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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“That is a sentence that should haunt every one of us in the Chamber. This strategy will not deliver. It is a rehash of what has already been implemented: it is nothing new and nothing ambitious. <BR /> <BR />The largest driver of child poverty on these islands is the two-child limit. Let us call it what it is: a state-sanctioned punishment for larger families. It is a punishment that is felt hardest by single-parent households and especially by women. The impact of the two-child limit in the North is severe and disproportionate due to the prevalence of larger families here. One in every 10 children is affected, and nearly 50,000 children are growing up in families who have been denied support for at least one child because of that cruel cap.”
“with measurable targets, defined accountability and fully costed actions. None of those recommendations was taken on board. The PAC said that old strategies failed because they had no ring-fenced funding, no ownership and no deadlines. In other words, they failed because the leadership parties failed to prioritise them. <BR /> <BR />If data alone does not motivate us, let the human stories do so. One parent said simply:”
“Young people are unable to find a home because of sky-high rents and a lack of social housing. It is shameful that, in 2025, in this corner of the world, in the sixth-largest economy in the world, we have normalised the struggle to survive. <BR /> <BR />The Children's Commissioner has warned that the current draft strategy is not fit for purpose. It has abandoned a life-cycle approach and has lost focus on children altogether. The Audit Office was crystal clear in its report:”
“We were told that one strategy could cover both areas, provided that child poverty was placed front and centre. Yet here we are, five years later, and what do we have? A draft anti-poverty strategy, backed by the Executive, that is toothless and targetless. It has no budget, no timeline and no new policies. It is not a road map; it is a press release. <BR /> <BR />Let us not forget that the strategy did not come out of leadership and certainly did not come out of compassion. It appeared because the courts forced the Executive's hand. The Executive were found to be in breach of their legal duty to produce an anti-poverty strategy. <BR /> <BR />Our constituents tell us the same thing: they feel the impact of poverty every single day. Families are stretched to breaking point. Parents are going without food so that their children can eat.”
“The new shoes have not materialised, and some do not know when the next hot, nutritious meal will appear either. <BR /> <BR />One in three children grows up here in food insecurity; one in five children lives in relative poverty, and one in four lives in absolute poverty. Those statistics have been cited repeatedly in the Chamber, but have failed to provoke the level of shame, never mind the level of action, that they deserve. <BR /> <BR />I have persistently raised the plight of children who live in temporary or emergency accommodation. In 2025, children across the North are living without the basic dignity and security that every child deserves. The Assembly made a promise in the New Decade, New Approach agreement back in 2020, to produce an anti-poverty strategy and a child poverty strategy.”
“Poverty: the word itself is stigmatised. We other it. It is an issue that affects other eras, other places and other families, but poverty means not being able to afford the basics: food, heating and housing. Child poverty is no longer distant or abstract; it is on our doorstep. It is a lived reality, which steals the innocence of childhood across the North. There was a time, not so long ago, when Christmas appeals were for children in far-off and war-torn countries. Now, those same appeals are for children who live in our communities. <BR /> <BR />They are the children of the nurse who tended our loved ones or the shopworker who stocks the shelves that we all depend on. They are the families now struggling to tell their children that Santa will not be coming this year, but, sure, the tooth fairy stopped coming long ago.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. There has been commentary — in fairness, not by the Member, yet — by unionist politicians, including party colleagues of his that demonstrates that it is not just Irish language signage that the DUP is opposed to. A few years ago, I put a proposal to the then Infrastructure Minister about changing the name on road signage from Londonderry to Londonderry/Derry in a bid to incorporate both names. It was received with opposition from his party.”
“<BR /> <BR />While I have been lamenting the lack of legislation, I have not even started on the quality of the legislation that we eventually get. Today's very underwhelming School Uniforms (Guidelines and Allowances) Bill is a classic case in point: all mouth and no trousers — quite literally, in some instances. I would expect better from my children. Our expectations of the Executive were certainly not high, but we are still disappointed. Is this the best that you can do? Is this the best that people can expect?”
“On pensions, we get another parity Bill. More reaction, no transformation. What happened to the promises of new gambling legislation, the reform of private rent, the implementation of the welfare mitigations advisory panel recommendations or the full suite of promises made under the perennially delayed fundamental review of social housing allocations? <BR /> <BR />This is what passes for ambition from a Minister and an Executive that should be leading the fight against poverty, not simply ticking boxes. What we have before us today will not change lives. It will not lift families out of poverty, build homes or restore confidence in public services. This reads a bit like late homework thrown together at the last minute in a half-hearted attempt to submit something.”
“Where is the reform of the private rented sector or the Housing Executive's ability to borrow and build? Assurances were made in the previous mandate that they would be a day 1 priority for the incoming Executive. <BR /> <BR />The North remains the only region in the UK — we discussed this last week — without a statutory fuel poverty target: another promise seemingly quietly dropped. Then, there is welfare. The debt respite scheme is welcome, but it is a carbon copy of that which was introduced in England four years ago. It is a catch-up measure, not a policy breakthrough, but it is typical of the copy-and-paste approach of much of this legislative programme. <BR /> <BR />Meanwhile, there is still no plan to mitigate the two-child limit or to tackle food insecurity, child poverty or the widening gaps in universal credit.”
“Instead, it is flatlining under the weight of broken promises. <BR /> <BR />Let us take housing. The only proposal here is a proposal to address antisocial behaviour. Seriously? That is, sadly, necessary, but it is really surface-level stuff. The fundamental review of social housing promised major systemic reform — making the system fairer, better use of housing stock, a focus on homeless prevention — none of which we see here and none of which we will see for the rest of the mandate. There is nothing on tackling the hundreds of millions being spent on emergency housing, addressing empty homes or making use of publicly owned land. There is nothing that will actually address the 50,000 people- or household-long waiting list, and it is growing.”
“The Member, in part, pre-empted my point: where is the legislation, albeit it may be required from Westminster, or where is the will to prevent parties from pulling down these institutions on a whim again, trying to punish each other but ending up punishing everyone? <BR /> <BR />Looking specifically at the Communities brief in my capacity as Opposition spokesperson, it is deeply disappointing that the programme does not even begin to scratch the surface. It is far removed from what was promised under the Programme for Government and by previous Ministers. This is a Department at the heart of social justice, the Department that touches every household: housing, welfare, culture, sport, the community sector, local government and more. It should be the beating heart of social change.”
“I would say that this legislative programme is as weak as water, but that would probably give it too much credit. What happened to "Doing What Matters Most" and making government work? It is almost symbolic that this publication has landed after the deadline, typical of the delay and dysfunction that has become a hallmark of this Executive. What we have heard so far from contributors from Executive parties is how brilliantly their Ministers are doing and how badly all the other Ministers are doing, but they will all still vote for it. Other Members have lamented the truncated terms that we have had inflicted on us as MLAs and that some parties here have inflicted on the public of the North or Northern Ireland over the past decade.”
“Will the Member tell me what Minister Muir has delivered on an independent environmental protection agency that had not previously been done or delivered?”
“I also express solidarity with the Minister. <BR /> <BR />Parts of Derry city centre at times now resemble the Wild West, with groups of vulnerable individuals drinking and engaging in antisocial behaviour. It is not only putting them at risk; it is impacting negatively on locals, tourists and the local economy. Police have lamented the lack of legislation that would permit them to confiscate alcohol from adults and believe that that would be a game changer in tackling the issue. Will the Minister update us on the work that she and her Department are doing with others to close that legislative loophole?”
“We must challenge the culture that allows and, sometimes, even encourages such behaviour to fester. We must ensure that voices of peace always shout louder than those of hatred. The Assembly must be a place of civil discourse even when our differences are huge. We owe that to one another, but, more importantly, we owe it to the people whom we represent.”
“<BR /> <BR />We in the SDLP have always stood against violence and threats, and we stand firmly with our colleagues from different parties and their families. I call on everyone here and on every leader in our communities to stand united not only in condemnation but in action.”
“Let me be clear: there is no place in our society, or in any democratic society, for threats, intimidation or harassment, especially against those who stand up and step forward to serve the public, and there never was. We may sit on different Benches and stand for different things, and we may disagree, often passionately, on direction, policy and approach, but there is and must always be one fundamental truth: violence and threats are not tools of political expression. They are tools of fear, division and destruction. Minister Long has shown strength, courage and dedication in her role. The recent intimidation of her at her family home and the recent intimidation of Minister Kimmins and her colleagues at their office are attacks not just on those people as individuals or on their political parties but on democracy itself.”
“<BR /> <BR />As the Opposition, we are not here simply to oppose things or to be negative, as we were accused of being yesterday; we are here to offer solutions and to support the Executive to do better for the people we all represent. Every cold home, every child living in damp conditions and every pensioner who is afraid to turn on the heating represents a direct failure of policy and delivery. Let us change that and make warmth a right, not a privilege.”
“I have no confidence that any target set by this Executive on anything will be met. Do I believe that it could be met with the proper ambition and investment and the correct attitude? I absolutely do. We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. <BR /> <BR />We support calls for a just transition, one that ensures that low-income families are not left behind as we decarbonise. That means introducing a statutory fuel poverty target, such as those that exist elsewhere in the UK; a social energy tariff, so that those on low incomes automatically pay less for essential energy; and proper funding for retrofitting programmes. We cannot remain the only part of these islands without a statutory commitment to end fuel poverty.”
“The ideas contained in the SDLP amendment are not exactly brand new; they are in our housing report, which was launched in February. The SDLP has long championed the green new deal approach: a comprehensive, low-carbon energy strategy that includes retrofitting, renewable integration and energy efficiency as central pillars. It is crucial that we have targets, timelines and accountability. Therefore, we will not support the two mutually exclusive amendments. Our focus — I am not saying that it is not other parties' focus — is steadfastly on solutions that deliver. We support calls for a just transition —”
“<BR /> <BR />I turn to the Opposition amendment that was tabled on Wednesday, prior to the Communities Committee meeting; it is always refreshing to discover that the experts are on the same page as the SDLP.”
“The scheme was designed to boost efficiency, yet underinvestment means that it has supported only 203 homes in four years, none of which are in Derry and Strabane — I point that out to the Minister — the area with the highest reports of damp and deprivation. <BR /> <BR />I hear from social housing tenants that their long-delayed and long-awaited switch from oil to gas did not include the installation of a combi boiler, so they still have to heat water separately, at greater cost to them and to the environment. If we are serious about energy efficiency, we must be serious about value for money and outcomes, not just ticking boxes on paper.”
“The affordable warmth scheme, which should be our front-line defence against fuel poverty, remains underfunded and overwhelmed. In 2023-24, the scheme received over 11,500 applications, just 24% of which ended up receiving support, despite millions of pounds in Barnett consequentials flowing from Whitehall's £3·2 billion warm homes plan. Why is that money not being ring-fenced by the Executive? <BR /> <BR />We need investment in our older stock of social housing, not just new builds; we need to fix what we already have. The cavity wall action plan launched in 2019 found that 63% of Housing Executive properties were not compliant with current standards. Only 9% of its stock was deemed to have sufficient cavity wall insulation.”
“While Awaab's law, vital legislation to protect tenants in such conditions, is set to move through the House of Commons in the weeks ahead, the Communities Minister keeps referring my questions on the matter to a response that he gave me in March 2024. Since then, we have had no update and no progress, with no evidence of work being done. <BR /> <BR />Cold, damp homes can have serious health and financial implications that hit hardest at our most vulnerable and at-risk groups: children and older people. Of households here, 31% reported health and well-being impacts because of rising energy costs, and one in four people who died here in 2022 were in fuel poverty. That should shame every one of us into action. We also see failure in how resources are used.”
“<BR /> <BR />Over the past three years alone, 40,000 reports of damp have been made to the Housing Executive. That shocking figure does not include housing association homes or private tenancies, where conditions are often much worse. I recently got a photo of shocking damp, mould and leaks in private accommodation provided to a young mother and her newborn baby. Here is the kicker: I instantly recognised the property in the photographs, because, just last year, I had complained about the same property on behalf of a previous tenant. That family was moved out, but, instead of fixing the problem, another tenant was simply moved in. That is a disgrace.”
“It is not just about energy bills. We also need to look at the wider picture of poverty and at the provisions that are already in place: what works, what does not work and what could work better. In my constituency, I have seen so many homes — social homes, private rented homes, homes of every kind — riddled with damp. Westway in Creggan is one area that comes to mind. Older Northern Ireland Housing Executive stock there has been left to mould and decay because necessary insulation works have been delayed time and time again. Tenants pay through the roof in a fruitless effort to keep their homes warm. Heat seeps through uninsulated walls and poorly fitted windows. Many of those whom I have spoken with suffer from persistent coughs, COPD or asthma. That cannot be a coincidence.”
“The latest data from National Energy Action shows that 40% of people here are living in fuel poverty. That is over 300,000 households. For those in social housing, that figure rises to 55%. Food prices are climbing, despite global energy costs stabilising, and the pressure on family budgets is relentless, yet we have seen very little in the way of leadership from the Executive on tackling those fundamental cost-of-living issues. The crisis has not gone away, you know, even if the term itself appears to have fallen out of fashion.”
“As I was saying, the importance of a warm home cannot be overstated. We often talk about home as a place of comfort and warmth. Many of us look forward to this time of the year, as the darker evenings draw in and people think about going home and getting cosy. However, for a growing number of households in the North, the fall of autumn leaves signals not comfort but fear. It signals fear of the colder weather, higher bills and having to make that invidious and impossible choice between heating and eating. That is not the opening line of a Dickens novel but the grim reality that faces thousands of families across the North in 2025. <BR /> <BR />My constituency office is already inundated with calls from people seeking support with heating their homes.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“I express solidarity with all of the people and families who have been forced to flee their homes due to hate. <BR /> <BR />The Minister has made a virtue of coming down hard on benefit fraud. In extension to that, if a social housing tenant is found guilty of being involved in or, more so, orchestrating such intimidation, should it have implications for their tenancy?”
“We welcome any initiative to help people into work. The Minister says that this will build on the success of previous JobStart programmes: can the Minister qualify that success? Aside from some of the individual anecdotes, which we welcome, he tells us that 96% of previous employers were satisfied and that many found excellent employees. How many employees were satisfied and have found meaningful employment?”
“My colleague Ms McLaughlin has outlined again the SDLP's intention to enshrine in law, through her private Member's Bill, an end to outside of Belfast being an afterthought. Mr Delargy spoke of the need for everyone to work together to ensure regional balance. We do and we will need all parties to do that. However, we cannot merely encourage every Department to ensure regional balance; we will have to force them to do that through law. <BR /> <BR />The motion is about more than economics; it is about equality. We call on the Minister for the Economy to compel every Department to deliver real, measurable regional balance. Our message is simple: we do not want pity or platitudes; we want parity.”
“We are also the worst in the west for health outcomes: we have the lowest psychiatrist numbers and the longest waits for surgery, autism assessments and mental health support. The people who live in the Western Trust area and the people who work for the trust are being failed by an outdated capitation formula that does not recognise social need. One in four children live in poverty. Homelessness has doubled in a decade. We welcome progress on Magee, but where is the funding not just to enable that expansion but to facilitate it causing less friction in neighbouring residential communities? We need everyone to buy in, yes, but we also need every Department to pay in. <BR /> <BR />We in the Opposition are not just cursing the darkness but trying to provide light.”
“Those with less get less. Recently, Derry and Strabane ranked 357th out of 359 UK councils for quality of life, a fact that is ignored when Ministers boast that we are thriving. <BR /> <BR />Regional imbalance is not just about money but about mindset. The A6 upgrade has not been finished. The A5 has not been started. We cannot tell people to leave the car at home when one in five rural bus services are cancelled and rail investment bypasses the north-west. We still have not received from DFI an explanation for the blatant timetable discrimination that we see every Sunday especially, never mind the relatively small investment that would be needed to put it right. Over 100 areas face waste water constraints, and 55 projects have been lost because of it.”
“Even the First Minister and the Economy Minister called, in the press, for full scrutiny and transparency, but, when push comes to shove, no Member from any of the Executive parties has supported our bid to ensure full scrutiny and transparency. They have just shrugged their shoulders and circled the wagons. People are not stupid, as I have said. They see through this ruling by fooling. I appreciate that Maurice Bradley and Gary Middleton have both said that they are working with the Minister and the respective clubs to sort that out, but we will not hold our breath. <BR /> <BR />The rates support grant, which was meant to — invented to, actually — support poorer councils has been slashed by 75% since 2008. Ratepayers in struggling council areas now pay far more for basic services while wealthy areas are cushioned.”
“Labour productivity in Belfast City Council area is 31% higher than it is in Derry and Strabane District Council area. Median wages are 44% higher in Belfast than in Ards and North Down Borough Council area. <BR /> <BR />The Northern Ireland Football Fund debacle laid it bare. Clubs like Derry City FC, Institute FC and Coleraine FC were promised funding, played for fools and got zero. That decision was political. It was not independent, and it mocked any claim of regional balance. Do not forget that the first thing that the Minister did with regard to that fund was to change its name from the "subregional stadia programme fund". Representatives from all parties have expressed criticism and concern.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. Those are things that happened long ago and things for which we have been waiting a long time. Mr Delargy gave the example of the Meenan Square development, of which we have heard much but seen little. Gary Middleton also accused us of "playing politics". Being accused of playing politics by the DUP is like being lectured on workplace safety by Homer Simpson. I struggled to find a comparison there, because I had to think of someone whom I would not offend by comparing them to the DUP. <BR /> <BR />The resignation of Kieran Kennedy from the Invest NI board is not an isolated act but a symptom of a wider and deeper malaise in government. The Department for the Economy's data admits that. We have heard the figures cited by a number of contributors.”
“People are not stupid; they see through it.”
“<BR /> <BR />I feel that I may be playing into the image that Gary Middleton tried to portray of the SDLP when he said that we seem to have become "allergic to positivity". Given what else Gary Middleton said, I fear that the DUP and he may be becoming allergic to reality. Of course, we welcome any and every investment in Derry and the north-west, but he cited the example of the 270 jobs with the Department for Communities. I was firmly under the impression that those were through the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), not DFC. There is the £15 million for the DNA museum, which will be a brilliant asset to the tourism product in Derry, as well as the whole of the North and specifically the north-west, but all that money did not come from Executive Departments. That is the kind of gaslighting that goes on.”
“Last week, I spoke about how the north-west had been left behind, with flagship arts organisations such as Echo Echo Dance Theatre and the Waterside Theatre closing and about 80% of arts funding being concentrated in Belfast. There are places that get a rawer deal than Derry in that regard, with some councils receiving less than 1% of the overall arts funding, yet the Communities Minister and the Executive have done nothing to address that. The crisis intervention service in Derry was left to collapse, despite Derry having one of the highest suicide rates on these islands. When BT jobs were stripped away from Derry, the lucky workers were told to move to Belfast, following which thousands more jobs have been announced there. That is not balance; it is the opposite of balance.”
“That mindset, which is so detached from reality, demonstrates just how Belfast-centric politics have become here and how out of touch many of our political representatives have become. <BR /> <BR />It is not about just Derry. The SDLP — the Opposition — will tomorrow call for support for the apple-growing industry in Armagh. We are told, however, that Derry is the second city, and we continue to receive second-class treatment. There is nowhere where that imbalance has been more pronounced or more painfully felt. We are not alone, as I have said, and it is brilliant to hear so many voices around the Chamber speak in so many different accents in support of the motion. It is clear that Belfast work has not worked for anywhere else or for anyone else.”
“The motion goes to the heart of something that we in the north-west have been saying for years and that many Members here have been hearing for years, which is that regional imbalance is not an accident. It has been baked into decision-making at every level of government for a long time, and it will be hard to unpick that. Regional balance is not a slogan; it is a formula for fairness, equal opportunity, a stronger, more prosperous Northern Ireland and a stronger, more prosperous Ireland, because, as has been said — I was going to make this point — partition has not worked for Derry or for Donegal. Contrary to the First Minister's belief, the north-west is not thriving, and neither are most council areas outside Belfast.”
“Minister, you called this a "promise", but you said that it can be kept only with the support of your Executive colleagues and Members of the Assembly to secure the necessary resources to deliver the strategy in full. What are the necessary resources to deliver the strategy in full?”
“The disability and work strategy is an extremely important piece of work. I hope that the co-design is meaningful and that disabled people and the representative organisations are listened to and heard, unlike many of those involved in the co-design process for the anti-poverty strategy.”
“Is focail iad sin ba chóir dúinn a choinneáil beo inár gcroí agus inár ngníomhartha. Tá Éire níos boichte inniu gan é ach níos saibhre mar gheall ar a rian. Go ndéana Dia trócaire ar a anam uasal.”
“Tá meirg ar mo chuid Gaeilge, ach, mar a deirtear, is fearr Gaeilge bhriste ná Béarla cliste, agus déanfaidh mé mo dhícheall anois. Is le croí trom a labhraím inniu faoi bhás Mhancháin Magan, scríbhneoir, iriseoir agus fíorurlabhraí ar son na teanga agus ar son an dúlra. Ní hé amháin gur scríobh sé faoin Ghaeilge agus faoin dúlra, is amhlaidh a mhair sé iad. Bhí sé ina ghuth acu sin nach raibh guth acu agus ina sholas acu sin a tháinig roimhe agus a thiocfaidh ina dhiaidh. <BR /> <BR />Mar a dúirt sé féin:”
“Finally, we must recommit ourselves to the principle that human dignity is universal, not selective. It must reach those in need. Dialogue must replace dominance. Peace must be forged in justice, not imposed through force. Silence is not a neutral act — it is a choice — and denial is a despicable one. Let us choose justice and solidarity. Let us choose a future and a present in which no people are punished because of their borders or their plight. Let those who govern know that we will hold them to account in the name of human rights, compassion and the common good.”
“We cannot pretend to be neutral when human beings suffer under a siege. We cannot remain silent in the face of force being used against vessels bearing aid for starving and suffering people in Gaza. The images that we have seen should stir our consciences; the stories that we have heard should move us all; and the calls that we receive from grieving families should break through any political reticence. <BR /> <BR />Any investigation into those events must be international, independent and fully transparent. All detainees must be released unconditionally. Diplomatic pressure must be brought to bear. Our Governments, North and South, and those in the UK and Europe must press for accountability, not complicity. Economic and political levers must be used to demand compliance with international law.”
“Last month, I said that we stood at a moment that demanded moral clarity and political courage. Recent events have brought into sharp focus the suffering, the injustice and the obligation to act that we all share. The Global Sumud flotilla, which was carrying humanitarian aid bound for Gaza, was intercepted in international waters. Reports — no one can dispute or has disputed the reports — indicate loss of life, detainees being transported and confessions being demanded in foreign ports. Those actions cannot be dismissed as mere collateral damage; they raise fundamental questions of international law, human rights and collective responsibility. <BR /> <BR />Such a blockade, enforced with lethal force, amounts to the collective punishment of civilians, many of whom lack safe passage or recourse.”