Debate contribution: Housing and the Programme for Government

Debate contribution by Mr Andy Allen MBE on 17 June 2025.

MLA

Mr Andy Allen MBE

Party at the time

Ulster Unionist Party

Date

17 June 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

Housing and the Programme for Government

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5013569

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I welcome the opportunity to propose the amendment to the Opposition motion and thank them for tabling it. There are a number of aspects to our amendment. Some of it is about stating the factual context of where we are today. It highlights the Minister's stated commitment to tackling homelessness and boosting housing supply. That is similar to what other Communities Ministers have highlighted during their tenures. It acknowledges various initiatives that the Minister has brought forward to date, such as the affordable rent scheme, often known as the intermediate rent offering; the £10 million allocation to the loan to acquire move-on accommodation fund; and the decision to allow the Housing Executive to use its reserves to purchase accommodation for temporary housing. We know only too well the challenges with temporary accommodation and the amount of money being spent on non-standard temporary accommodation and the pressures that that puts not only on budgets but on households. Many individuals and families are living in that non-standard temporary accommodation, which is wholly unsuitable for them and their families. When we place the housing crisis in context, we can simply say that we need to build more homes. That is the true reality and scale of the crisis before us. I have outlined the measures that the Minister has brought forward, and his predecessors have brought forward others, such as working on the development of the housing supply strategy and other such initiatives. However, in the wider context of our housing crisis, those measures on their own are simply not enough. They will not address the housing crisis before us. They will not deliver enough homes for the many people who approach us, day and daily, looking for support to get a secure home. Those people are living in temporary accommodation, they are living in accommodation that is not suitable, and they are living in accommodation that needs significant investment, such as some of our Housing Executive properties. Our amendment also laments the lack of progress. It is perhaps important to contextualise that. It laments the lack of progress on delivering borrowing powers for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. What do I mean when I say that? I mean that the Treasury is not giving this the urgency and priority that it deserves. Since the Minister took up his post, I have heard him state that he wants to implement borrowing powers for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. Indeed, his predecessor, and the Minister who stepped in for a short time to replace his predecessor, brought forward the revitalisation or reclassification of the Housing Executive, and that is nearly five years in the making. We have not made enough progress on that front. I know and appreciate that negotiations have taken place. I have spoken to colleagues who have been part of those negotiations, through talks processes with the Treasury, about how difficult that is, but we must prioritise. It is imperative that the Communities Minister engages with the Finance Minister to bring further pace to those negotiations. Our amendment also highlights the challenges with our existing infrastructure. There is no denying that, with our current infrastructure set-up, there are housing developments that simply cannot be taken forward due to the inability to connect to water or waste water infrastructure. Indeed, I have been contacted by housing associations highlighting the unaffordability or inviability of some schemes due to the cost of simply connecting. Last, but by no means least, and perhaps, crucially, it:

"calls on the Minister for Communities to work with his Executive colleagues to urgently scale up housing delivery,"

That is where we need to be to deliver much-needed housing; we need to scale up housing delivery. It is forecast that we are going to deliver only 1,000 homes in this mandate. Perhaps that will increase, as it did previously, through the monitoring rounds. We have heard from the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations that we need to be building at least 2,200 homes as highlighted in the housing supply strategy. I have said previously in the Chamber, so it will come as no surprise, that I do not believe that even that is enough, but I am a realist and acknowledge that there are budgetary challenges, but we need to be doing all that we can. Housing is one of the most pressing issues that we need to address. It cuts across all Departments. If we can provide good quality secure housing, it will have significant health benefits.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

757 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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