Debate contribution: Housing and the Programme for Government

Debate contribution by Mr Gordon Lyons on 17 June 2025.

MLA

Mr Gordon Lyons

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

17 June 2025

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

Housing and the Programme for Government

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5013647

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I begin by sincerely thanking the Opposition for tabling the motion. I am always happy for there to be a focus on the subject. It is important to me and to the people of Northern Ireland. I thank Mr Durkan for his tone today, which has been uncharacteristically conciliatory. I think that he recognises some of the things that we are trying to do. I will address some of the issues on housing that Mr Durkan raised. He said that he has set out a plan for what the SDLP would do: I accept that he has done that. However, to be frank, it is not that different from what we are already doing. He says that we need to look at issues around, for example, temporary accommodation. I have been doing exactly that by purchasing 600 homes using Housing Executive reserves to take the pressure off temporary accommodation. We have been pressing down. I have met housing associations and the Housing Executive about void properties so that we can make sure that we bear down on empty association and Housing Executive homes. We are also working with others. For example, we are working with the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs on dilapidation. That is in addition to the measures that my Department is taking to look at how to reuse buildings that were maybe homes in the past and those that were not. Mr Durkan will also be aware of the announcements that I have made in the paper that I will bring to the Executive plans for how we can best use public-sector land in Northern Ireland. He identified those issues and the need to tackle waste water infrastructure problems in Northern Ireland. To be fair, those are all good ideas, but they are also ideas and plans that we are already taking forward. It is important to acknowledge that. That brings me to the comments by Andy Allen, who proposed a reasonable amendment that outlines the challenges that we face and the problems for the 49,000 households that are affected. In that amendment, he also rightly acknowledges that some steps have been taken. I have done what I can with what I have where I am to address the issues, but more needs to be done. I am more than happy for Members to table motions calling for sufficient funding for new social housing. No one has been a greater advocate of making sure that we have that funding than me, so I am more than happy to have the debates and to make sure that we see progress on Northern Ireland Housing Executive revitalisation and borrowing. Yet again, I tell the House this: I have used every opportunity that I have had to raise the issue with the UK Government. I have raised it with the Deputy Prime Minister. I have encouraged the First Minister and deputy First Minister, who raised it with the Prime Minister. I have raised it with every UK Government Minister whether or not it is their responsibility. I am therefore pleased to confirm what was outlined in the comprehensive spending review this month:

"The UK Government and Northern Ireland Executive have ... agreed to immediately begin negotiations on a full Northern Ireland Executive Fiscal Framework. The scope of negotiations will include Northern Ireland Housing Executive borrowing".

That is the first time that we have had it on record — on paper — that the issue is being taken forward. I am pleased that, for the first time, we have been able to secure complete cross-party consensus on the issue and that the Government have officially confirmed that they will take that on. I wish that that had been done a long time ago. I have made sure that they have been provided with all the relevant information. I have made sure that the Housing Executive is ready to go when the changes are, I hope, confirmed. In summary, we are making progress on that, so the amendment from Mr Allen and his colleagues is entirely reasonable. Kellie Armstrong mentioned monitoring in relation to the housing supply strategy. I will say what I said earlier about the anti-poverty strategy: I have no desire for it to sit on a shelf and do nothing; I want it to be effective. There is agreement in the strategy that new legislation, policies and procurement protocols will be required to underpin that. We will identify where new powers and policies are needed to enable strategic delivery and set out a framework for implementing them. That takes me to a point that a few Members have raised today. I will pick up on comments by Claire Sugden, who stated that we have "siloed government" in Northern Ireland and that nothing gets done. I have plenty of criticisms of the Executive and Executive colleagues at times — I keep those to myself — but, to be fair, on this issue, we have taken a joined-up approach. We have a housing supply strategy that is already making a difference. We see that in how officials work together and operate and in the fact that the Finance Minister allocated to Infrastructure an additional £16·5 million last year so that we could connect 2,300 social homes. Having a document that outlines how we are to work means that we are making progress. I often take criticism on such issues, but, on this one, there has been more joined-up work and a joined-up approach.

I am sorry: I disagree with the Member, and I think that that is a shallow argument. I have already identified one way in which there has been greater working together; on infrastructure, that has been lined up already. The other issue is one that the Member has already raised — Mr Bradley raises it with me frequently — which is second homes on the north coast. That issue was not on the agenda of other Ministers. I worked with the previous Economy Minister, and we are taking forward plans to address that. If she is saying that we do not work together, talk about the issues or get tangible outcomes, I have to disagree with her.

She also asked about tangible activity that we have taken part in. I have listed that in the House many times before. We have had tangible delivery on housing, not only the strategy and the commitment in the Programme for Government. The 600 homes that we are using will save —. The Member is rolling her eyes. The 600 homes that we bought will save —

She says that it is not enough, but those 600 homes will save £75 million on temporary accommodation over the next seven years. It will save £75 million over the next seven years, because we will take that pressure off temporary accommodation. The Member does not think that that is a good idea.

It is an innovative way —

— to deal with the problem. It is just opposition for opposition's sake.

It should be welcomed. What they are saying is that the new innovative plan that we brought forward, which will save £75 million. How many other Ministers are bringing forward plans that will save £75 million? Mr Carroll identified as a problem the fact that too much money is spent on temporary accommodation. What have we done? We are doing something that has not been done in recent years. We are using reserves to buy homes to take the pressure off that. That is a good thing. I want to see more of that.

I am sorry: I am limited in my time. I would give way to the Member, but I have already taken a lengthy intervention. I will, however, come on to Mr Gaston's points. He set out some of the issues, and I agree with him. Waste water infrastructure, in particular, is critical. I want to see action on that and explore all the options. I am more than happy to look at the plan that the Infrastructure Minister brings forward. Mr Gaston raised some other important concerns, particularly around HMOs. Work is being considered on that issue. I take issue with Mr Carroll's point. Yes, I do not have all the resource that I want, but, for the first time, we have dedicated funds for homelessness prevention. It cannot be said that we are not doing anything on the issue when we have allocated more resource. I want to make sure that people do not fall into those issues in the first place.

I am sorry. I have less than a minute left. I would love to take another intervention, and I am always open to doing so, but I do not think that the Speaker will give me any additional time, so I need to move on. I recognise the scale of the problems that we face. I am absolutely committed to making sure that we can deal with them. I am the one who has looked at the new and innovative things that we can do that will make a difference. I will continue to do that and to advocate for more social homes. The housing supply strategy is one example of how we are working better together. Previously, Mr O'Toole said that he was looking forward to the publication of the housing supply strategy. It was published in December. I will finish by offering a copy of that strategy to Mr O'Toole so that he can see some of the progress that we are making. I am happy to sign a copy for him as well.

1,608 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:47 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

Disagree with this assessment?

Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification