Debate contribution: Social Housing: Funding
Debate contribution by Mr Gordon Lyons on .
- MLA
- Mr Gordon Lyons
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 18 November 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Ministerial Statements
- Heading
- Social Housing: Funding
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5244108
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Those are the costs that have been provided as our estimates for building a social home. Many people will be surprised at their cost, which is why I want to make sure that we look at how we can make it cheaper to build social homes. The housing associations need to build those homes to a certain standard. I want to make sure that everything that we build is necessary. We will look at the design guide and at Secured by Design so that we can bring in additional certainty and do everything that we can to bring that cost down. We are also looking at how we can use land, because that is a massive part of the cost of housing overall. We are looking at all the elements of that. Rent is up to the housing associations, but I will take rents into consideration, as well as the return that housing associations get for their properties, when I am determining the housing association grant in future. The Member mentioned the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. I want to see that revitalisation take place, and I am glad that that is now part of the fiscal framework discussions. We need to see that accelerated and delivered, however, because we are losing money every month by not proceeding with it and by not having the powers to invest in our stock and to build new stock.
It absolutely will include housing associations. I am more than happy to bring other voices into that review. The housing associations asked for a review, and I am keen that it is done as soon as possible. I was encouraged by my conversations with them, and I think that they want to move even more quickly on it. It is to their benefit and ours to make sure that it is done as quickly as possible. We will, of course, listen to others who may have something to bring to the table.
The number of new homes that we could start would have been impacted if we had done nothing, because our budget is not increasing in line with the cost of building homes. We either build fewer homes, or we increase the funding that is available. In the absence of that funding being available from the Executive at this time, we are looking to housing associations and the private finance that they can draw on and that we are unable to draw on. I have consulted housing associations; I have had conversations with banks; and I have had conversations with the Housing Executive. We do not believe that this will have a net negative impact; in fact, we believe that it will help us to build more homes, and I hope that the Member will be supportive of that. I thought that the Member was chuntering during my speech, but I think that it turned out to be a sneeze on her part
I hope that it was not negative noises coming from the bottom of the Chamber, and I hope that she is actually in support.
Ultimately, it will be for each housing association to determine and assess the viability of each of the schemes, but reviewing the grant levels will also come with a review on standards, so it is important that we ensure that the ecosystem for housing drives efficiency and innovation. In my conversations, I have been encouraged to hear that we are in a healthy lending environment. Housing associations have the ability to borrow, and that leverages the capital that we can invest in the programme. Hopefully, housing associations will understand that, first, I am providing certainty over a long period and, secondly, I am reviewing the design guides and the standards to see how homes can be built more cheaply, ensuring that we can, therefore, build more homes. That is what I am trying to do, and it is a positive measure. The alternative would mean fewer homes. What I am doing today not only maintains the current trajectory that we are on but will mean that we can build more homes.
684 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.93).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.05 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.06 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.93 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 0.96 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.04 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:52 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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