Debate contribution: Budget Allocations 2025-26

Debate contribution by Mr Gordon Lyons on 2 June 2025.

MLA

Mr Gordon Lyons

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

2 June 2025

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Ministerial Statement

Heading

Budget Allocations 2025-26

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4980760

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Good work has been done by my officials and officials in the Department of Finance to ensure that that issue can be progressed. It is important that we see a resolution and that the Treasury confirm what we all believe, which is that the Housing Executive should be treated the same as local authorities — councils — in the rest of the UK. I raise the issue with UK Government Ministers at every opportunity. I will see the Deputy Prime Minister later this week and will raise it with her as well. The First Minister and deputy First Minister raised that issue with the Prime Minister last week, and I will write to him again to ask for movement on it. I am pleased to say that the Housing Executive has not just been sitting around waiting for the approval. Plans are in place so that, once the change has been confirmed, it will be able to start looking at how to deliver those homes. This is not, however, just about building new homes; it is about improving the quality of homes in Northern Ireland. I have been pushing that since the start of my time in office and will continue to do so, because it is critical that we get delivery.

The Member referenced the anti-poverty strategy. That will be published very soon. As I promised in the House, I want to brief those who have been central to the design of the strategy, and that will happen very shortly. We will then be in a position to publish the strategy, and the Member will see some of the actions that will be taken not just by the Department for Communities but across government, because it is not simply down to one Department to solve the issue. Indeed, it is not down just to government to solve the issue: individuals, families and other organisations will play their roles as well. The fuel poverty strategy will also be critical to dealing with the issue, because it is the cost of heating homes that drives so many people into poverty. I am absolutely committed to dealing with that.

I want to see changes brought in to make sure that we have a robust welfare system in which the money goes to those who are actually in need and are entitled to it. One of the best ways to do that is to increase the number of staff working in those areas. I have submitted a bid to Executive colleagues as part of a wider paper so that we can tackle the issue. I am also working with the UK Government to ensure that we can invest more. Additional investment in tackling fraud and error brings a huge return to the Treasury as well, and I would be interested to see how we could share that dividend. That is good news for everybody. It will make sure that money goes to those who need it, with the potential for more money to come back into our pockets, as well as back into the Treasury, so that it can then be directed to those who are in need.

Many of my colleagues in the Chamber have invited me to see the state of community infrastructure in Northern Ireland, be it at a hall or another community organisation's premises. I recognise that there is a deficit, and I am introducing the grant scheme because I know that such facilities are key to the success of so many of our community and voluntary organisations. I am afraid that the Member will have to wait a little longer for more information, but I will announce full details of the scheme on 26 June, including timelines, total funding allocations and what can be expected from it. I hope that the Member will keep that date free.

If they have not received confirmation yet, I hope that they will very shortly. The Member has frequently raised Arts Council issues with me, and I hope that she is encouraged to hear that, having been allocated £9·7 million at the start of the previous financial year, the Arts Council's opening allocation for this year is almost £10·3 million. I hope that, even in the constrained budgetary environment, the Member can see the additional investment that I am trying to put towards the arts. I want the rural small grants programme and the musical instruments fund to be sustainable programmes, because they are making a difference. It is not the same people who get the resource every time. Rather, it is shared around different groups, organisations and bands across all parts of Northern Ireland. I thank those who have taken me to visit some of the individuals who have benefited from the programmes. Other colleagues, including Diane and Phillip, have taken me to see where the money has been used. It is making a difference to people's lives, which is why I will make sure that the programmes continue.

It is hard for me to put a figure on how many jobs will be created, because so many areas of my Department are involved, but the departmental budget demonstrates my commitment to rural areas. The Member can see what I have already done about housing in Northern Ireland, and a significant number of regeneration projects will be in rural areas. I am not someone who focuses only on cities. I am here to serve all parts of Northern Ireland, urban and rural.

I thank the Member for his kind words and can confirm that significant progress has been made in recent weeks. People have been waiting for the development of Queen's Parade for almost 40 years, or perhaps a little longer. I am delighted that we are making progress. There will be a significant announcement tomorrow at 2.30 pm. I pay tribute to the mayor of Ards and North Down Borough Council, Alistair Cathcart, who has worked closely with me in recent days to make sure that we get the project over the line. I look forward to that work starting, because the people of Bangor have been waiting too long. It is time that the development is delivered, and I am delighted that it will be.

1,036 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:40 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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