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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“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I am grateful for the support of the Committee and the House. I commend the motion to the House.”
“<BR /> <BR />While Members will, no doubt, agree that no amount of money could ever compensate a person affected by any of those terrible diseases, I am sure that they will want anyone who is diagnosed and makes a claim after 1 April 2025 to receive the higher amounts. Therefore, I ask the House to support the regulations.”
“Payments of the lump sum are based on the age of the person with the disease and the level of disablement at the time of diagnosis. People whose condition is diagnosed at an earlier stage and who have high levels of disability will be entitled to a higher lump sum payment. Lower amounts are payable to dependants who make a claim after the sufferer has died. The maximum amount that can be paid through the scheme is being increased this year to £116,152 for a person aged 37 or under at diagnosis. That increase will help to ensure that payments provided by the scheme maintain their value.”
“<BR /> <BR />The length of time between being exposed to asbestos and being diagnosed with one of those diseases is often long. Usually, it is many years before symptoms are displayed. In some cases, an employer may no longer be in business. To be eligible for a payment via the scheme, there has to be no current or previous claim for damages in respect of the disease for which the person is claiming. There must be no relevant employer who could be pursued through the courts, and the person must have been awarded industrial injuries disablement benefit. <BR /> <BR />The lump sum payment via the scheme is paid in addition to the weekly industrial injuries disablement benefit that relates to the same disease. Dependants can make a claim if the person who had the disease unfortunately passed away before making a claim.”
“The regulations will ensure that lump sum payments here are paid at the same increased amounts as those payable through the corresponding scheme in Great Britain. <BR /> <BR />The aim of the 1979 scheme is to pay compensation to people who suffer from certain dust-related diseases or to their dependants. The five respiratory diseases that it covers mainly relate directly to asbestos exposure. They are mesothelioma; unilateral or bilateral diffused pleural thickening; asbestos-related carcinoma of the lung; byssinosis; and pneumoconiosis, which includes asbestosis. The 1979 scheme is intended to compensate people who have been exposed to asbestos during their employment and have contracted a specified disease through that employment but have not been able to get compensation from the employer.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. The statutory rule (SR) makes amendments in relation to the lump sum payments under the Pneumoconiosis, etc., (Workers' Compensation) (Northern Ireland) Order 1979. It is also known as "the 1979 scheme", which is much easier, I think. The regulations will increase the lump sum payments made via the 1979 scheme. There is no statutory requirement to increase the amounts paid through the scheme. However, as has been the case in previous years, the amounts are being increased from 1 April in line with inflation. The lump sum payments will increase by 1·7%. The inflation rate is measured by September 2024's CPI. That is also in line with the increase to industrial injuries disablement benefit, to which the scheme is linked.”
“<BR /> <BR />I thank the Committee for Communities for its proactive engagement with the future of the welfare mitigations and for its support for the approval of the regulations.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Welfare Supplementary Payment (Extension) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025 enable the Department to continue until 31 March 2028 with the welfare supplementary payments for the benefit cap, employment and support allowance time-limiting, the transition from DLA to PIP and the loss of disability-related premiums and carer payments. The legislation will also ensure that certain exclusions from mitigation in relation to the benefit cap and social sector size criteria, which were removed from 10 February 2022, will not be reapplied. The regulations that concern UC will enable the Department to pay welfare supplementary payments to those in receipt of that payment and put it on a statutory basis.”
“The reason that we do not have an indefinite extension of some of the mitigation schemes is simply because a number of the welfare reforms have largely completed any transitional phases and the number of people who receive benefits that relate to, for example, employment and support allowance time-limiting and the loss of disability-related premiums and carer payments has declined significantly. We do not know where those numbers will be in one, two or three years, so it is only right that we keep those schemes under review.”
“However, I warn Members that I have an ambition for people in Northern Ireland that is greater than simply their receiving benefits. I want to make sure that, yes, a proper social security net is part of how we help people, but I have a far greater ambition than that. I want to make sure that people are better off and that we break down the barriers to getting people into employment. <BR /> <BR />The third issue that I want to raise relates to the review.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. I am pleased with the consensus in the Assembly on the regulations. <BR /> <BR />Let me deal with three particular issues that were raised. First, I refer to the announcement that will be made later today. Unfortunately, I have not yet had a chance to chat with my counterparts. I am not able to chat to them this morning because I am in the Chamber, but I hope to have a call with Ministers at DWP before that announcement is made. I assure the House that I will provide whatever information I can and that my Department will work quickly to look at the impacts that it will have on Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />Secondly, straying from the debate slightly, the anti-poverty strategy was raised. I am working on that. I am determined to meet the deadline to make sure that the strategy goes to the Executive.”
“I trust that Members agree and will approve the regulations today.”
“That has ensured that universal credit claimants affected by the benefit cap and the social sector size criteria have received the same protection as people claiming legacy benefits. <BR /> <BR />The regulations before the House today will provide a statutory basis for those welfare supplementary payments and provide more certainty to affected people who are claiming universal credit. Importantly, the legislation will not change the conditions of entitlement that my Department has applied to universal credit claimants since 2017. The mitigations will ensure that an estimated 36,000 people will be protected from the social sector size criteria, while approximately 1,600 families with children will be protected from the benefit cap each year. That will provide much-needed certainty to so many families across Northern Ireland.”
“For example, the legislation means that entitlement to a benefit cap welfare supplementary payment will not be restricted to when a person first had their benefit capped. Furthermore, mitigation of the social sector size criteria will continue if someone moves property and continues to under-occupy. <BR /> <BR />The Welfare Supplementary Payment (Universal Credit) Regulations and the Welfare Supplementary Payment (Universal Credit) (Social Sector Size Criteria) Regulations will provide a statutory basis for welfare supplementary payments to be made to people claiming universal credit (UC). Since the introduction of universal credit here in September 2017, my Department has used the authority of successive Budget Acts to provide mitigation payments to people claiming universal credit.”
“<BR /> <BR />To ensure that that important financial support continues, I bring three sets of regulations to the Assembly for approval today. I will briefly summarise the purpose of each set of regulations. <BR /> <BR />The Welfare Supplementary Payment (Extension) Regulations will provide for mitigation payments to continue to be paid until 31 March 2028 for people affected by the benefit cap, employment and support allowance time-limiting, the transition from DLA to PIP, the loss of disability-related premiums and the loss of carer payments. The legislation will also ensure that certain exclusions from mitigation in relation to the benefit cap and the social sector size criteria that were removed from 10 February 2022 will not be reapplied.”
“The mitigation schemes provide financial support to people affected by various welfare changes, including the benefit cap; the social sector size criteria, which is more commonly known as the "bedroom tax"; the time-limiting of contribution-based employment and support allowance (ESA); and the reassessment from disability living allowance (DLA) to personal independence payment (PIP). Members will be aware that most of the welfare mitigation schemes, excluding that for the social sector size criteria, were due to end on 31 March this year. However, as I announced in December, the schemes that were due to end this year will be extended until 31 March 2028. The mitigation of the social sector size criteria continues to have no end date.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. I seek the Assembly's approval for three sets of regulations in relation to the welfare supplementary payment schemes, namely the Welfare Supplementary Payment (Extension) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025, the Welfare Supplementary Payment (Universal Credit) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025 and the Welfare Supplementary Payment (Universal Credit) (Social Sector Size Criteria) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025. <BR /> <BR />As Members will be aware, my Department currently administers a number of welfare mitigation schemes that are designed to alleviate the impact of some of the welfare changes that were introduced from 2016.”
“<BR /> <BR />I thank Members for the positive part that they played in progressing the Bill through the Assembly. The overall aim of the measures in the Bill is to continue to normalise pension saving among workers, help lower earners to build resilience for retirement, support individuals in multiple part-time jobs, and simplify automatic enrolment for employers. Employees will, as now, still be able to opt out of automatic enrolment. <BR /> <BR />I commend the Bill to the Assembly.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank the Members who contributed to the debate for their remarks. <BR /> <BR />I will pick up on a couple of comments. I assure the Chair of the Committee that an effective communications strategy will be in place, and it will include social media. I will be happy to take his advice on the channels that he thinks will help us to engage most with young people. I am sure that he is in touch with them and can give good advice. Perhaps he will even star in a TikTok on behalf of the Committee, telling people what the changes are. That ties in to the point that Brian Kingston made that this change is being made across the UK, and there will be communications with the Department for Work and Pensions to make sure that we are getting the message out to everybody who needs to hear it.”
“In summary, the Bill gives my Department the power to lower the age at which qualifying workers are automatically enrolled in a workplace pension and the power to reduce or repeal the lower limit of the qualifying earnings band so that contributions are calculated on more of a person's earnings. Additionally, the Bill requires the Department to review and report its assessment of the impacts of any changes after the first regulations come into operation. <BR /> <BR />By most standards, automatic enrolment can, I think, be considered a success. The measures in the Bill are intended to continue to normalise pension saving among workers, help more earners to build resilience for retirement, support individuals in multiple part-time jobs and simplify automatic enrolment for employers. Therefore, I commend the Bill to the Assembly.”
“<BR /> <BR />Given the UK-wide nature of the changes, my Department will work in tandem with DWP to ensure that an effective communication strategy is in place and, in particular, that young people are aware that automatic enrolment will begin at a younger age and of the advantages of starting pension saving at an early age. Similarly, workers in general will be made aware of the changes to the minimum level of the qualifying earnings band and what it means for pension saving. <BR /> <BR />Finally, the Bill provides a requirement for my Department to review, report and:”
“Removing the lower limit of the qualifying earnings band means that pension contributions would be made from the first pound earned, thereby increasing total pension saving and simplifying contribution calculations for employers and individuals. That improves the incentives for those in multiple jobs to opt in to their workplace pension scheme, as they will benefit from an employer contribution for every pound that they earn in every job up to the upper limit of the qualifying earnings band. That will proportionately affect the contributions of lower earners the most. It means that more workers will have access to a pension with an employer contribution and greater pension pots, supporting those with lower earnings and multiple jobs.”
“The percentage of employees in Northern Ireland aged 22 to 29 who are members of a workplace pension scheme has increased from 25% in 2012 to 76% in 2023. Over the same period, membership of a workplace pension scheme among those aged 17 to 21 has increased only from 1% to 16%. <BR /> <BR />The Bill provides the power to lower the age for automatic enrolment from 22 to encourage saving for retirement from an early age. That helps to continue to normalise pension saving among workers and, of course, to simplify automatic enrolment processes for employers. Employees will be able, as they are now, to opt out of automatic enrolment. <BR /> <BR />The Bill also provides my Department with the power to make regulations to reduce or repeal the lower limit of the qualifying earnings band.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank the Committee and Members from across the House who have supported the Bill and its progression through the Assembly. <BR /> <BR />Since the introduction of automatic enrolment in 2012, there has been significant growth in the membership of workplace pensions, and saving for retirement has become normal. In 2013, the proportion of employees in Northern Ireland who belonged to a workplace pension scheme was 44%. By April 2023, that figure had increased to 75%. Workers can choose to opt out of automatic enrolment. However, every three years, an employer must re-enrol those eligible employees who exercised their opt-out of automatic enrolment with that employer.”
“Over the past 14 years, there has been delay, but that delay cannot be laid at the feet of any unionist. Perhaps the Member should look closer to home for some of the reasons for those delays. I am more than willing to engage with the Secretary of State, the GAA and others, but people should think of the best way to progress the project and not just about what will get a cheap headline.”
“To address those concerns, we will first make sure that we tell the truth. It has been alleged that my party has not condemned the signs that went up: that is absolutely false. Trevor Clarke, as the local representative, was out doing just that. Let us make sure that we introduce truth into the discussions. <BR /> <BR />As to the "hostile environment" that has been talked about, it might be worth bearing in mind that the money has been made available on the same basis as it was to everybody else. Engagement is ongoing; in fact, my Department meets the GAA at least once a month. There is an idea out there whereby some people feel that they are being targeted or that there is a hostile environment. However, this is about the reality of the situation that we find ourselves in and the sums of money required to complete the project.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is easy for people to send out a message that it is about inequality and "Bad unionists not doing what we want them to do". However, no sport is getting a hostile environment; in fact, only one sport fell victim to politics, and that is football. For 14 years, football was not given the money that it wanted to draw down for the Northern Ireland football fund because Sinn Féin Ministers made sure that that was connected to Casement. They were determined that the football fund would not proceed if Casement were not proceeding. I am more than happy to make sure that the money promised goes to Casement, but there was no reason for the money for football to have been held up.”
“I have asked for a meeting with the Secretary of State. I have written to him asking what contribution he is willing to make to sport in Northern Ireland. I heard the comments that were made. It is regrettable that they were made, because everybody is being treated equally when it comes to sports funding in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />We have to recognise the reality of the situation that we find ourselves in. Ravenhill and Windsor Park got their money and their refurbishments in their respective sports. Casement Park has not been able to draw down the full £62·5 million not because of any action or lack of action on my part but because of issues around safety certificates that were investigated by the Assembly prior to 2016 and because of planning permission, judicial reviews and construction companies going into administration.”
“We have funding in place that we currently use to tackle those issues. I look forward to that budget being best used when we bring forward the next fuel poverty strategy. I want to make sure that we can scale up some of that work. It is absolutely my intention that it will be effective. Fuel poverty is a significant issue for many people across Northern Ireland, and this is a significant tool that we have to defeat poverty.”
“The Member is right to say that the consultation closes on 6 March. I do not have the figures, but I will be happy to share them with him when I do.”
“I set up the cross-departmental working group so that it can take actions and make sure that the strategy is realistic, feasible and affordable. It will be up to each Department to take its actions and make sure that those actions are funded and that it proceeds with them. That is how we can make sure that the strategy is implemented and why it is important that I took recommendations from the Departments rather than not having any engagement before throwing a document down on the Executive table in order to get support for it. That is not how I do business. I want to make sure that what we have is realistic and achievable, which is why I am taking the approach that I am taking.”
“It is my intention to bring an anti-poverty strategy to the Executive before the end of the month.”
“Yes, I do. It is the same approach as those I have taken to the disability strategy and the anti-poverty strategy. The work has been done. The co-design groups and expert panels have done their work. That work came to the Department, and I then sent it to the other Departments, through the cross-departmental working group, to come back with actions. As is the case with all the strategies, once that work is completed, we will engage directly with groups before taking a strategy to the Executive.”
“That is largely out of my hands, because work is ongoing on the development of the Irish language and Ulster-Scots strategies. A cross-departmental working group has been set up to look at the potential actions that could come from that work and at the cost of such actions. I fully respect the rights of people in regard to their cultural and linguistic heritage, and I want to make sure that we balance those rights with the costs that may come with that work. The working group will come back to me, but it will ultimately be for the Executive to decide the way forward.”
“I am aware of the growing waiting lists. The private rented sector needs reform, and that is why we are taking a serious of measures. Ultimately, it all comes back to supply across all tenures. My focus is on making sure that we have everything in place to build more homes across all tenures so that we can make housing more affordable.”
“My focus right now is on doing what the Assembly has mandated me to do on the private rented sector, which includes increasing notice to quit periods.”
“I want to make sure that we are ready to go, which is why, in our discussions, I have asked the Housing Executive to make sure that, when the treatment rule that, I hope, will be put in is put in, we are ready to go. I have confidence in Grainia Long and the leadership of the Housing Executive to make sure that we are ready to go on day 1. There are short-term things that we will be able to progress, as well as longer-term issues such as building more homes. I am assured that a plan will be in place that can be taken forward.”
“That has been one of my top priorities since coming into office. It is led primarily by the Department of Finance, but I have used every opportunity that I have had with every UK Government Minister to highlight the importance of Housing Executive revitalisation, and I will continue to do so. Progress has been made. The case has been made to Treasury. It is a sound case, and I look forward to Treasury making that decision so that we can see real change and, potentially, one of the most important and transformative things that we can do during the mandate.”
“My understanding is that that is in line with other funding pots that are in place. We have to remember that the fund is coming forward because there is market failure and because additional support is required and some may not have the finances to do that themselves. We understand that it is generally the expectation that councils find themselves in a different position, but, of course, I am more than happy to listen to any concerns that people have expressed.”
“It is because the expectation, when it comes to funding for publicly owned grounds, is that they will pay a greater contribution than those in the private sector.”
“I want to go beyond what we have said. It is the same with the housing supply strategy. We have set a plan for 100,000 homes, but I want to make sure that we increase that and go further. <BR /> <BR />On waste water, if the Member had been listening to my answer to the previous question, he would know that I have set out the concerns that I have and the action that we need to take. Certainly, I will not be found wanting in making sure that we push the issue and get delivery.”
“I want to make sure that we increase even more, not just social homes but supply across Northern Ireland. That is what I am committed to doing.”
“First, we have delivered on the issue by having a stand-alone outcome in the Programme for Government. For the first time, we have an Executive who have recognised the issue's importance. Secondly, we have a housing supply strategy in place. I have ambitions for this place and for our housing in particular, which is why I have not waited for a draft Programme for Government to be published before I have taken action. We have made sure that there is more funding available for social housing. When I came into office this year, we thought that, with the money that we have, we would be in a position to start only 400 homes. I have increased that, and, this year, we will start over 1,400 homes. That is not the height of my ambition, but it shows what we can achieve when we put our mind to it.”
“I want to make sure that all Ministers are aware of the responsibilities that they face, and, to that end, I have asked for a meeting with the Infrastructure Minister so that we can make sure that the commitments that we have promised in signing up to that document are fulfilled.”
“First, we now have two documents that highlight the importance of the issue — documents that have been called for over a long time. First, we now have in place the housing supply strategy that was agreed by all Executive Ministers, and I expect that it will be given the priority that it deserves. People signed up to that. It is important that we work together to deliver on that issue. We have said that it is a priority for the Executive, and the Programme for Government published today recognises that it is a priority. Again, for many years, there were calls for housing to be a stand-alone outcome in the Programme for Government, and that is something that I have delivered.”
“It is important to emphasise that the strategy is centred on a whole-system approach to supply and that the Executive are committed to working collaboratively to address all barriers to supply, including water infrastructure.”
“I fully recognise the potential impact that the financial constraints faced by NI Water may have on the delivery of the Executive's housing supply strategy. Indeed, the necessity of addressing waste water capacity limitations is referred to clearly throughout the strategy. I have had a number of meetings in recent weeks with representatives of the construction sector who have spoken to me about the growing impact of these constraints on their ability to deliver homes. In light of that, I have written to the Minister for Infrastructure to highlight my concerns about the issue and to express again the need to identify new actions to address it. I look forward to working with her and her Department to develop those actions.”
“We should welcome the fact that it will encourage more people to get involved in the arts, often from communities and backgrounds that might not normally have the opportunity. I am very proud of what we have been able to deliver.”
“I have the full list of all those who were eligible. First, the funding is awarded on a fair and equitable basis. There should not be any indication coming from the Member that that was not the case. Many different organisations from many different backgrounds have applied for the musical instruments scheme. We have bands, yes, from all backgrounds, we have individuals from all backgrounds, and many professional and non-professional performing groups from all over Northern Ireland got the funding that they require to increase the musical capacity in Northern Ireland. We should welcome the investment. We should welcome the fact that it was made all over Northern Ireland.”
“Absolutely. The investment — it is an investment — will mean that 4,500 people will directly benefit across every constituency in Northern Ireland. It is unusual for a grant scheme to have made such a significant impact across such a wide geographic area, and I will look to expand on that work in the future.”