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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“Those achievements included the forging of Ulster-Scots links with the international diaspora through the Ulster-Scots Agency welcoming over 3,000 people to view the Declaration of Independence exhibition at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI), which featured an original Dunlap broadside; the distribution by the Ulster-Scots Agency of more than 900 funding grants to help with COVID safety and mitigate the financial impact of the pandemic; the continuing work of Foras na Gaeilge, in partnership with its lead organisations, to deliver language planning initiatives in both jurisdictions, including in Gaeltacht service towns and Irish language networks; and the considerable progress in dictionary and terminology work, including the launch of Foras na Gaeilge's new dictionary project in 2022 with the ambitious target of publishing a single-language Irish dictionary and a new Irish-English dictionary online by 2027.”
“As part of the opening remarks, Ministers acknowledged the work of the language body and the positive impact that the agencies have had in the language and culture sectors on both sides of the border. Following the opening remarks, I, as chair, introduced a number of items that form the basis of this statement. <BR /> <BR />The first item discussed was the language body progress report. The Council noted the progress reports for the period 2020-23, which were received from the chairs and CEOs of the Ulster-Scots Agency and Foras na Gaeilge, along with the key achievements of the language body since the last sectoral meeting.”
“Mr Speaker, with your permission and in compliance with section 52 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, I wish to make a statement regarding the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) Language Body meeting that was held at the NSMC joint secretariat offices on 29 May. The Executive were represented by me, as Minister for Communities, and by junior Minister Reilly, as accompanying Minister. The Irish Government were represented by Thomas Byrne TD, Minister of State with responsibility for the Gaeltacht. The statement has been agreed with Minister Reilly, and I make it on behalf of both of us. <BR /> <BR />The meeting dealt with issues relating to the North/South Language Body and its two constituent agencies: the Ulster-Scots Agency and Foras na Gaeilge. A number of topics were discussed, with decisions being taken where appropriate.”
“That is the issue that I was talking about. We need to make sure that the rules are changed with Treasury so that we can see that borrowing against our own stock, not only to improve the properties like the ones that Ms Bunting was talking about but to ensure that we can build more homes. That is exactly what I was referring to.”
“Those are serious issues, and I encourage the Member to feel free to come to me if she feels that there specific examples that she thinks that I can help her with. In respect of those other, wider issues and what we can do to help, she mentioned the Housing Executive and reiterates why it is important that we ensure that the Housing Executive gets the powers that it needs to borrow against its assets to make improvements in the homes that we are talking about. That will save us money later on. I will say it again and again: if we can prevent problems at an earlier stage, we will end up saving not just money but a lot of grief for people. That is why we need to make sure that this is changed and that we have the proper investment. Revitalisation is the way for us to do that.”
“We are way behind where we should be and way behind the rest of the United Kingdom, and we need to ensure that we have the tools to get people the support that they need to get back into work, because that is one of the best ways that we can tackle poverty.”
“It is absolutely right that the Member raises that issue. My Department does significant work to tackle the impact of poverty, but that is not good enough any more. We need to tackle the root causes of poverty. There are a number of issues that we have discussed before, and it is about housing, health and education, but what is really important is getting people into work. That is one of the greatest barriers that people face right now to getting out of poverty. That means that we need to be in a position where we are giving tailored support, where necessary, and I have raised that with the Government and given them examples of where we have been able to make a difference. <BR /> <BR />You only have to take some of the figures around disability and employment.”
“Homelessness is a key priority for me, not only because of the seriousness of the situation but because of how much we currently need to spend at the end, when it is most expensive. We should invest earlier to make sure that we prevent homelessness rather than address it when it arrives. The housing supply strategy is so important because all the bits fit together, and all the different tenures are important for increasing supply. In order to do that, there are many different partners against many different Departments. That is why I have been progressing that work at pace.”
“I had the opportunity, in recent weeks, to meet a number of UK Government Ministers, Northern Ireland Office officials and others in housing, and I have expressed to them the issues around housing in Northern Ireland. The main issue that I have been progressing with them is the need for Treasury to change its rules around the Housing Executive so that we can see better maintenance of our stock and more housebuilding in Northern Ireland. I believe that is something that the Government have taken on board.”
“The Member is right to mention the Ulster-Scots tradition because it goes far beyond a language and is about the culture, history, heritage and tradition that we want to celebrate. It goes beyond our shores. It is not something from here that remained here; there is so much more for us to celebrate throughout the world. That is why I have introduced the US/NI cultural working group. I believe that there is huge potential that has not been exploited in the past, and I am determined that we do that in the future.”
“I am really impressed by the commitment and dedication shown by the members of the US/NI cultural working group. Excellent work has been done in collaboration with the United States. There has been good collaboration between National Museums NI and the Smithsonian Institution and between the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) and the National Archives. I look forward to being in a position to announce more on that very soon. <BR /> <BR />I think that it is also really important that we take advantage of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and make sure that Northern Ireland remembers and recognises its role in that part of the history of the United States.”
“Yes, absolutely, because it will be successful only if it is cross-departmental. Energy has a large role to play in this. Infrastructure will have its role, and Health, in my view, absolutely has a role as well. Not only will it be beneficial for it to be Executive-wide but it is necessary.”
“Unfortunately, I am not able to give a definitive date on that because it will be subject to Executive approval, but I can reassure the Member that we have progressed with it at pace. As I have said, we have done more on it than has been done for some time, and I am looking forward to being able to share that as soon as possible.”
“Yes. Although it is right that we celebrate the amazing achievements of our Olympians, it is also appropriate that we set in place all that is necessary so that we can have a real and lasting legacy from those incredible games. We need to make sure that we are directing the proper resources towards those performance athletes and also the grassroots so that we can build up for the future. I know that we all want to celebrate the amazing achievements, but let us make sure that we also build a legacy for the future. I will play my role in that.”
“I am grateful to the Member for the question, and I know that he has an interest in this, with a gold medal winner coming from his constituency. I was delighted to be able to celebrate with Rhys, Jack and others that evening. I am pleased to be able to say that there will be a celebration event for all our athletes, not just those who were medal winners. It is absolutely right that we celebrate their achievements. That event will be in the SSE Arena, and, Mr Speaker, I may even invite all Members so that we can all celebrate together.”
“I will do everything that is in my power to make sure that we get extra funding where it is available, support those who are in need and use our existing programmes to support people. Unfortunately, in Mr Carroll. we have a Member who does not even understand the process.”
“It is very disappointing that the Member simply cannot understand what I am saying to him. It is very straightforward and simple. It is very concerning that an MLA, as someone who sits in the House, is unable to process and understand that information and simply parrots the kinds of things that he says. <BR /> <BR />I share the concerns that many have expressed about the impact that the decision will have on people right across Northern Ireland. The UK Government's decision was given to us at very late notice. We did not have time to put in those sorts of assessments, but, unfortunately, the Government have not done so either. I do not think that that was because they did not have time; they have not bothered to put together an impact assessment of how their decision will affect the most vulnerable. That is shameful.”
“<BR /> <BR />Perhaps the Member might have taken the approach of burying his head in the sand and pretending that the problem is not here, but officials made it clear that if we did not confirm our decision with the UK Government, they would go ahead and change the DWP system for only Great Britain. That would have meant that nobody in Northern Ireland would have had access to their winter fuel payment. The Executive were not pleased about the decision in any way, but making it was preferable to sitting on our hands and letting everybody in Northern Ireland lose their winter fuel payment.”
“I communicated my decision to Members as soon as I was in a position to do so. The urgent procedure request that I was granted was delivered to me, and I informed the Assembly as soon as I could. <BR /> <BR />When it comes to my role in all that, we were given the facts by the UK Government. We were told of the changes that they are going to put in place. After work that my officials did, I was informed about what it would cost. We were informed about the issues in and around the IT system as well. We were left in the position of being told that we do not have the resources to continue it or the means by which to take it on.”
“I can only reflect to the House what happened with the timings of the decision. What has taken place with the Government over the past week is, to put it mildly, inappropriate. When announcements are made, it is right and proper that Ministers are able to answer questions on them and speak to the media. Of course, neither of those things happened.”
“My private office was emailed at 6.32 pm on Friday. That email was forwarded to my departmental email address at 7.00 pm.”
“There was a longer lead-in period for that. DWP is changing its system to allow for the changes that are taking place across the whole of the United Kingdom. We asked whether there was any capacity to allow us to do things differently, but the indications that came back were that that was not possible. The difference with the other mitigation measures that the Member raised is that those were done with a much longer lead-in period, which enabled those payments to be made.”
“The paper also estimated the cost of delivering an appropriate IT system to deliver universal winter fuel payments in Northern Ireland to be between £5 million and £8 million, with a further 20% of the development spend per annum for support and maintenance. <BR /> <BR />The Member will be aware that, in order for me to have stood still this year in the Department, an additional £130 million would have been necessary. I received £13 million. I have already had to make significant savings this year. I did not have the room in my budget to enable the payment to continue. However, as I have said on many occasions, not only did we not have the budget available but we did not have the means to deliver it due to the absence of a suitable IT system.”
“As I have said, I strongly disagree with, and am totally opposed to, the Labour Government's decision to change the winter fuel payment eligibility criteria. I am very concerned about the serious consequences that it will have on the comfort, well-being and health of older people across Northern Ireland. I circulated a paper for Executive discussion, detailing the implications of the changes to the winter fuel payment following the Chancellor's statement. The paper outlined the estimated £44·3 million of additional costs, excluding additional delivery and staffing costs, to the block grant of maintaining the universal payment.”
“I have raised the issue and highlighted the impact with UK Ministers on a number of occasions, including with Ministers in the NIO and different Ministers in DWP and elsewhere. To put the number in context, it is over 80% of pensioners in Northern Ireland. So, it is not just the rich, millionaires or people who can easily afford it: many people who are just above the threshold are going to be significantly impacted by the decision. <BR /> <BR />Regarding mitigation, we will certainly do what is in our power. We need to wait to see what Barnett consequentials might be available. We then need to make sure that we help those who are in need.”
“Two hundred and forty nine thousand, six hundred.”
“Of course, as we all know, the House passed the Climate Change Act, which gave us the climate change targets. Those are going to be incredibly difficult for us to meet. Of course, they were beyond what was recommended by experts at the time. We now have to live with the consequences of the decision that this place made. <BR /> <BR />The schemes that I have outlined will contribute to net zero targets. That is important, as residential decarbonisation is significant, but what is more important is ensuring that people have a warm home to live in. That is where the real benefit comes from.”
“Improving energy efficiency and installing decarbonisation measures in homes is a vital part of addressing fuel poverty and meeting our requirements under the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022. My Department is responsible for the affordable warmth scheme, which aims to assist low-income owner-occupiers and households in the private rented sector with an annual household income of less than £23,000. The scheme provides a range of energy efficiency measures, including loft, cavity wall and solid wall insulation; the replacement of inefficient heating systems; and the replacement of windows, where appropriate. My officials are in the early stages of developing a new and more ambitious fuel poverty energy efficiency scheme for low-income households to replace the current affordable warmth scheme, which ends in 2026.”
“I am sorry if the Member believes that my answer was convoluted. I was simply setting out the process for how the funds are allocated. I can certainly assure the Member that I am not doing anything on the basis of sectarian decision-making.”
“The social housing development programme (SHDP) is a three-year rolling programme of planned social housing schemes, based on the identification and analysis of housing need by geographical area. The formulation of the SHDP is shaped by the Housing Executive's strategic guidelines, which ensure that the programme targets those areas of greatest social housing need. In managing the programme, the Housing Executive administers the housing association grant to facilitate the delivery of social housing, and directs housing associations to identify and bring forward development opportunities in those areas of greatest unmet social housing need.”
“Absolutely. It is incredibly important and is a genuine lifeline for many people. We are working our way through the review. Some of the important recommendations have, of course, already been implemented, but, as the Member will be aware, others will require significant financial commitment.”
“My officials have been working to identify options to progress the expert panel's recommendations in the context of the current climate of financial constraint. I will provide an update to Members once that work has been completed.”
“I have certainly raised that with the UK Government. I told them, first of all, about the need to change their minds on the winter fuel payment, and also, if that is not the case, to ensure that we have sufficient support in place for older people, especially those who are most vulnerable. The affordable warmth scheme is, absolutely, a lifeline to many people, and makes long-lasting changes, not just for one year. That is why I will continue to do all that I can to ensure that we can keep that open, and also to ensure that we find a replacement for that scheme under our new fuel poverty strategy.”
“Yes, there has been. In August 2024, 889 people applied in Northern Ireland, compared with 610 in the same period last year. In July 2024, there were 663 applicants, compared with 526 last year. We are seeing an uptick in the number of people who are applying for pension credit. Only two weeks into this month, we have already had over 550 applications. I encourage Members to continue to highlight the importance of pension credit and to get people to apply. I know that it is a long process, but, with the average uplift being £4,400, it is certainly worth it.”
“Pensioners who are on a low income may be entitled to pension credit, which is a means-tested benefit for people over state pension age. On average, people on pension credit can be better off by around £4,400 a year and are passported to other support, such as help with housing costs and NHS costs, and there are free TV licences for those aged over 75. <BR /> <BR />Winter fuel payments will continue to be paid to all pensioners who are in receipt of pension credit and meet the eligibility criteria. Pension credit recipients also receive cold weather payments of £25 a day for any seven-day period of very cold weather between November and the end of March each year. Pensioners on low incomes may be able to access support from my Department's discretionary support service, which can include an interest-free loan to help with fuel costs.”
“When I announced The Northern Ireland Football Fund, I set out some of the criteria that clubs will be expected to adhere to. There certainly will be fair and equitable treatment, and, importantly, the process will be transparent.”
“The performance clubs will be first, not overall but in the performance element of it. I hope that we will be able to initiate those conversations in December, with the application period opening in January. I hope very early in the new financial year to allow grassroots clubs to apply.”
“The Member will be aware of the first 10 clubs that were able to benefit from the business case funding. I recently announced a further three clubs that will have the ability to get the funding that they need. I hope to be in a position to continue further down the list and allow clubs that need the funds that I will make available to progress works to apply for the programme.”
“Yes. It is critical that we invest in grassroots infrastructure in Northern Ireland. Of course, there is huge need at performance level, but grassroots football cannot be forgotten. I appreciate and thank the Member for his invite to west Tyrone. I saw there the important role that those clubs, like so many other clubs that I have visited right across Northern Ireland, play in the local community and how they help more people to get more active more often, which is a key priority for my Department. I assure the Member that I will do everything that I can to make sure that we get that funding out to the clubs that need it.”
“Thank you. The Northern Ireland Football Fund will provide investment for football at all levels. It is a key priority for me. I am committed to moving forward as quickly as possible, and my officials are continuing to push forward at pace. I want to roll out the funding as quickly as possible. However, it is important that funding be disbursed in a fair and transparent manner. I expect that the first projects to be taken forward under the fund will be identified by the end of this financial year.”
“Mr Speaker, I believe that question 4 has been linked to question 13.”
“I hope that the Member was listening to my previous answer. We are in a very constrained budgetary position. Even if my budget were to be doubled, it would not put us at the number of social homes that we need to build. We therefore need to look at alternatives. That is why I introduced the intermediate rent model. It can make a difference. It is why I am pushing for the revitalisation of the Housing Executive programme. Those are two examples of things that can make a difference, and I am determined to pursue them.”
“I have had conversations about that with the Finance Minister and other Executive colleagues, and I believe that the necessary support exists for us to get those changes made and to get agreement from the Treasury. That would truly be a game changer.”
“We can take many actions to ensure that we have a greater supply of homes in Northern Ireland. In the private sector, we absolutely need to look at availability of land, at planning and at water infrastructure. All are important. One of the single most important things that we can do, however, is to see the change that is required to the Housing Executive's borrowing powers come about. "Game changer" is used all too often in this place, often inappropriately, but the revitalisation of the Housing Executive programme would truly be a game changer for housing supply in Northern Ireland, significantly changing our ability to build the houses that we so desperately require in Northern Ireland and bringing us into line with housing associations in, for example, England and Wales.”
“In order for people to have a safe, secure and warm home, it is incredibly important that we have the necessary funds to continue the social housing development programme at the required pace. I hope that those conversations will produce fruit.”
“I have had conversations with the Minister of Finance and the Minister for Infrastructure. The Member's question raises important issues. First, planning is one of many issues that affect our ability to build homes. We need to look at a number of aspects of how we operate our planning system, especially statutory consultees' response times — that is one particular issue that I raised with the Infrastructure Minister — and at the need to make sure that we can encourage responses as quickly as possible. It may be necessary to go beyond encouragement at times. <BR /> <BR />In the many meetings that I have had with the Minister of Finance, I have emphasised to her the need for more investment in our social housing budget.”
“I am in the process of finalising the housing supply strategy. It remains my intention to bring the strategy to the Executive for their consideration shortly. Publication will be dependent on Executive approval.”
“The first part of the Member's question serves to demonstrate how he does not listen. He claims that it was a decision for Stormont, but we do not have the finances to keep the scheme going and make the payment universal. We do not have the means to do that without having access to the DWP system. I do not see how the blame can be laid at the door of the Executive when we do not have the ability to do those two things. I am, however, committed to doing whatever I can to make sure that we support those who are in need.”
“I do not have the details of the change, first, because it is for a UK Government and the Department for Work and Pensions to issue it. I do not expect any direct cost to the Department. The savings will probably be fairly limited overall. On the additional expense for the system, it may just be about pressing one or two buttons to change it. I hope that there will be no additional expense to it. However, it is clear that the decision will have further ramifications. There may be a saving of around £44 million in Northern Ireland, but that will end up costing us a significant sum of money, because we will see an increased number of people having to visit their GP or, perhaps, even being hospitalised because they are no longer able to heat their home in the way that they did. That is not only shameful but not very clever.”
“Of course. I am grateful to the Member for raising that issue. It is right that we identify the serious budgetary situation in which we find ourselves. That is why I and, I hope, the Member will continue to press for additional funding for the key schemes and strategies that my Department implements that have an impact on reducing so many of the societal problems that we face. It is also why, in bringing forward a new fuel poverty strategy, we will make sure that we look at innovative ways to target the money and make sure that we help those most at need.”