult position with our temporary accommodation needs, and the Member will be aware of that. That was reflected in other jurisdictions in the BIC, and there was conversation on that. If we want to deal with the issue, more than anything else we need to make sure that there is an increased supply of housing across Northern Ireland. That is why I intend to bring forward the housing supply strategy as soon as possible.

First, I am happy to hear from the Member whether he has any independent research that he has commissioned on rent controls that shows something different from the independent research that my Department has commissioned on the subject. I look forward to seeing that from him. The Member is right to raise the issue of empty properties. That has been a concern of mine from before I came into this post. I have engaged in conversations with the Housing Executive and housing associations to make sure that we do everything that we can about void properties in Northern Ireland. However, the Member will be aware, because we have discussed this, of the number of properties that lie empty for the long term and the number of properties that do not seem to have anyone maintaining or looking after them.

I want to see those issues addressed as well, because, as we are all aware, it is very, very expensive to build new homes in Northern Ireland. We should make the most use that we can of the buildings and homes that we already have.

The Member will have already seen my commitment to that through, as she rightly mentioned, the increase in funding that I have provided this year for not only the Supporting People programme but the voluntary and community sector. I want to ensure that we protect those budgets and the organisations that do such good work, including, importantly, preventative work. If we were starting from scratch, we would ensure that we spend far more on the preventative measures than we currently do. I have shown my commitment to ensure that we deal with the issue, and I look forward to our making more progress on that. That is certainly my intention. I want to see that delivered.

First, I am committed to progressing the provisions of the Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, because that is what was passed by the House. Also, of course, it is not always like for like. Scotland has the ban that the Member mentioned, but with a very different framework in some cases. There are so many exemptions to it that, essentially, no-fault evictions still exist. As I said previously, I am open to conversations with colleagues on that. I absolutely want to ensure that we protect tenants. That is why we are driving forward the reforms that we see. I am always happy to review the legislation to ensure that it is fit for purpose.

2,503 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:14 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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