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I thank the Minister for that answer. It is disappointing that he did not put any direct funding into the Fleadh Cheoil. I welcome the fact that spaces belonging to the Department were made available. However, the business case for next year is being made now and will continue into early 2027. Will the Minister commit…
With your permission, Mr Speaker, I intend to answer questions 4 and 15 together. My Department did not provide any direct funding to the fleadh. However, my officials and several arm's-length bodies (ALBs) of my Department engaged with partners to support and promote the fleadh, and my Department provided important…
Yes, absolutely. I have been working on that and most recently raised it with the other UK sports Ministers when we met in Glasgow in July. It is absolutely right that those pathways are there and that people are aware of them. I give my commitment that I will continue to raise the issue and push for the change that…
As far back as 2013, an independent report into boxing highlighted the inability of people from Northern Ireland to box for the United Kingdom in the Olympics. Will the Minister give the House an assurance and commitment today that he will address that issue before his time in office comes to an end?
I can provide that assurance to the Member. I have no interest in putting together a panel and ensuring that its report is published only for it to sit there and not do what needs to be done, such as highlighting some of the difficult and challenging issues for other people. I give the Member my commitment that the…
Thank you, Minister, for that answer and for your commitment on the subject. Let us not forget that the reason that it came to light was that a boxer was denied a place in the Commonwealth Games because of his religion. Minister, can you confirm that the report will not be shy in shining a light into corners of boxing…
I thank my colleague Phillip Brett for all the work that he has done to put the issue on the public agenda. He has played a significant role in ensuring that the issue was not hidden in the shadows and that anti-Protestantism in boxing will not be allowed to continue. As a result, I announced the panel. Sport NI has…
I am grateful to the Member for raising that issue, because I want the focus to be kept on housing and what we need to do. We have taken steps. That is one of the reasons why we had a 17% increase year-on-year in the number of social homes that are being built. It is not enough — there is still more to do — but we are…
In my council area of Derry City and Strabane, there are over 11,400 people on the waiting list for social housing. That number will continue to grow as the lack of available housing pushes up rents in the private sector, putting them beyond affordability for people and increasing homelessness and hardship. Minister,…
I do not want the Member to misunderstand me. I have given you the position as of August 2026. The mandate does not end until next May. That is the period for which we will calculate the final number of starts. I am not saying that the target is out of reach: I still believe that we can reach that target and ensure…
Minister, I am sure that, like me, you are disappointed that the target of 5,850 social homes has not been met. Has there been a review of your decision to cut the housing association grant that contributes to building those homes? How has that impacted on the ability to provide those homes?
Yes. Not only does Sinn Féin have a brass neck but it has no credibility at all when it comes to housing. We have challenges in Northern Ireland. We have priorities, and social housing has been a priority for me. That is why I put the paper to Executive colleagues and said to them, "We have made a commitment to the…
— that it signed up to the targets at the Executive, yet it has failed to back that up with funding. Minister, are you, like me, disappointed that Sinn Féin cannot back up its actions when it comes to taking such decisions at the Executive?
I thank the Minister for what he is doing. In my constituency of Fermanagh and South Tyrone, applications opened for the first affordable rent homes last month. It is typical of Sinn Féin. Mrs Mason has come to the Chamber today with total hypocrisy, given Sinn Féin's non-delivery. Sinn Féin forgets —
The Member is absolutely right: it does not meet the need that is there. We have 5,000 social homes under construction right now. South Down is very similar to East Antrim in that regard. I would like to see far more social homes being built in my constituency as well, but we are building what we can with what we…
Minister, the latest figures show that there are almost 4,000 people on the housing waiting list in South Down. Frankly, your record of delivering social housing is deeply concerning. Do you agree that delivering just 28 social homes in South Down since taking office is not good enough and represents a failure? How…
Up to 31 August 2026, 3,441 of the 5,850 social home starts committed to in the Programme for Government (PFG) have been delivered through the social housing development programme (SHDP). I am focused on delivering the remaining 2,409 homes in this mandate, which will depend on a budget for them being made available.…
Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. Apologies for any confusion. I will speak as the Alliance Party spokesperson for agriculture, environment and rural affairs and as a member of the AERA Committee. I intend to speak briefly so as to avoid repetition of previous points. At the outset, I, once again, express the…
I am pleased to speak at the Bill's Final Stage, given that it has been a long journey to get here. I remember raising the issue with the then Environment Minister Alex Attwood way back in February 2012. One thing that we learn in politics in Northern Ireland is that patience is not only a virtue but an absolute…
I start by thanking Janice and Glenda and the whole Committee team for everything that they have done on the legislation. Sinn Féin previously raised concerns about the Bill that arose from engagement with the local government sector. Concerns remain that councils may not be adequately equipped with the tools and…
I beg to move I welcome the opportunity to bring the Dilapidation Bill to its Final Stage. People in Northern Ireland deserve to have pride in their area and to see their high streets thriving, with shops, restaurants and a variety of businesses, instead of being blighted by run-down buildings and dilapidation. The…
I thank the Member for his intervention. I can certainly give him that commitment on the point about state aid. It is important. Other EU states have similar schemes in place. I take on board the point that he made about the timescales for some of the decisions to be made. We do not want any unnecessary delays at a…