Gordon Lyons
East Antrim · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“Implementing other recommendations will require further legislation that, I trust, will come in the next mandate, but I can confirm that 60 of the recommendations have already been separately addressed by either the Department or the commission. I hope that that answers his questions.”
“Yes, I do and am happy to share those. The issue has been raised in the Chamber and through Assembly questions. My position is that we want to make it simple and straightforward for people.”
“They also introduce greater flexibility in financial reporting, allowing requirements to be tailored more appropriately, reducing burdens on smaller organisations and ensuring that the system can adapt over time through secondary legislation.”
“If they want to constitute as a Northern Ireland-only charity, they are able to do that, if they believe that that will bring certain benefits.”
“That is similar to what we are trying to do with trustees. Even though you leave your position as a trustee or your position as someone who holds an office in a charity or who has employment in the office, the commissioner will still be able to make a determination that says, "Even though you have left, we are still making this order to t…”
“I do not believe that it was. That was maybe picked up wrong. We are happy to look at and explore that, but that is the information that I have on it. Again, we will have the Committee Stage of the legislation, so we can look into that then.”
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“We are having those conversations. I want to see as many homes built as possible. Just because we are not able to build those homes where there is the highest demand due to waste water constraints, that should not stop us building as many houses as we can. The most important thing is that we have houses for people who need them. That is the challenge that we face, and I am committed to doing it. In the coming weeks, I will be bringing to the Executive new and innovative policy proposals about how we can build more homes. My priority is making sure that we have more homes. <BR /> <BR />We had a very spirited debate here last week about the quality of those homes as regards energy-efficiency standards, and I will do everything that I can to maximise that.”
“That is an important part of the work that we do. You will know how the housing supply strategy addresses our rural needs. Ultimately, however, we have a shortage of supply everywhere, including in rural areas. We need to make sure that we fulfil the demands that are there.”
“I am happy to ensure that officials engage with the sector directly to make sure that we scope out the problem and find the solutions, if there are any.”
“I am disappointed to hear that that is your experience, as we also hear about it from time to time. I will be happy to raise that with officials to see what needs to be done and whether there are additional regulatory measures that we can take or other support that we can offer. If she has any specific examples of how she thinks that we can intervene, I will be happy to look at them.”
“Is the Member referring to private rented tenancies?”
“I am happy to look at all the programmes that we have. I am driven by whatever delivers the results. I hope that the Government will follow through and give the funding to the projects that need it. We will, of course, look at the totality of what is offered to see what is best for people and how we can make sure that we help those who are in need. I will not be found wanting in that.”
“Yes. The Member is right to say that it is a matter for the Department of Finance to take forward, but it impacts on all of us, and it is something that I am concerned about. I have raised the matter with Executive colleagues, and we have put those views across. We need certainty more than anything else; we do not have that. I am worried that we are going towards a cliff edge. However, I can assure the Member that we are aware of the issues and we are doing everything that we can at our end. The Government need to get to grips with this, because this sort of thing has been happening for too many years with those types of funding models, and everybody needs certainty.”
“It made a couple of things very clear to me — first, that there is no prospect of my competing in Los Angeles in 2028, but also how important it is to invest in grassroots sport and make sure we have the facilities. The big problem in all sports across Northern Ireland is that we do not have enough funding to support people at the grassroots level. How will people get to the elite level and the Olympics if we do not have funding in place? That is why I am doing something about it through the Olympic medallist fund and the Olympic legacy fund, and I hope that it inspires Mr Harvey, and many others as well.”
“Yes. I hope that it inspires the next generation. Maybe even the Member will be inspired to take up a new sport; maybe he will be seeking Olympic glory as well. I certainly encourage him in that. However, I was in Paris in August 2024, and I met Hannah Scott outside a cafe. We sat down and had a conversation. She told me about some of the challenges that she had faced during her early days competing in the sport. I met her; I listened; I said that we needed to do something to help, and that is why we have introduced the Olympic legacy fund. <BR /> <BR />I am also proud of the Olympic medallist fund. On Saturday, I was on the River Bann in a new boat that was bought with Hannah Scott's contribution from the Department for Communities Olympic medallist fund.”
“I am pleased to say that the £1 million Olympic legacy fund is now open. We have grants available from £1,000 to £50,000, and it is 65% grant to 35% crowdfunding. It is an opportunity to make a real difference for those across Northern Ireland. I was asked about what we are doing to help the sports clubs and grassroots organisations that so often miss out. That is why I devised and developed this scheme. I encourage everybody to apply if they believe it can assist them in their local areas.”
“I understand where the Member is coming from, and I have much sympathy for those who find themselves in that situation. I get that there can be family ties and connections, and we need to make sure we have a policy in place that is compassionate, not only to those in that situation but to those who need a suitable home. We need to make the most efficient use of our stock. Sometimes, no matter what policy is in place, people can fall out, or it might not work for them. However, I am more than happy to work with anyone to make sure we get it right, because we are talking about somebody's home, and I want to be as sympathetic as I can.”
“Some concerns have been expressed about that. We are trying to get a balance between making sure that those with the proper connection to the homes are able to stay in them and making sure that the right stock goes to those who need it most, which is a requirement for us. I will be happy to look into any specific issues that the Member has raised that can help to inform any wider work that may need to be done on that.”
“It is a difficult issue, because there are competing priorities and rights for the various interested stakeholders. We want to try to get a balance. I will bring the issue to the House, as I am required to do, and we will publish our response to that soon. I will look at what additional reforms may be required in due course. I hope to have that here for further discussion, debate and, no doubt, questions very soon.”
“I am aware of who is responsible. Councils have extensive powers in those areas, and there is a mismatch between what different councils are doing. I will clarify that when I bring that HMO statement to the House, and there will be an opportunity for us to discuss that further. However, first and foremost, we should make sure that we put the concerns of local residents first. <BR /> <BR />There are theatrics on the other side of the House. The Member is playing with his hands. However, it is very clear that there is a role and responsibility for councils, and we have to have due regard for the law.”
“I will tell you what I am going to do about it. I will make a statement to the House very soon. The Member's question betrays a misunderstanding of how the system operates. There is a responsibility on councils and how they handle issues around HMOs. Therefore, I will bring a statement to the House, and I will outline the requirements and responsibilities on councils. I look forward to him engaging with that.”
“My goodness, it sounds as though Mr Durkan has been listening to the legitimate concerns of some of his local residents. I am glad that, as Mr Brett said, he has now come on board. He recognises the issues that that is causing for local communities.”
“The armed forces covenant duty, which was introduced under the Armed Forces Act 2021, came into force on 22 November 2022. It is a legal obligation on certain bodies, including the Housing Executive, to "have due regard to" the principles of the covenant. It requires decisions on the development and delivery of certain services to be made with conscious consideration being given to the needs of the armed forces community. I am committed to ensuring that we keep to the covenant duty. Some of the things that we have seen in recent weeks, including the attitude of local authorities, have been shameful. I will make sure that our armed forces are treated properly and in accordance with the covenant.”
“That is why I am taking forward the fuel poverty strategy, which will be with the Executive by the end of this year, as promised. As I have said before, I am doing that because it is one of the best uses that we can make of government funding, owing to the changes that it will make and the impact that those changes will have on people's lives. Some people are living in horrendous conditions. They are spending huge sums of money on barely heating their home. That is why it is so important that we put in place the measures that can improve homes and retain heat. The strategy is something that will concern constituents across Northern Ireland. That is why it is essential that we get it right.”
“They will be issued from mid-November through to early December.”
“It is. Pomeroy is in his constituency, but he was not able to make it, unfortunately. Neither was Mr McCrossan, who is nodding his head. It would have been great if they could have come along, because they could have heard about the Northern Ireland community infrastructure fund, the investment that we are putting in and the change that we will make not just to West Tyrone but to Northern Ireland. Those online sessions will be available. If there is a need and a demand for further information, we will certainly look at providing it.”
“That is exactly why we have had those consultation events throughout Northern Ireland. Indeed, I launched the scheme in his constituency, or in what I believe will shortly become part of his constituency. I am sorry that he was not able to make it.”
“At stage 2, applicants who have been successful at stage 1 will receive invitations to attend online information sessions. Those sessions will cover issues specific to the stage 2 application, such as how to source quotations for proposed works.”
“On the Member's first point, it is not just that they criticise the DUP or DUP Ministers but that they talk down their constituency all the time, whereas I know that the Member is always keen to talk it up. I welcome that. <BR /> <BR />Yes, there is something else that we are doing for his constituency. We are taking forward the community wealth building pilot scheme. There will be one in the north-west and one in Larne, which I am sure that the Member will be pleased to hear. Those pilots will explore innovative, place-based approaches to economic development. They are about building local capacity, strengthening community assets and ensuring that the wealth that is generated can be retained in the community. The partnerships will announce further plans in due course.”
“I have delivered £5·1 million through the de-rating grant; almost £1 million in the rates support grant; £600,000 in the transferred functions grant; £2·6 million through the annual funding programme to 24 organisations; £33,000 for a musical instruments scheme to three organisations; £44,000 for musical instruments schemes for individuals; and £32,000 for small capital grants. Finally, the Housing Executive has funded over £7 million for the affordable warmth scheme in the Londonderry and Strabane council area.”
“I have delivered £4·4 million for community and voluntary organisations; £12 million for the People and Place neighbourhood renewal programme; over £500,000 for improvements at libraries in his constituency; over £568,000 on labour market partnerships; 12 jobs fairs; and £9 million through the Supporting People programme. We have helped 1,178 people in Foyle to access additional benefits worth £2·6 million through the Make the Call service. We have delivered 47 co-ownership property completions and 345 social housing units, and we have improved 6,679 Housing Executive houses.”
“Since coming into office in February 2024, I have delivered the following for the people of Foyle: £10 million of financial transactions capital funding for the north-west regeneration fund; £1·2 million to the Inner City Trust to enable the purchase of the former Austins department store building; £5 million for construction work on the Inner Walled City public realm scheme; and £1 million for the Harbour Square public realm project. I have worked closely with the Executive to enable the Londonderry and Strabane city deal to reach financial deal status.”
“Yes, the Immigration Act 2016 allows that to be extended to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but it is up to the UK Government to extend those provisions. That is why I have written to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the Home Secretary to request that extension.”
“Currently, there is not a requirement on landlords or letting agencies to conduct a background check into renters' settlement status to ensure that a prospective tenant has the legal right to rent and live in the property. However, I have written to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the Home Secretary to enquire about the extension of the right-to-rent scheme to Northern Ireland.”
“<BR /> <BR />I have seen in my constituency those who are dealing with the effects of poorly insulated homes. That is not just about people's comfort. It limits people's life chances and the educational attainment of children and is a huge contributing factor to poverty, so it is essential that we get this right and that we get the Barnett consequential delivered to the Department for Communities so that we can make a change in people's lives, which is what we are actually here to do.”
“That will be subject to Executive agreement and what actions are put in there. Of course, we are already spending hundreds of millions of pounds every year to tackle fuel poverty. New actions will be put in place, and I have a number of actions that I want to ensure will be in that plan. I want to make sure that anything that we put in is costed. I have no interest whatsoever in putting a plan together that is not realistic and that we cannot achieve or deliver. Some other people want me to do that, but I am not prepared to do it. However, I will certainly bid for the resources that I need, because it is one of the most important interventions that we can make that actually makes a difference to people's lives and will lead to recurrent savings for people.”
“I absolutely will bring forward a fuel poverty strategy. I said that I will bring that to the Executive by the end of the year, and I am still committed to doing that.”
“Yes, absolutely. It is important that we not only make sure that we have new-build homes in the condition that they need to be but that there is extensive retrofitting and other support that will need to be available for homes that are already built. We will receive Barnett consequentials from the UK Government. A sum of £13·2 billion was announced for their warm homes plan, but that funding is unhypothecated, which means that the Executive have discretion to determine how funding is allocated. I want, as I hope other Members around the House do, to make sure that that money comes through for our own warm healthy homes scheme so that we can make sure that that money goes to those who need it most and makes a real difference to energy costs.”
“He will be pleased to hear that we will have those targets and timelines in place. This is where a lot of the misunderstanding of the anti-poverty strategy comes from because many of those targets and timelines will be found in those other strategies, such as the fuel poverty strategy and in additional action plans that we will introduce.”
“The fuel poverty strategy public consultation closed on 6 March. Analysis of the responses to the consultation has been completed, and a summary of responses document will be published in the coming weeks. Informed by the consultation and the significant stakeholder engagement, my officials are working to finalise the strategy.”
“That is out of my hands right now because we have the co-design group that brought forward recommendations, and each of the Departments is looking at those recommendations in detail to consider what they might cost, what the impact might be, what is credible and what is doable. It will be up to those Departments to bring that back so that we can get an understanding of how we progress those recommendations from here on in.”
“Yes, the group has been meeting. The Executive met on 15 May and agreed that that work would take place. That work is ongoing. At this stage, it is mostly the Departments coming forward with their own proposals and looking at how much those would cost, what is credible, how they will be meaningful and how those strategies could make a difference. That work is going on in the Departments, and I do not have an update on where that sits right now.”
“I think that the key word there is "weaponising", and it is absolutely the case that Sinn Féin and others have been weaponising the Irish language. They want to use it against others, and I think that the way in which that has gone is really unfortunate. We should approach these issues on the basis of us collectively working together and of what works for everybody, rather than a majority imposing its will on a minority.”
“— and when it comes to culture, I will support people, and I will uphold people's rights to engage in their own language and cultural traditions. What I will not do is impose language and culture on other people.”
“It struggles to move away from the language of the past, which continues to haunt it to this very day. The Member is speaking from a sedentary position, but I cannot hear what he is saying. I do not really care either because I do not believe that he has anything to say that can add to this conversation. There is a process that is ongoing. That will continue, but I can assure him that —”
“Of course, a cross-departmental working group is looking at that issue right now, so it is outside of my control while the Departments look at it and come back with advice on what is possible and what is credible. However, I have to say that, on the issue of the Irish language, I will not be taking any advice or instruction form Sinn Féin because its reputation on it has been absolutely appalling. It has recklessly imposed it on street signage, disregarding the clear opposition of the vast majority of local residents in some instances. It wishes to force it on to front-line council staff against their will at Belfast City Council —.”
“I have no further info on that since the last time that I updated the House.”
“I do not think that the Bill would be the appropriate way in which to take it forward, because of the fundamental changes that it would make to pension systems and the economic impact that that would have. I will, however, do everything that I can to continue to push the Government on the issue.”
“Unfortunately, as of this week, I have not had any response from the Minister. I also raised it with Dr Suzy Morrissey, who has been appointed by the UK Government to complete an independent report to examine the issues that should be considered by the Government during the third review of the state pension age. The pension rules are exceptionally complex. There could be consequences for us financially in our block grant if we were to take that on. That is why the UK Government should do the right thing: give it proper consideration and ensure that it is explored.”
“It is compassionate and practical to allow early access to pensions for people who have a terminal illness diagnosis. That solution would offer dignity, financial stability and peace of mind to people in their final months. During the Assembly debate on 31 March 2025, I gave a commitment to advocate on behalf of the members of our society who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Subsequently, I wrote to the Minister for Pensions to call on the UK Government to act swiftly to deliver that change.”
“Yes, absolutely. It would be helpful if the SDLP would put its focus, efforts and energy there. It was very keen that the Labour Government would get elected. It was very open about wanting to see a Labour Government in power at Westminster. I encourage the SDLP to lobby the Government on that issue. That is what I have been doing. I look forward to the Member's doing the same.”
“I hope that others will recognise that and help us to ensure that we get it changed, because it is having an impact on children across Northern Ireland.”
“It is for the very simple reason that we have an evidence base that demonstrates the issues that exist. Now, I am happy to update that as time goes on, in particular to research what the consequences would be for us, as an Executive, if we were to take steps on that. The Member was unable to say, in the previous debate, how much the child payment would cost. I am happy to tell him how much it would cost to mitigate the two-child limit in Northern Ireland: £91·5 million by 2027-28. We can have the debate and talk about whether we should do that. However, my energies and efforts have been used to speak to the UK Government and tell them that that policy is wrong for the whole of the United Kingdom and that it should go for the whole United Kingdom.”
“My Department has not conducted any research on the impact of the two-child limit on poverty indicators, but there is other research that indicates the impact that it is having.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, with your permission, I will answer question 3 and touch on question 5, which was withdrawn. <BR /> <BR />I have repeatedly made clear my views on the policy. I am strongly opposed to the two-child limit. I do not believe that the policy has met its stated aims, and there is no doubt that it contributes to child poverty. Although the UK Government have previously indicated that they are considering the future of the two-child limit, there has been no confirmation of their intended approach. I am supportive of any measures to alleviate the impact of the policy or to remove it completely. I hope that we will soon see firm proposals to that end emerging from the UK Government.”
“I am proud to be able to support our bands and others who benefit from the musical instruments programme.”