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First Minister, in the Chamber in February, you said that the place in which to discuss Stormont reform, the removal of the veto and stopping collapse was at the Assembly and Executive Review Committee (AERC). Your counterpart, the deputy First Minister, said exactly the same thing. Why, then, did your parties join…
Yes. That topic comes up frequently. It even came up just last week when we were at the British-Irish Council (BIC) meeting. All jurisdictions talked about it, because everyone is grappling with the same challenges and problems. It is important that we learn lessons from examples of good practice, where they exist.…
I thank the First Minister for her answer. Will she outline whether the Executive have engaged with any other jurisdictions that have such a delivery unit in place to ensure that ours can deliver efficiently and effectively?
Our public services are under severe pressure. Demand for services continues to rise, alongside growing complexity of need. Funding is constrained, and expectations for faster, digitally enabled, citizen-focused services are higher than ever. If we are to meet the needs of all people in our society, we cannot keep…
I thank the Member for her question and acknowledge her interest in the work of the Urban Villages programme and the promotion of good relations that she does more generally. As the Member knows, work on the ground continues, with local communities playing a vital role in shaping the projects and benefiting from their…
I am delighted, as a North Belfast representative, that, at long last, the Westland community has received the resources that it is entitled to and deserves. Will the junior Minister outline what other projects have been added to update the Urban Villages capital programme, please?
Absolutely. I also commend everyone whom you mentioned, because, as I said, working collaboratively and collectively with all the people on the ground is most important. We are happy to chase up for you where the letter of offer is.
This is wonderful news that has been long awaited by the Westland community. Along with my colleague Mr Brett, I pay tribute to Westland Community Group and all who have supported it. I want to mention, in particular, councillors Fred Cobain and Jordan Doran. It is an active community group that is worthy of support.…
Yes, absolutely. Our team will work with Westland Community Group to ensure that collaborative approach, because that is really important. We engage with community groups on the ground, because they are best placed and know exactly what that community needs. I also want to mention that the Urban Villages team will…
I thank the junior Minister for her update. The £1·6 million for the rebuild of Westland Community Centre will be very welcome. I pay tribute to my colleagues who have been to the fore in that campaign. Can the junior Minister confirm that the Executive Office will work closely with the group to ensure that the scheme…
With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 2 and 15 together. We are pleased to confirm that funding of £1·6 million has been allocated for Westland Community Centre in North Belfast. That new facility will provide services that will allow the community to access adult counselling, health and well-being…
I wish to provide Members with a statement on my strategic approach to rating policy over the remainder of the mandate. I am determined to build a progressive rates system based on the principles of fairness and equity and to ensure that it aligns with the Executive's policy objectives, stimulates our economy and…
I thank the Minister for his statement. I welcome any endeavours to provide more homes. The Minister said that, in the past five years, his Department had invested £750 million, which has started 8,341 new social homes. How many of those homes have been built? How many have been occupied? Why, despite his lofty…
Not to sound like the ghost of Christmas past, but, in December 2021, a predecessor of the Minister's stood in the Chamber and also promised a housing supply strategy that would deliver 100,000 homes. We do not seem to be on that trajectory yet. May I ask what, specifically, is different about the Minister's strategy…
I thank the Minister. I am not quite on the "woo-hoo" level of the spectrum, but I welcome the statement. What learning will be taken from the 10 years of shared housing delivery? Will the Minister mainstream the Together: Building a United Community (T:BUC) shared housing community support model across all new public…
Months ago, in the House, I brought an Adjournment debate on second home ownership and the challenges that are faced in the Causeway coast and glens area. I asked whether it would be possible for the Department to increase monitoring of the issue. Has that been done? How can the strategy help those struggling with…
I thank the Minister for his statement today. Does the Minister agree that, when it comes to climate change and net zero, people should come first, before targets, and we should not limit the ability to build warm homes for people in Northern Ireland?
Minister, I have consistently raised with you the impact of second home ownership, particularly in areas such as the north coast. Ultimately, the solution is to build more houses, particularly social and affordable homes, and your statement goes into that. However, as part of the strategy, will the Minister commit to…
Minister, you mentioned the Private Tenancies Act and the limiting of rent increases. Are you taking any further action on private rent freeze and rent caps? What wrap-around services will be provided for the loan-to-acquire scheme? How secure are those tenancies, and how long will people be allowed to stay in that…
Thank you very much. Minister, I welcome your statement. The plan to deliver 100,000 new homes by 2040 is ambitious. There are plenty of buzzwords and phrases in your announcement. I am concerned about this: you are setting out to build 7,000 new homes a year, but are you confident that Northern Ireland Water will…
I welcome the Minister's statement and his vision for housing supply through the strategy. I share the hope of my colleague Joanne Bunting that it will deliver for East Belfast. Does the Minister believe that renewed effort from the housing associations will be key to delivering the outcomes of the strategy?
Santa-like or not regarding the delivery of those houses, the proof of the Christmas pudding will be in the eating. At a meeting last week of the all-party group on youth participation, the issue of young people not being included in the design of homes and social housing projects was raised. Houses are built, and…
I welcome the Minister's statement. I notice that the Minister got Executive approval for collaboration on the strategy. The critical issues are the delivery of planning and waste-water capacity improvements. Therefore, does the Minister recognise that there is huge frustration among housing associations that cannot…