Mark Durkan
Foyle · Social Democratic and Labour Party · Northern Ireland
“That review involved an extensive engagement exercise with charities, regulators and funders, aimed at creating a more modern and proportionate regulatory system.”
“When the review was commenced in 2021, many organisations were still in the midst of responding to the pandemic. Since then, they have faced a succession of new and evolving challenges. The ending of European funding programmes, on which so many in our communities relied for decades, has left a significant gap.”
“<BR /> <BR />The broad principles behind the Bill are sensible. The changes will modernise charity regulation, strengthen the Charity Commission's ability to intervene where misconduct or mismanagement occurs, improve information sharing and, importantly, reduce unnecessary red tape, particularly for smaller charities with limited adminis…”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak today. Before turning to the detail of the legislation — there will not even be that much detail in the debate today at Second Stage — I pay tribute to our charity sector. Across every constituency, charities provide support that changes and saves lives every single day.”
“<BR /> <BR />Whilst the SDLP supports legislation that removes unnecessary bureaucracy, we should not kid ourselves that administrative reform alone will secure the future of charities and organisations in the voluntary and community sector.”
“I thank the Minister for giving way. Like other Members, I welcome the fact that we have reached this point. There seems to be consensus among Committee members and, I am sure, all Members that the introduction of these measures will save lives, which begs the question of whether the 10-year delay in introducing the measures had an opposi…”
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“This is a short Bill, as has been stated, and today's debate will be short too. However, the passage of the legislation will not be as swift as the Minister would like, because, as the Chair of the Committee outlined, it would be irresponsible of the Committee to forgo full scrutiny of the Bill. I thank the Chair, who comprehensively covered what the Bill entails and its purported intention to protect owner-occupiers who receive an income-related benefit from the threat of repossession, as well as outlining the Committee's position. <BR /> <BR />The Chair and others have mentioned the fact that, in April 2018, support for mortgage interest changed from a benefit to a loan. I would like to touch on that briefly.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. The statement rightly recognises the good work that has been done in increasing recycling rates, yet it acknowledges that much more must be done on the road to zero waste. Will the strategy consider the merits of creating a single waste authority for Northern Ireland?”
“How can we tell families waiting in desperation that the leadership here has not seen fit to make it a priority? <BR /> <BR />Improving access to housing goes hand in hand with supporting mental well-being for our citizens. It needs to be a priority for this Executive and those hereafter as we emerge from the fog of COVID. We must unite to ensure that Executive strategies are as comprehensive as they need to be and that our institutions remain stable in order to deliver them and much-needed positive change. I ask Members to support the motion.”
“We welcome the Minister's stated commitment to, and vision for, housing. She deserves credit for that vision. We support the removal, which the Minister wants, of the impediments to the Housing Executive's building new homes. The right-to-buy scheme ended just last week for housing associations. We cannot afford to keep haemorrhaging scarce social housing stock. Will the Minister give us a wee update on her work to end the right to buy Housing Executive properties? <BR /> <BR />It is an indelible stain on the Executive's record that the Programme for Government, with a specific housing outcome, is yet to be published. It would have gone a long way to preventing homelessness and would have provided assurances during this precarious period.”
“What work is being done to identify and eradicate abuse of the social housing system, where homes have been allocated but not occupied and, in some instances, even sublet? That practice does exist, and it is far from a victimless crime.”
“Many homeowners are struggling to pay their mortgage. We spent this morning discussing unsustainable increases in the cost of living and the economic carnage of COVID. By helping people to stay in their home, we will keep them off our ever-growing housing lists, and we will save families from the trauma of homelessness. I would like to hear from the Minister whether such a scheme has been considered or looked at and what work is being done to bring empty properties back to life as homes for families and individuals.”
“More than that, the Executive must do more to support the younger generation to get on to the property ladder. <BR /> <BR />Tackling this crisis demands creative thinking. The housing supply strategy and the Private Tenancies Bill will play their part, but drastic action must be taken before housing need spirals even further out of control. People have been waiting long enough, and vague words and promises mean little to those in need of a home. Co-ownership has been supported by the Executive as a means of helping people to afford new homes. We support that, but we think that more work needs to be done to explore which levers at our disposal can be creatively used to increase housing supply and reduce housing stress. <BR /> <BR />Previously, I raised the need for a mortgage support scheme.”
“<BR /> <BR />I am sure that the Private Tenancies Bill will help, in part, to regulate the sector and provide wide-ranging protections, but it is imperative that that legislation is passed swiftly and is backed up with adequate welfare protections, including the now, almost mythical, bedroom tax mitigations and lifting the cap on the local housing allowance in order to reflect rising rental costs. That so many private renters have been forced into the sector in the first place because of insufficient housing stock is testament to the need for an urgent housing supply strategy for the North. Yet, as already outlined, tackling growing levels of housing need goes far beyond just building homes. The focus should be on creating sustainable and affordable tenancies.”
“<BR /> <BR />A Housing Executive report highlighted that private rented sector households in receipt of housing benefit were more at risk of poverty than social tenants — 56% compared with 41% — further underscoring the importance of protections for private renters, including addressing the wider issue of welfare support and identifying the most at-risk households in terms of fuel poverty. In the context of rising living costs, support mechanisms need to be stepped up in the time ahead to prevent poverty. All of this contributes to the loss of accommodation and pushes more and more people into homelessness.”
“<BR /> <BR />That case is far from unique, and the link between poverty and low-income renters is well established. The private rented sector in the North is the fastest growing across these islands, accounting for 19% of all housing here, with many being forced into the sector by a lack of social housing stock. It is important to note that single-parent families who are renting privately are the most at risk of poverty, disproportionately affecting women. They, too, will be more adversely impacted on by the cuts to universal credit, the local housing allowance cap and the economic impact of COVID — for example, working reduced hours or taking time off to care for children.”
“She visited my office between shifts, exhausted and broken by the toll of the past year. Her young children have just about come to grips with their anxieties about their mum's safety at work, yet here she was, pleading for help as a private renter unable to meet rising rent costs. She was left with no option but to leave her home due to affordability issues. The children were split between the homes of family and friends. That young mother had no option but to resort to sofa surfing after long shifts at the hospital. Where is the fairness here? How can I tell that family, who have already been through so much, that they need to be patient, to build up their housing points and to hope and hope again that a property becomes available?”
“Many have already given up hope of finding a home of their own. <BR /> <BR />Housing is yet another example of the deprivation that people here have had to endure. We are witnessing a new generation of children who believe that housing, rather than a basic right for all, is something that has to be fought for, tooth and nail. It is important that we never lose sight of the lives beyond the statistics. I have no doubt that many Members will have lost sleep over harrowing housing cases involving their constituents, particularly in recent months. I know that I have, and we are just listening to it; people are living it. <BR /> <BR />One example that comes to mind is a young, single mother who is a front-line health worker and who worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to care for COVID patients.”
“<BR /> <BR />The housing crisis predates COVID and the Minister. The motion is not an attack on any person or party. It is clear that the crisis has deepened significantly over the past 18 months, as evidenced by the 25% increase in applications. My constituency of Foyle has the highest number of social housing applicants across the North, standing at over 4,500. That represents an increase of over 800 people during the pandemic. Housing is a historical issue here. It remains the case that many families and children are left without a place to call home or find themselves stuck in overcrowded properties that are wholly unsuitable to their needs.”
“<BR /> <BR />At present, there are almost 45,000 individuals and families in housing need, with nearly 31,000 of those determined to be in housing stress. A simple assessment of the situation means that, at the current rate of supply, it would take in excess of 34 years to clear the current waiting list. That wait will be even more profound for applicants with disabilities, considering that just 164 social housing bungalows were built in the past five years, despite over 8,000 applicants awaiting ground-floor accommodation. That is staggering. We cannot place further barriers on people with disabilities, especially when it comes to securing suitable housing that would permit some semblance of independence. The housing system as it stands is denying dignity to people and their families.”
“I propose this SDLP motion on the deepening housing crisis, specifically the numbers of people who have been displaced from an increasingly costly private rented sector onto a shamefully long social housing waiting list, which now has 45,000 applicants. An overhaul of the housing system is required to ensure that every family and individual in the North can access a sustainable, affordable and safe home. Access to a safe and secure home is the foundation on which people build their lives. It is intertwined with health, education, mental well-being and job opportunities. There is not one policy area that housing does not affect. However, the current rate of social housing build is woefully inadequate. It is denying people the basic right to a roof over their head.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer, and, indeed, for her endeavours in cross-departmental working on this issue, which is not solely, if at all, under her remit. It is disappointing that her efforts have not been reciprocated. That is something that we should all bear in mind and try to get enacted. Will the Minister outline the importance to society of getting this done?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I am not sure how closely he was listening. In my introductory remarks, I recognised that rising energy costs are a global issue and an unprecedented challenge that is outside any Administration's control. I am sure that the Member will accept that the Executive can and must do more to tackle this crisis through joint working.”
“— recommended by the Fuel Poverty Coalition.”
“We cannot afford to deny families much-needed support this winter. An emergency energy scheme is needed now. I implore the Executive to consider implementing a cross-sector fuel poverty task force, as —”
“<BR /> <BR />I implore the Communities Minister to work alongside her Executive colleagues to establish a winter energy emergency fund for struggling households in order to mitigate the rising cost of living. I understand that a bid has already been made for a fuel support package, and discussions about it have begun with the Utility Regulator, but we need to see the matter progressed urgently, not held out as a carrot to be taken away at the eleventh hour. Too many opportunities have been lost.”
“I am sorry, Mr Allen. I have limited time. <BR /> <BR />I would like the Economy Minister to explore the potential inclusion of small businesses in any emergency energy proposals. They, too, bore the brunt of the pandemic's economic fallout and have been hit hard by the impact of rising energy costs. Although household energy costs here are, believe it or not, capped, businesses are not afforded any safeguards. We cannot afford to see local businesses that have weathered the storm of COVID being forced to shut up shop as a result of soaring energy prices. Businesses going bust means jobs being lost, thus contributing to the ongoing poverty cycle. We can and must do better than that.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention, and I concur with what he said. <BR /> <BR />The development of any future energy strategy must have net zero emissions targets at its core. While slashing the planet's carbon emissions, we can also slash prices and pass cost savings on to consumers. However, in the here and now, Ministers must work together to establish protections for the most vulnerable this winter. <BR /> <BR />I appreciate that the focus of the motion is limited to assisting low-income households. As Mr O'Dowd said, many more are affected —”
“The forecasted rises will leave hundreds of thousands of people struggling to heat their homes, access hot water and keep the lights on. The rises are completely unsustainable, and they will be the breaking point for so many. <BR /> <BR />I cannot comprehend the fact that, in 2021, MLAs are in the Chamber begging Ministers to take action so that families are not forced to choose between putting food on their table and heating their homes in the run-up to Christmas. Jeekers, Christmas is not even worth thinking about at this stage. We need a long-term strategy from the Economy Minister to address those issues. I ask him to set his sights on incentivising and increasing the use of renewable energies. <BR /> <BR />The development of any future energy strategy must have —”
“People here were already feeling the brunt of Tory austerity, and the removal of the £20 universal credit uplift, which just about allowed families to keep their heads above water in recent months, has left low-income households worse off at their time of greatest need. Those are the same people who will be most adversely impacted by the heavy energy price increases. <BR /> <BR />Customers are still adjusting to the previous hike in gas prices that was announced in October, so it is beyond me how they are expected to meet the cost of a 50% increase in gas prices by December, never mind the 20% increase in electricity prices that is predicted for January. The price of energy continues to rise, and the situation shows no signs of slowing down.”
“This is the only region without a warm home discount scheme, which offers a £140 discount on gas or electricity bills for eligible claimants, and that money is paid directly to suppliers. Fuel poverty experts have described that as a lifeline, but it is a lifeline that households here have been left without. For an area with the lowest disposable income, battling high costs is a recipe for disaster. Households here have now been hit with the double whammy of the end of furlough and the cruel cut to universal credit. The inability of the Executive to mitigate that economic reality serves only to deepen rates of poverty. <BR /> <BR />As the Fuel Poverty Coalition put it, the increases in energy costs, on top of those challenges, will lead to "the 'perfect storm' this winter". I agree with that assessment.”
“According to the latest data from the living costs and food survey, 11% of all weekly household expenditure in the North is on energy. That equates to an average household energy spend of £58 per week, the highest anywhere on these islands, and, of course, we know that many low-income households spend way more than 11% on energy. Therefore, it will come as no surprise that the North has among the highest levels of fuel poverty in all of Europe. <BR /> <BR />Those issues pre-existed the current crisis, yet the efforts to address them have not gone far enough. Instead, citizens here have been set at an even further disadvantage compared with their counterparts elsewhere.”
“In the context of the COVID pandemic and its economic fallout, those are, indeed, unprecedented challenges that are outside any Administration's control. However, the weakened and significantly disadvantaged position in which we find ourselves is not.”
“I support of the motion. I recognise that rising energy costs is a global issue.”
“— to strengthen the government of skills policies. We have been given an opportunity to build back better. That means doing things differently. Let us do it together.”
“<BR /> <BR />Foyle, alongside Newry and Armagh, has among the highest unemployment levels across the UK, standing at more than double the regional average. The removal of the universal credit (UC) uplift and the end of furlough will place upward pressures on those figures. The TUC has shown that the UC cut will impact heavily on low-income workers. That fact does not bode well for citizens here. We know about the pride that comes with coming out of unemployment and the sense of purpose that that brings. It is high time that Derry was given some of that pride back, but that cannot happen in a vacuum. To tackle long-term unemployment and the challenges posed by a post-COVID and post-Brexit society, there needs to be a cross-departmental framework —”
“Sustainable job creation and substantial investment to tackle regional inequalities must form a core part of any ring-fenced skills fund, as well as any future economic policy. Derry has not only suffered decades of underinvestment; the piecemeal approach to university provision beggars belief. That the mover of the motion, and a former Economy Minister, should express her disappointment at 850 undergraduate places being moved from Belfast to Derry's Magee campus instead of Coleraine earlier this year, after almost six decades of us fighting for investment in Magee, confirms what we already knew: regional imbalance has been a political choice. However, we will continue to raise our voices and advocate for our constituents until Derry gets its fair share.”
“I thank the Member for that intervention. I recognise our unique circumstance and the unique advantage that it gives us; it is important that we work around that and see what more we can do with it. <BR /> <BR />I will turn briefly to the matter of regional imbalance, which my party colleague Sinead McLaughlin spoke about at length. I lament the fact that the DUP motion omits that crucial narrative; it is more than just a tired narrative. The historical economic neglect of the north-west, which has now been perpetuated for over a decade by DUP and Sinn Féin leadership, is proven and recognised by the OECD. The Executive must work harder to ensure that the north-west is no longer the poor cousin.”
“The financial and practical benefits of a shift towards clean energies are clear-cut and are the reason that Governments everywhere are investing in renewable industries. New markets in, for example, solar energy and electric vehicles have witnessed massive growth worldwide. There is no reason, therefore, that we cannot invest in those areas, ride the wave of the demand for energy efficiency and be at the forefront of change to the benefit of the planet and the economy; it is, effectively, a win-win scenario.”
“Since 2010, we have developed world-leading management techniques in wind power. As a result, not only did we reach the target to have 40% of our electricity generated from renewable sources ahead of time but we overachieved and hit 47% by 2019. We could be a global leader on renewable energies. Work here has already shown others what can be achieved. <BR /> <BR />Any future skills strategy must invest in educating for the jobs of the future, and special focus must be placed on incentivising and equipping small businesses to seize the opportunities that are presented to them by the green transition. The rapidly growing renewable sector has the potential to create thousands of jobs here, guaranteeing both the improved health of our economy and our environment.”
“This is about setting our sights on long-term and innovative strategies, which will account for the historic problems that are plaguing the economic framework here as well as tackling the impact of COVID on unemployment figures and the outworkings of Tory austerity. In terms of a green economy, it is fitting that today's motion coincides with COP26, which is a pivotal moment upon which not only our direction of travel but everywhere else's will be determined. The ring-fencing of funds towards investment in our workforce and its skills and in the economy of the future is a necessity and offers a chance to make green recovery our primary focus. <BR /> <BR />Rather than sounding the death knell for industry, Northern Ireland should grasp the opportunity firmly with both hands.”
“I support the motion and the amendment. Recovery from the COVID pandemic will shape and inform all policy in the time ahead, as will the impact of climate change. Both have had and will have a profound effect on the local economy and on how we do business. The current climate demands that we do things differently and do them better. As the old adage goes, insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. The system here has failed people, from political instability to the failure of successive DUP Economy Ministers to address obvious regional imbalances in university provision and economic investment in the north-west. <BR /> <BR />The entrenched inequities did not happen overnight, and I am under no illusion that the policies to resolve them will be a quick fix either.”
“I thank the Minister for her action in listening to rural communities on an issue that is of huge importance to them. Earlier this morning, in response to questions on his statement, the Finance Minister made several allegations around parties stretching the truth and playing cynical party politics. Does the Minister agree that the political party behind the distribution of leaflets outside chapels and around rural communities on this issue is engaging not just in petty party politics but in fake news and misleading rural communities?”
“The Minister has accepted and repeated many of the benefits associated with running. I very much welcome her commitment that the Department will work with the organisers to see how it can assist them more. Will the Minister extend that offer to the organisers of the Walled City Marathon and Derry City and Strabane District Council to see how we can get that great event back up and running?”
“If that is not cynical party politics, I do not know what is. Is the Minister saying that the bid was undercooked or unprepared. If so, can he explain why the Communities Minister made the bid? If not, why did he not support it? In terms of putting up —.”
“I have been an MLA for over 10 years, and this is the first time that I have seen a Finance Minister attacking a party for supporting a bid, not from its own Minister but from his party colleague. It would seem that for Minister Murphy and Sinn Féin, attack is still the best form of defence. Over 100,000 households here face into sheer poverty this winter. By submitting the £55 million bid, the Communities Minister dangled a lifeline in front of them, only for it to be cruelly and quietly removed on Friday afternoon.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I am sorry that I do not have the document to which he refers in front of me. He has given the number of planning applications. Along with that, is there a number for the planning approvals?”
“The time will come when we can remove the ugly scaffolding. Sadly, that time is not now. This place is a work in progress. To paraphrase Heaney, we may let the scaffolds fall when we are confident that we have built our wall.”
“The most recent state of paralysis, three years of inaction, served only to frustrate, to deepen our health and housing crises and to inflict more Tory austerity on our citizens. Put simply, it achieved only further suffering in our communities. Our aim is to support the AERC in the exploration of this issue and to contribute to greater cohesion and stability, which the motion seeks. We concur that the mechanisms that were once intended as safeguards, such as the petition of concern, have become tools of abuse, holding parties to ransom rather than facilitating inclusion.”
“Yes, that is First Ministers, plural, as Mr Carroll reminded us that we have two First Ministers in a joint office, which seems to have been lost on some for some time and others more recently — I think it escaped Mr McHugh's attention earlier. The SDLP wants to see a return to that methodology or, as mentioned earlier, at least a review to identify alternatives. We are open to a joint election being endorsed by parallel consent, qualified weighted majority or a two-thirds majority MLA vote. Mrs Kelly pointed out that the SDLP recently expressed that desire at Westminster in an amendment to the so-called NDNA Bill, which was supported by Alliance. As such, it should be supported as an AERC recommendation for British Government legislation. <BR /> <BR />Our amendment acknowledges that there are problems that need to be addressed.”
“Evidently, that does not count or respect people's vote or other parties' mandates in keeping with spirit of one person, one vote. We tabled our amendment to spell out that democratic reality. In supporting the Alliance amendment, we recognise the full picture of the problems that now threaten not only democratic credibility but stability. We accept that direction for change is needed; however, that does not begin with the abandonment of the Good Friday Agreement features before alternatives are agreed. <BR /> <BR />Prior to the St Andrews Agreement, the First Ministers' appointment was to be achieved through parallel consent.”
“No, I think that Alliance in particular is content to play the role of victim and has done so with aplomb, so I congratulate the Member on that. <BR /> <BR />In relation to the SDLP amendment, the civil rights movement challenged one-party rule or misrule that was compounded by a loaded voting system that denied due representation to others. Yet the outworkings of the St Andrews Agreement results in leadership that, arguably, is not truly representative of those in the Chamber, never mind the wider population, and it presents a thread of instability that hangs like the sword of Damocles over not just us but all. <BR /> <BR />We now know that unequal power can be granted to one party, selected by the St Andrews Agreement algorithm, to freeze or even crash institutions.”
“As the Member acknowledged in the amendment to her own motion, work is being done on that by the AERC. It has been accepted and is viewed as needing to be changed. I have accepted it. I stated clearly today that you are right to challenge it, and we need to change it.”
“Flexibilities were deliberately written in, and those solutions were never meant to be permanent. However, while it may be premature to deviate from that framework just now, it is important that we discuss the stability or, rather, the instability of the institutions and strive to improve. <BR /> <BR />Ms Armstrong conveyed her and her party's frustration at being less equal than others in here. I understand her and anyone's desire to challenge and want to change that. However, I saw a wee tweet from Alliance members doing the rounds earlier that suggested that, far from being displeased or dissatisfied about the politics of us-uns and them-uns, they are almost trying to create a new us-uns and them-uns, where all of us-uns are those with any view on the constitutional question, regardless of what that view is.”
“We live in a place, whatever people choose to call it, that has transformed over the last two decades, but that transformation is nowhere near to the extent that it is not recognisable. There is much that remains unchanged. Our institutional arrangements were designed to facilitate peace. They brought our citizens some semblance of stability after decades of bloodshed. As part of a carefully sculpted framework, they recognised the need to incentivise cooperation and accountability. That said, the arrangements were not and, certainly now, are not without imperfection. <BR /> <BR />In the negotiations and publicly during the 1998 referendum campaign, the SDLP recognised that the provisions on designation and cross-community voting should and would be subject to review.”
“Despite the recent investment in Altnagelvin, which the Minister referred to in an earlier answer, its emergency department is not fit for purpose in this day and age. There is not sufficient space to deal with the volume of patients, or an adequate layout to deal with the vulnerability of patients. That is making life even more difficult for the great staff team there. Is the Minister aware of any further plans of the Department to invest more in the Altnagelvin emergency department?”