Debate contribution: Administrative and Financial Provisions Bill: Second Stage

Debate contribution by Ms Diane Forsythe on 1 July 2025.

MLA

Ms Diane Forsythe

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

1 July 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Administrative and Financial Provisions Bill: Second Stage

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5061873

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Sure. We recognise that there is a need for the Bill, not least to rectify a number of anomalies relating to the absence and location of certain powers that are vital to Departments' decision-making and the delivery of support for public services. There are some 16 provisions in the Bill, with three that relate to the Department of Finance and others that cover a range of issues across a number of Departments, including AERA, Communities, Economy, Education and Infrastructure. We will work through the details of those in Committee, but I will highlight some points and put them on the record. Clause 2 details how the Department for the Economy will be able to provide economic assistance, such as loans. If the Department believes that that provision, along with a power to form limited companies, would be of benefit, we would welcome further clarification of the rationale for the latter. We would particularly welcome an assessment of the implications for the role of Invest NI. Invest NI has made a considerable contribution to economic growth over recent years, and we do not want to see that role being undermined. Clause 5 envisages granting Tourism NI powers to grade or classify tourist amenities, such as museums, tours, art venues, wildlife experiences, gardens and visitor attractions and activities. That is in addition to accommodation. Given the concerns about the regulation of short-stay holiday lets, impacts on local communities and an apparent void in governance and oversight, we have some unease with the suggestion that Tourism NI should be expanded without it first grappling with those live issues. That, hand in hand with the Department for the Economy's accounts receiving a disclaimed opinion and some concerns raised in the statement of internal control in Tourism NI, adds to our concern in that area. Clauses 7 and 9 respectively afford TEO greater powers to integrate asylum seekers and to implement strategies for tackling violence against women and girls. It is right that the proposals are accompanied by strong safeguards so as not to duplicate the role of other Departments or undermine the need for agreement in cross-cutting areas. Moreover, we should not allow ourselves to be put in a situation in which the Executive, through TEO, are offsetting the failure of the Home Office to address the impacts of immigration on communities, both financially and practically. As the chair of the all-party group (APG) on domestic and sexual violence, I welcome clause 9, in which we see the allocation of financial powers under the ending violence against women and girls framework. As with any framework or strategy, it needs to be underpinned with funding. With the devastating news over the weekend, we are now up to 27 women who have been murdered in Northern Ireland since 2020. It is therefore welcome to see powers and funding underpinning that clause. Clause 12 deals with Department for Communities tenancy fraud. The clause will provide the Northern Ireland Housing Executive with the power to undertake tenancy fraud investigations on behalf of registered housing associations and to charge RHAs for that service. It will also provide for a two-way exchange of information between RHAs and the Housing Executive for the purpose of investigating tenancy fraud. As a member of the Public Accounts Committee, I am pleased to see that those proposals stem from recommendations in reports on tenancy fraud in social housing by the Audit Office in 2013 and the Public Accounts Committee in 2014. Those reports recommended establishing a single tenancy fraud team to provide investigative services to the Housing Executive and the housing association sector. The provisions do not create new tenancy fraud offences. Rather, they simply enable the investigation of tenancy fraud to be more consistent across the social housing sector and more complex cases to be fully investigated. Our Minister for Communities, Gordon Lyons, has taken a strong stance in his attempts to reduce fraud, and clause 12 is in line with that stance. Tackling tenancy fraud is vital if we are to ensure that the best value for money is to be achieved from our investment in social housing. If social homes are occupied fraudulently, those in the greatest housing need are not being prioritised. We note in clause 13 that the responsibility for setting councillors' allowances is to be taken away from councils, thus removing the conflicted position of councillors being asked to vote on their own pay, which has led to inequalities across Northern Ireland. Clause 16 will give DAERA the scope to change marine licensing fees, and it is crucial that we see more detail from the Minister on the direction that he proposes to take on that front. Although we agree that Ministers need to have flexibility to ensure that fee structures are sustainable, proper safeguards are needed in order to ensure fairness and accountability. That may not be a matter for this debate, but it should not be overlooked. On clause 17, it has been our stated position that imposing SmartPass replacement fees will generally place scheme users at a disadvantage to their counterparts elsewhere in the United Kingdom and in the Irish Republic. Before setting out to recover the administration costs of delivering the scheme, can the Department for Infrastructure demonstrate that it has made an effort to reduce those costs? Has it reviewed the requirement for senior citizens to apply in person or considered introducing automatic renewals? Given that the personal circumstances of SmartPass holders may change as they get older, it is notable that there is often currently a need to migrate between various categories of pass. Is there not a concern that stand-alone applications will be required to access various discounts, as that will result in additional costs? I have made some points on a number of the clauses, but the Bill is essential in order to progress financial provisions across Northern Ireland's public services. We will continue our scrutiny of the detail as the Bill progresses.

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

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