Paula Bradley
North Belfast · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“I am especially grateful to all the women who, especially in my first mandate here, were a constant support and encouragement to me as a new MLA. Nothing ever prepares you for this role, but many inside and outside this Building are the glue that holds it all together.”
“I thank them for their support, especially over the last week, with the phone calls, emails, cards and flowers, but, most of all, for allowing me to be part of their lives, sometimes at the most difficult times. Secondly, I want to thank my party, of which I have been a member for 20 years.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I will try my very best to get through these three minutes without tears in my eyes, though I doubt that that is going to happen. <BR /> <BR />I will begin by thanking you, Mr Speaker.”
“After much discussion with officials concerning the objectives of the Bill, the detail of an SMI loan, the process of registering and removing the statutory charge and how and when an SMI loan is repaid, the Committee was content with the Bill as drafted. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the Final Stage of the Bill.”
“I welcome the Final Stage of the Bill. It is probably the shortest Bill that the Committee considered, but it is no less important, as it aims to protect owner-occupiers in receipt of an income-related benefit from the threat of repossession.”
“I know that I have caused a few headaches over the past two years, but you have always delivered week in, week out and put the needs of the Committee first and foremost. You have made my role as Committee Chair so much easier. For all that you have done, I am truly thankful.”
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“That may explain why this type of scheme is so popular; membership has grown from 0·2 million in 2010 to 16 million in 2019. Whilst the growth in this type of scheme is to be welcomed, there is obviously a need to have appropriate measures in place to ensure that the risks are managed. Fundamentally, the Bill will do that. It will ensure that no master trust scheme can operate without authorisation from the Pensions Regulator and that specific requirements must be met. That is necessary and welcomed. <BR /> <BR />Another area that the Bill deals with is administration charges. With the pension changes that I referred to, people have been faced with early exit charges when trying to access their pension savings. Members were informed by departmental officials that the Bill will cap early exit charges in occupational pension schemes.”
“The Committee for Communities welcomes the Bill. Members were briefed by departmental officials at the Committee meeting on 17 June. We heard that the Bill seeks to introduce a new regulatory framework for master trusts in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />Over the past few years, there have been sweeping changes in relation to pensions and how people can access them. Master trusts have become very popular as a result of the changes. As the Minister said, a master trust is a multi-employer occupational scheme for unconnected employers that is run on behalf of those organisations by an external organisation. The benefits of that type of scheme are particularly good for smaller employers, as they do not have to set up a scheme themselves; something which is not only costly but very difficult to do.”
“I thank the Minister for her answers. My question is in a similar vein. How confident are you that the right people are going to get them, and what conversations have you had with the Department of Health? We know that the Department for Communities was not at fault for people receiving shielding letters only four weeks ago. Are you confident that the right people are going to get them and that GPs have done their job and sent out those shielding letters?”
“I thank the junior Minister for his statement. Given that remote working has now become the new norm and, indeed, the Executive are encouraging it, do you see value in meetings North/South taking place via videoconference or other technology, going forward?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. As a Belfast representative, I find it remarkable to see the difference not only in air quality but in the sights and sounds of nature around us. As we see lockdown easing and people returning to their normal way of life, especially travelling in and out of Belfast, have you had conversations with the Minister for Infrastructure about people using their own vehicle because they are afraid to use public transport because of fears around social distancing?”
“I thank the First Minister for her answer. We know that the Programme for Government underpins all the business that we do in this House. What lessons have been learned through COVID-19 around collective responsibility and cross-departmental working, which we know is imperative when it comes to the Programme for Government?”
“Whilst nothing can replace the loss of a loved one, the Act ensures that dependants receive a lump sum payment to alleviate some of the financial burden associated with their loss. I welcome the regulations, as they will increase the amounts payable under the Act by 1·7%. That will ensure that payments remain in line with industrial injuries benefits. <BR /> <BR />The Committee recommends that the regulations be approved.”
“The Committee considered the regulations at its meeting of the 6 April. The Mesothelioma Lump Sum Payments (Conditions and Amounts) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 enable lump sum compensation payments to be made to people who have diffuse mesothelioma or to their dependants where sufferers did not claim in their lifetime. Payments are made without the need to prove negligent exposure to asbestos or that the exposure occurred during employment. The Act brings some financial assistance to sufferers at a time when many adjustments must be made to daily living arrangements as a result of the illness. <BR /> <BR />Unfortunately, loved ones will be lost to this cruel condition.”
“The Committee acknowledged that the regulations contain only consequential provisions of the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order (Northern Ireland) 2020, and are part of a series of statutory rules that relate to the annual uprating of social security benefits and pensions. The Committee noted that the provision also amended the earnings limit on carers' allowance from £123 to £128 net per week. That limit defines the amount that a person can earn without their earnings extinguishing their entitlement to the benefit or preventing an entitlement being established. The Committee was, therefore, content to recommend that the Assembly affirms those regulations.”
“The Committee considered SR 2020/40 at its meeting on 6 April. The Committee acknowledged that the order is part of a series of statutory rules that relate to the annual uprating of certain social security benefits, pensions and allowances from April 2020. The rule makes provision that corresponds to provision made by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in Great Britain. The Committee noted that the implementation of the proposals for the uprating of benefits is expected to increase the Department's annually managed expenditure by approximately £171 million during 2020-21. The Committee was, therefore, content to recommend that the Assembly affirms that statutory rule. <BR /> <BR />On 6 April, the Committee also considered SR 2020/41.”
“I have a worry about the inequality, so I ask the Minister to make it more of a priority when she looks at the Housing Executive. We need to do that anyway. <BR /> <BR />I know that the Minister has deep issues and concerns with the Housing Executive and how we go forward with it. Mr Durkan mentioned the analysis of the responses, and, speaking as a member of the Committee for Communities, it is extremely disappointing that we did not get to see that information. I am sure that Mr Durkan will bring that issue up in the Committee this week, and, hopefully, we will be able to write to ask why that information was not presented to the Committee, and to Members of the House, in considering the Bill.”
“We spoke about it during the talks last year, it was spoken about in the agreement when we came back here, and it was spoken about in our Committee. If it was not for COVID-19, we would be dealing with those issues now. We would have time to scrutinise and time to look at the issues. Sadly, however, that has not happened. We are not here to debate accelerated passage for the Bill again, but it needs to happen, and it needs to happen sooner rather than later. We need housing associations to be able to borrow and to build much-needed homes. <BR /> <BR />I am sure that it will come as no great shock to Mr Durkan to hear that the DUP will not be supporting his amendments. However, I absolutely understand where he is coming from.”
“It is not necessarily, "Oh great, I will move into one of these homes, and, in five years' time, I will be able to buy it at a reduced price". I do not think that that is the attitude of many people. Many move into their homes and discover, after a few years, "OK. I have the ability to buy this. This is great. I can do this". I do not think that because we will have two separate systems in place, we will see a massive increase in people wanting to move into Housing Executive properties. Most Housing Executive properties are older properties, while most housing association properties are newer properties, and people want newer properties. <BR /> <BR />I absolutely get where Mr Durkan is coming from. I do think that there is an inequality. However, the Housing Executive needs a complete and utter overhaul.”
“The right-to-buy issue was well rehearsed in our last debate. As a girl, I grew up in a housing estate in Mossley, and my parents had the opportunity to buy their own house in the early 1980s, before moving out of Mossley. I was very glad that that opportunity was available for us. Of course, I have regrets about losing the right-to-buy scheme, but I hope that another scheme will be brought forward to enable people to buy their own homes, and the Minister said that the last time she was here. <BR /> <BR />People do not move into our social housing sector with the attitude, "Here, I can buy my own house"; they move into our social housing sector with the attitude, "I need somewhere to live, and this is where I am going to live", or, "This is where I grew up", or, "This is where I want to live".”
“When I last spoke in the Chamber on the issue, as Committee Chairperson at that time, I said that it could lead to inequality between those who live in housing association properties and those who live in Housing Executive properties.”
“Before I comment on Mr Durkan's amendments, I want to put on record and pass on my best wishes for a speedy recovery to Deirdre Hargey, the Minister, and to my party colleague Christopher Stalford. Of course, I welcome Carál Ní Chuilín back to the role of Minister. I am sure that she is delighted about that. We will miss her in Committee, but we hope that she is back with us in Committee sooner rather than later. <BR /> <BR />I thank Mr Durkan. Before I came into the Chamber, I said to him, "Mark, please explain your rationale when you open the debate". He certainly did explain it. I agree with a great deal of it. I agree with him about the inequality.”
“<BR /> <BR />Part 5 of the Bill, specifically clause 128, introduces schedule 11 and helps strengthen the regulator’s enforcement of defined benefit schemes. The Committee welcomes the new powers, which, among other things, will help scheme trustees to ensure that transfers of pension savings are made to safe and not fraudulent schemes. <BR /> <BR />The Committee accepts that it is advantageous that any changes to the regulation of pensions as a result of legislation are made across all jurisdictions at the same time to ensure compliance and enforcement. We acknowledge that the Bill will strengthen pensions schemes by introducing certain safeguards and enhanced sanctions For those reasons, the Committee supports the legislative consent motion.”
“<BR /> <BR />Part 4 introduces pension dashboards. As I mentioned, having greater transparency allows people to better plan for their pensions. Gone are the days when a person would begin and end their career with one employer; indeed, the Government have estimated that an individual will have around 11 different jobs in their lifetime. That means many pension pots, which will make it difficult to work out just how much money you will have when you stop working. A pension dashboard is a digital interface that will present all your pension information from all sources in one place and, therefore, help you to better plan for your retirement. I understand that the dashboards were due to be launched in 2019, but, perhaps, the Minister could update us on when they will be operational.”
“That will ensure that the assets of the collective fund are equal to the liabilities relating to the target incomes. The main advantage of that is that investment risk is spread across all members so that, potentially, there is greater certainty over retirement income. There is wide support for that type of scheme and, in fact, as the Minister said, the Communication Workers’ Union and Royal Mail advocated it. <BR /> <BR />The Committee recognises that consumer protection is at the heart of the Bill. Part 3, in particular, gives stronger powers to the Pensions Regulator so that pensions can be better protected. For example, there will be greater sanctions for those who wilfully or recklessly harm their company pension schemes, including a maximum seven-year prison sentence and a civil penalty of up to £1 million.”
“Taking all that together, the Committee acknowledged that including the NI provisions in the Westminster Bill provided legal certainty for pension schemes and members. It will ensure that they will be enacted at the same time here as in the rest of the United Kingdom and allow the industry to begin any necessary preparatory work. The Committee was also assured that the power to make subordinate legislation on the Bill will rest with the Department for Communities and that the powers of control over the subordinate legislation will rest with the Assembly. <BR /> <BR />Part 2 of the Bill establishes collective defined contribution schemes. Those schemes offer a target income at retirement, rather than a specified income. If the scheme is underfunded or overfunded, the level of member benefits can be adjusted.”
“However, the Committee was advised that it was unlikely that such a Bill would be introduced until September at the earliest and would not achieve Royal Assent until spring 2021. In the meantime, pension protections for people in Northern Ireland would fall behind those in GB. In addition, officials noted that the working assumption was that an Assembly Bill would mirror the provisions in the current Bill. That reflects the fact that, while pensions are a devolved matter, to all intents and purposes in the UK there is essentially one system of pensions that includes numerous pension schemes in Northern Ireland. The Pensions Regulator, the Pensions Ombudsman and the Pension Protection Fund all operate on a UK-wide basis.”
“The Committee thanks the Minister for tabling the motion. Pensions, in general, are not often given the consideration that they deserve, and few of us tend to think years ahead — maybe not too many years for me — to a time when we will no longer work and will have to live off the state pension and whatever work-based pensions we have accumulated. Planning and preparing for retirement is, however, extremely important, and the provisions in the LCM will make that process more transparent and understandable. <BR /> <BR />Of course, in a devolved institution, we would all have liked to be here today considering an Assembly pensions Bill that dealt with the issues contained in the LCM.”
“<BR /> <BR />The regulations also provide for child maintenance debt that was subject to a protected trust deed and that has expired without being converted to bankruptcy, and make minor and technical changes to the child maintenance calculation and fees regulations. <BR /> <BR />The Committee recommends that both the regulations be approved by the Assembly.”
“<BR /> <BR />I am glad to see this issue being brought forward as I understand that, for many parents, arrears in child maintenance can be damaging to relationships between resident and non-resident parents, which then has a knock-on effect on their children. <BR /> <BR />The Child Support (Miscellaneous Amendment No. 4) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2019 introduce a number of changes to child maintenance legislation. They will change the range of benefits from which arrears of child maintenance can be taken, and they expand the list of persons to whom the Department can write to request that information be provided.”
“The Committee considered these regulations at its meeting on 6 February. The Child Support (Miscellaneous Amendment No. 3) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2019 will revoke and re-enact the provisions of the Child Support (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2018. <BR /> <BR />The regulations provide for the powers which were introduced in December 2018 to continue in force. Their main purpose is to improve how child maintenance liabilities are calculated, to increase the range of collection and enforcement powers, to help collect more money for children and to address historical arrears that have built-up under the legacy schemes.”
“It is not the case that contracts have to be exchanged within that two-year time frame. Registered housing associations will, however, be able to operate a voluntary right-to-buy scheme, and clause 8 will allow the Department to pay a grant in support of a voluntary housing scheme. The Committee welcomes that. <BR /> <BR />Housing is a multifaceted issue that, in normal circumstances, would be a key priority for the Committee. COVID-19 has temporarily put paid to that, but the Committee looks forward to engaging with the Department and stakeholders on housing over the rest of the Assembly mandate. That is something on which, the Minister has advised, she also wants to make progress. However, the Committee supports the Bill at its Second Stage.”
“It is also worth noting that between 20 and 60 housing association properties are sold annually, whereas between 200 and 400 Housing Executive properties are sold. That is important because the ending of the right-to-buy scheme will apply only to tenants in the housing association sector and not to tenants in Housing Executive accommodation. That runs the risk of there being inequality if it is not addressed soon, and the Minister has given her assurances that it will be. However, for the main purpose of the Bill, the Committee was told that that is not required. <BR /> <BR />I should also point out that, for those who are considering buying a housing association house, there is a two-year transitional period in which tenants can register an interest to purchase.”
“The Department advised the Committee that the ONS had looked at the current regulatory system, proposed changes to it and were content with what the Department was proposing, so the Committee was reassured that regulation will continue broadly in the same way as it does now. <BR /> <BR />A key issue for members was the decision to abolish the right-to-buy scheme in relation to housing association homes. That was covered in clause 7. Some members saw it as a popular scheme that gave people a foot on the property ladder. Others said that it contributed to the reduction in our social housing stock. Arguably, both of those positions are true, but the Committee was advised that, if that provision was not included, ONS would not reverse its September 2016 decision.”
“Despite the derogation from the Treasury, housing associations have not been able to access that scheme. The Committee was advised that it costs the Department £3 million per month to maintain the co-ownership scheme. That is not sustainable, and, in these uncertain times, that money could be used to fund other priorities. <BR /> <BR />At the heart of the ONS decision lay the degree of control that the Department exercises over housing associations. The greater the control, the more likely it was that ONS would not reverse its decision. Of course, the Committee was concerned that the Department should still be able to exercise sufficient regulatory control over housing associations, particularly given the large amount of public money that that sector receives.”
“As noted in the debate on the previous motion, the Committee was briefed by the Minister on 13 May. During that briefing, the Minister noted a number of reasons why accelerated passage was required, and those issues are also pertinent to this Second Stage debate. <BR /> <BR />Housing associations normally raise money through the private sector in order to match fund the housing grant from the Department. If the decision is not reversed, housing associations will not be able to do that and the number of social housing starts will significantly reduce by as much as 50%. <BR /> <BR />In addition, housing associations will lose eligibility to access financial transactions capital — a government loan scheme that is primarily used to support the co-ownership scheme.”
“The Committee for Communities welcomes this Bill. Indeed, given the important issues that this Bill addresses, we anticipated that we would have already considered it, given that it was a key priority at the start of this Assembly. <BR /> <BR />In September, it will be four years since the Office for National Statistics took the decision to reclassify registered housing associations to the public sector and designate them as public, non-financial corporations. It is important to recognise that, on one level, that was a decision taken in order to align with technical accounting rules, but it has had a significant impact on the housing sector. <BR /> <BR />The key purpose of the Bill is, of course, to make the required changes to ensure that the ONS will reverse that decision and return housing associations to the private sector.”
“At the Committee meeting, the Minister acknowledged that this is not her preferred way of handling legislation, and although most Committee members would prefer the opportunity to scrutinise the Bill in greater detail, members are supportive of the motion to allow accelerated passage.”
“As a result, the Department has been spending £3 million per month to maintain the scheme. Whilst we all welcome the support from the Department for co-ownership, that £3 million per month could be used to meet the many other challenging priorities. <BR /> <BR />As I indicated, the Committee is supportive of the Bill being granted accelerated passage. However, Committee members had questions about the Bill and, with your approval, I will address those at Second Stage. It is imperative that the Bill progresses quickly through the House, particularly as, even after Royal Assent, it will take time for the ONS to reverse its decision. The Committee was told that, with a fair wind, the decision could be taken by September.”
“<BR /> <BR />We also heard from the Minister and her officials that, whilst the Treasury extended the derogation from the ONS decision until March next year, it was dependent on legislation being brought forward as quickly as possible to reverse the ONS decision. The Minister made the Committee aware that the Treasury has informed the Department that it is highly unlikely that another derogation will be granted. The Committee agreed that it is therefore imperative that we get this legislation through as quickly as possible. <BR /> <BR />Another factor to be taken into account is the potential impact on the successful co-ownership scheme. The ONS classification meant that housing associations are no longer eligible to access financial transactions capital, which is a Government loan scheme.”
“As the Minister said, she briefed the Committee on 13 May on the reasons why the Bill is required to proceed under accelerated passage. Members recognise the urgent need for legislation, so that the ONS will reverse its decision to classify registered housing associations as public sector. This classification has an effect on how money is borrowed and, without the current derogation, it would be classified as public-sector borrowing. That would then impact on the budget for building social houses, something that we can ill afford at this time, when our housing waiting lists are so high.”
“The Committee has asked about the legislation necessary to ensure that this expenditure is on a proper footing, but, despite briefings from the Minister, there is still no sign of this. We cannot go on pushing this down the pipeline. If we are to have a sound hold on our finances, we need to agree on big-ticket items like welfare mitigations. <BR /> <BR />These are difficult times. As we come through this crisis, we may have to face up to the prospect of a very different society. We may have to accept at some point that limited financial resources bring with them difficult choices. That time may not be now, and it may not even be in the autumn, but, when all is said and done, we have to be prepared for a possible reckoning, and that is going to take considerable will, effort and vision.”
“This Vote on Account and the subsequent Bill for its approval are clearly necessary to get us through the next few months, but what assurance do we have that our finances will be in any more stable a position when we come to autumn? <BR /> <BR />The cash requirement in the Vote on Account for the Department for Communities is 80% of its 2019-2020 provision, which is what we are told should ensure that it is able to continue to provide services to the end of October. I note and welcome the additional COVID-19 allocation of just over £20·3 million from the Executive and the potential for a further £20 million. No doubt every penny of this will be spent. <BR /> <BR />I also note that £23·5 million will be spent on welfare reform mitigations under the sole authority of the Budget (No. 2) Bill.”
“A couple of weeks ago, the Committee heard from the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE) about councils and how they could be close to collapse in the next few months. Last week, we heard about the dire straits that the voluntary and community sector is in. Tomorrow, it is the turn of the arts sector, and, next week, the sports sector. <BR /> <BR />While I applaud the actions of the Minister for Communities and, indeed, all Ministers, I cannot help but think of the fictional story of the little Dutch boy who put his finger in the leaking dam to prevent people from drowning in the hope that someone would come and fix the dam properly.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Department for Communities has been at the forefront of supporting vulnerable people, with a range of initiatives implemented at great pace. That has involved front-loading expenditure, sometimes without knowing how much it will cost. I must say that, while necessary, we have sometimes reflected on what this will mean for subsequent financing of departmental programmes whenever we get back to normal, whatever normal may look like. <BR /> <BR />It is extraordinary circumstances when, instead of Main Estimates in June, we have another Vote on Account. The idea that, technically, Departments are running out of cash is remarkable. I do not know whether the impact of that has quite sunk in.”
“When we were here during the last Vote on Account, I do not think that there were many of us who thought that we would be back again a couple of months later for a further Vote on Account. Despite the additional expenditure on COVID-19, the allocation of 45% of the 2019-2020 departmental provision would have been expected to have seen us through until consideration of the Main Estimates in June. However, following a briefing by departmental officials on the Budget, I remember referring in the House to the considerable uncertainty regarding the Department's finances that was a consistent theme in that briefing, also all as a result of COVID-19. The fast, evolving nature of the crisis and the consummate response by the Department seemed to overtake proposed expenditure before the ink was dry on any briefing papers.”
“I thank the First Minister for her answer. Over the last seven or eight weeks, many companies and communities have helped in the fight against COVID-19. I would like your assessment of that. I do not think that we, in Northern Ireland, are aware of just how many people have continued to work hard to deliver for communities and our health service through this crisis.”
“I thank the First Minister and deputy First Minister for their statement and the document that we received. We all just want life to be back to normal. I cannot wait until I hug my little grandson, my mum and dad and my family. I am looking forward to that, but I understand that we need to be measured in our approach. <BR /> <BR />First Minister, you mentioned that the Economy Minister will bring more detail on economic recovery. Will you expand on the point about our plans for economic recovery?”
“We look forward to liaising with the Minister on those matters over the coming months and to lending her our support.”
“<BR /> <BR />The COVID-19 crisis will clearly continue to delay projects. When, for example, housing associations are having to plan for new builds, including buying land and getting planning permission, the possibility that they will be able to spend the allocated budget before the end of year is remote. Therefore, looking ahead, the Committee would like flexibility to be extended to capital projects. <BR /> <BR />To say that the budgetary position of the Department for Communities is evolving is to state the obvious. It is clear that we will know more when the Minister's priorities are decided.”
“The Committee would be supportive of taking as flexible as possible an approach to capital funding to ensure that key projects are not put at risk. The Committee welcomes the increased bid of £232·25 million for new-build social homes. That is an increase of £145·86 million from last year and meets the NDNA commitment to increase the number of social homes to 3,000 a year. <BR /> <BR />The Committee supports the £55 million bid for financial transactions capital (FTC) and notes the additional bid for £55 million capital DEL in case the legislation to reclassify registered housing associations as private entities is not progressed in time. The Committee will hopefully be briefed by the Minister next week on that legislation. If its progress is agreed with the Committee, we hope that the £55 million FTC bid will ultimately be successful.”
“The flexibility afforded to Ministers to reallocate internal funding as part of the June monitoring round is important. It is perhaps more important than ever this year, given that there is likely to be very little money to be surrendered to the centre for redistribution. I note that flexibility is to be kept under review by the Executive and may be extended if necessary. The Committee would certainly support flexibility in internal reallocation. The Committee urges the Minister for Communities to decide on her priorities sooner rather than later and to make the appropriate allocations based on a strategic way forward. <BR /> <BR />One of the Committee's main concerns was the impact of COVID-19 on capital funding.”
“Now, as a result of COVID-19, we will have many more people claiming universal credit who will not have had the same protections as those who were already on benefits when the mitigation measures were introduced. That presents us with the increasing moral dilemma of a possible two-tier benefits system. Clearly, we need agreement on what a sustainable and stable benefits system should look like. <BR /> <BR />The current circumstances have clearly made what we might consider "normal" prioritising and budgeting something of a moveable feast. The Committee was advised that officials would be working to finalise figures over the coming weeks, meaning that the June monitoring round was likely to be the more informative point in the budgetary cycle, rather than anything we might hear this week.”
“With uncertainty being the prevailing theme of our briefing, it is likely that the figures we discussed a couple of weeks ago with officials will be unrecognisable in the coming weeks. <BR /> <BR />Some funding issues have been agreed. The extension of some of the welfare mitigation measures agreed as part of the NDNA agreement have a cost of £41·7 million for 2020-21, and the Department was allocated £40·3 million to meet those mitigation requirements, over half of which will go towards the social sector size criteria. At any other time, we would be discussing in detail how we continue to fund the mitigation measures beyond 2021 — a difficult enough decision to reach in normal times, given the range of other competing priorities and financial limitations.”
“The Committee is scheduled to hear from the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE) next week, and hopefully the financial position of councils will be made clear. Perhaps the Minister can say a few words about the likelihood of additional funding in the coming months for councils. <BR /> <BR />The Committee was told, and is concerned, that, if more funding for COVID-19 is not forthcoming, the Department will be under pressure to find the requirements from its existing budget. What is also concerning is that the Department envisages additional funding demands as a result of the New Decade, New Approach agreement and the potential impact of EU exit. Officials noted that, on those two issues, there was significant uncertainty around requirements and funding available.”
“The reduction in the revenue of local councils is not sustainable for much longer. We heard just last week of at least one council planning redundancies, and there have been conflicting analyses of whether councils can place staff on the Government's furlough scheme. I note that last night the Minister for Communities confirmed that council workers can apply for the furlough scheme. That will come as a welcome relief to many councils, but it does not solve the significant financial pressures that councils are under as a result of COVID-19. <BR /> <BR />The Department has sought £16·5 million for councils in quarter one, and in subsequent quarters, but over the medium term this is unlikely to be enough to enable councils to continue to deliver the services that ratepayers expect.”