Andy Allen
East Belfast · Ulster Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“I thank the Member for her question. There are two accessible toilet cubicles available to visitors on the ground floor, one designated for male use and one for female use. On the first floor, there is an additional accessible toilet facility that is available for use by all visitors.”
“Before I begin, I declare an interest as a trustee of a charity. Through that role, I have seen at first hand the valuable work that charities carry out and the responsibilities that fall on trustees to ensure that organisations are properly governed.”
“I thank the Member for her follow-up question. While no formal assessment has been undertaken to establish a direct correlation between facilities and attendance by people with disabilities, we regularly engage with and welcome to Parliament Buildings people with disabilities through a range of forums, including involvement with the Youth…”
“<BR /> <BR />Perhaps the most significant issue for scrutiny is the extent to which important operational detail is being transferred from primary legislation into regulations.”
“Nevertheless, it would be useful to know how concerns relating to such organisations, should they arise, would be addressed and how cooperation between regulators would operate should issues arise.”
“I thank the Member for his question. The Assembly Commission installed a Changing Places facility in Parliament Buildings in 2011. Standard accessible toilets do not meet the needs of many people, including those with profound and multiple learning disabilities.”
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“<BR /> <BR />Clause 4 places a limit on the tenancy deposit amount, which is an area that has caused me great frustration. I have worked with and supported many constituents who have been required to provide up to three times their rent as a deposit. That is simply unaffordable. It is not justifiable. A deposit of £1,500 or £1,600 is not affordable, so I welcome the clause's inclusion. <BR /> <BR />Clauses 8, 9 and 10 concern increased safety. None of us will have missed the announcement of the rise in energy costs in the past couple of weeks, so clause 9, on energy efficiency regulations, is crucial. We cannot have a circumstance in which the private rented sector, as others have said, across our three housing tenures — owner-occupier, social and private rented — makes up 17%.”
“We will not be put under the cosh, and we will afford the time necessary to scrutinise the Bill properly. I will not mince my words when touching on some of the clauses. <BR /> <BR />I welcome clause 1, which deals with tenants being given notice regarding certain matters. It is astounding the number of tenants who come into my constituency office who do not know their rights. They do not have details of their particulars. When I ask them for a copy of their tenancy agreement, many have not even been given a copy of it. It is therefore very welcome that that will have to be provided within 28 days. <BR /> <BR />Clause 3 deals with the requirement to provide a tenant with a receipt for each rent payment in cash. I ask the Minister whether there is scope for that requirement to cover any other cash payment.”
“I declare an interest as a private-sector landlord. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Minister and her officials for bringing forward this important legislation, which is the first substantive change to our private tenancies legislation in nearly a decade, outside of the COVID regulations, which were very welcome to protect and support tenants during the period that we have come through. <BR /> <BR />As the Chair pointed out, the Communities Committee has a keen interest in housing matters. Owing to COVID, we have not been able to devote the time to them that we would have liked, but we will give the Bill our full scrutiny, as we did with the Licensing and Registration of Clubs (Amendment) Bill and will do with the range of other Bills that come before the Committee.”
“I thank the First Minister for his answer. Will he advise how the Executive Office will ensure that the Armed Forces Bill, when it is finalised and has completed its passage through Westminster, will be implemented in Northern Ireland in the same way as it will be implemented across the United Kingdom? Why has the Executive Office not made a formal appointment to the armed forces covenant reference group, which sets the strategic direction for covenant funding across the UK?”
“Minister, you have highlighted an important point about the availability of an electronic register, and you have highlighted the fact that it is the responsibility of the Department of Justice. Have you had any engagement with your ministerial counterpart in the DOJ in respect of the creation of such a register?”
“The Member welcomes the amendments, but does she agree that it has been a failing of the system that, until now, we have not had an electronic register available to us?”
“The Member's amendment at Consideration Stage indicated a desire to break down the publication of the number of licences by postcode. I note that the Department's amendment states that it should be done by district electoral area. Does the Member agree that it would be good to have that information even by postcode prefix?”
“I am sure that the Member will note the important inclusion of the secondary legislation-making powers that the Minister holds in relation to taprooms. Hopefully, through the various reviews, the Minister will be able to see that there is potentially an undue impact on the sector and will, by way of regulation, be able to bring forward additional days.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement and the actions contained therein. I am sure that the Minister welcomes the broad support across the Chamber for the actions that he has outlined. He previously highlighted the importance of multi-year budgeting, and his statement reinforced that. Does the Minister agree that, by setting out a strategy that has cross-party support in the Executive and spans more than one Assembly term, the actions that he has outlined as being essential to our NHS are more deliverable?”
“Will the Member help the House to understand how she arrived at the figure of 208 days? Why was there no alternative figure?”
“For the reasons that I provided during the group 1 debate, we will not support amendment No 31. However, again, I highlight the Department's ability to change the number of occasions by way of regulation, if that is deemed necessary.”
“As per the Chair's comments, I ask the Minister to reaffirm that commitment and will listen closely to her comments. <BR /> <BR />On the remaining amendments, the Ulster Unionist Party recognises the growing importance of our local producers and the wider provision of taprooms. We support the important step of legislating for the provision of taprooms as an additional opportunity for local producers who wish to offer that service. To that end, we will support the Minister's amendment Nos 9, 13, 16, 20 to 27, 30 and 32. Those are all technical, consequential and drafting amendments to the Committee's amendment No 19, which we also support. In addition, we are minded to support amendment No 28, which would provide for additional hours beyond those provided for in amendment No 19, as articulated in the Committee and detailed in its report.”
“It was remiss of me not to place on record during the group 1 debate my thanks to Claire McCanny and the Bill Office for their support, dedication and guidance throughout Committee Stage. <BR /> <BR />Turning to the group 2 amendments, we are not minded to support amendment No 7. We support the Committee's approach to supporting the Minister's proposal to carry out a short, sharp consultation over the summer months on the inclusion of cinemas as places of public entertainment, which would enable them to serve alcohol. The consultation will provide a clear understanding of public opinion on serving alcohol in cinema settings. As detailed by the Committee Chair, the Department has indicated its ability to designate by way of regulation.”
“However, we highlight the seeming omission of that ability from amendment No 49, so I ask the Minister to clarify the intent of not including the secondary legislation for registered clubs. <BR /> <BR />We cannot support amendment Nos 2, 5, and 50, but we fully support amendment No 4. On amendment Nos 3, 6 and 49, we fully support the intention of ensuring that residents have the opportunity to be better informed of proposed applications, and we welcome the provision on strengthened mechanisms to allow complaints on such applications to be raised where required.”
“<BR /> <BR />As the Ulster Unionist Party representative on the Communities Committee, I will detail our position on the group 1 amendments. On amendment No 1, we recognise the need to modernise our licensing laws to address consumers' changing expectations and to support our hospitality sector. We will, therefore, support amendment Nos 1 and 48. <BR /> <BR />I will address amendment Nos 2, 4, 5 and 50 together. Again, we recognise the need to adapt our licensing laws to address consumers' changing expectations. We agree with the position that was reached at Committee that the correct extension for additional authorisations in this case should be up to a maximum of 104 occasions. We note the Minister's important inclusion of the ability to review and amend through secondary legislation the maximum number of occasions permitted.”
“With your indulgence, Mr Speaker, I will make some brief remarks on the Consideration Stage of the Bill. I assure you that, given the late hour that we are likely to run to across the groups, I will be concise and to the point on the amendments. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Chair of the Committee for Communities for her comprehensive overview of the Bill's progression through its Committee Stage. It was a very fair synopsis of the extensive work undertaken and the time invested by all, which were important in helping to further shape the legislation. That is reflected by the various amendments. I also echo the Chair's thanks to the departmental officials, all those who contributed evidence to inform the Committee and the wider Committee staff team.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. A significant number of children are entitled to free school meals across our education system. It is important for them to be provided with free school meals in a school setting. Minister, you moved quickly during the pandemic to provide payments when children were not in school. Do you have any plans to bring forward a more long-term policy to tackle holiday hunger?”
“At the outset, I declare an interest as I am charity trustee. The Minister and Members across the House will no doubt be aware of the vital work carried out by charities right across Northern Ireland and further afield. Minister, can you advise what work the Department is undertaking to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on charities moving forward, and what tailored programmes will be coming in the future to continue to support and sustain those charities?”
“I support the calls for an urgent review of the welfare reform mitigations, and I call for its recommendations and proposals to be brought to the Committee thereafter. <BR /> <BR />Minister, I note your legislative timetable. It was indicated to the Communities Committee that you hoped to introduce legislation on the social-sector size criteria by February 2021. That is another target missed. From a question for written answer that I tabled, I recall that your Department indicated that legislation has been shared with the Executive and that responses have been received. Perhaps you can provide a definitive timeline for when the Communities Committee and other colleagues in the Chamber will see that legislation and a timeline for when we will see the regulations that will be introduced to amend the loopholes.”
“Where do we go with that? <BR /> <BR />Like others, I do not fully understand the rationale for the amendment from the Member across the way. The Minister is on the record as stating that she is firmly committed to the independent advice sector, and I believe that that funding will be found. I pay tribute and give credit to the independent advice sector. My office utilises it. I have sought training, as an MLA, to navigate the unwieldy and difficult social security system. It is not easy. I have a basic understanding and knowledge of how to support and signpost constituents through the social security system, but our independent advice sector has additional layers of expertise and professionalism that are often needed.”
“Perhaps the Minister will set out the long-term plan to address the impact on individuals. <BR /> <BR />Job Start and labour market interventions receive no allocation. The draft Budget presents a bleak situation for the Minister's Department, and I do not envy her. It is easy to sit on the sidelines and critique, but I will give the Minister my full support and assistance from within the Committee in any way that I can to support the people who need it. Does the Minister have jump leads at the ready to kick-start Job Start? Where is it? I have spoken to many people, and I could throw out catchy sound bites and phrases. That is well and fine, but the reality is that I have spoken to many young people who were preparing to avail themselves of that scheme, and their hopes were dashed when the rug was pulled from under them.”
“They have highlighted and demonstrated the additional mitigations that they feel are required. However, little to no action has been taken on that. I am frustrated, and I understand why Members tabled the motion. I thank them for doing so, because I see the daily impact of welfare reform on my constituents and on Northern Ireland as a whole. It is not fair to blame it solely on Tory welfare cuts and others. What is the Assembly doing to address it? What are we doing to address fuel poverty? What are we doing to address the long-term effects of the impact on people's lives? I welcome the heating payment, for example, that was brought forward in response to COVID. I did not necessarily agree with the wider policy, but I understood that individuals' heating costs had risen. However, these are short-term solutions to a long-term problem.”
“Daily, my team and I support constituents who find it very difficult to navigate the universal credit system. They are unable to work with IT, and it seems that no measures are in place to help them. We are having to engage repeatedly with the universal credit team, who, I might add, are terrific. I pay tribute to them. Repeatedly, they step up to the mark. The problem is not them. It is not their policy, but they are implementing a system that they have to work within. <BR /> <BR />The argument around the welfare reform mitigations has been well made. It is one that we have heard for many years. We know what mitigations may be working and those that are not. Various groups, including the Cliff Edge Coalition, have presented to the Communities Committee on many occasions.”
“Since getting involved in politics back in 2015, I have engaged repeatedly with constituents across the spectrum, not just in East Belfast but across Northern Ireland. Often, they understand what is being attempted to be achieved by the streamlining of our social security system. If we look at our legacy system, what do we see? We see that we had income-based income support, income-based employment support allowance and industrial injuries. It was unwieldy. There were so many benefits that it was difficult to navigate through them. On the surface, it made perfect sense to streamline that system by introducing universal credit. However, in reality, we do not have a streamlined system. It is not a system that constituents and everyday people find it easy to navigate.”
“As the Minister pointed out, there is a significant problem in the Housing Executive stock in relation to cavity wall insulation. The research pointed out that 63% of the stock was non-compliant with modern standards, as the Minister mentioned. However, the Housing Executive indicated that it did not intend to take that recommendation forward in its current financial circumstances. Has the corporation tax situation any bearing on that? Also, on how many of the 1% of properties has action been taken?”
“I thank the Minister for her answers thus far. The revitalisation statement mentioned reclassifying the Housing Executive as a mutual- or cooperative-type body. Minister, are you able to point to a similar body in another jurisdiction that has the same vision as the one that you are creating for the Housing Executive?”
“I thank the Minister for her statement, which refers to 'Creating an Inclusive Future Vision for our Ageing Populations'. I have been contacted recently by some of our ageing population in Knocknagoney who are being uprooted from their homes. Minister, what do you intend to do as part of that vision to ensure that people who have lived in our communities all their life are not uprooted and forced to move to other areas?”
“Minister, it is evident in the draft Budget that your Department's wider budget is under severe pressure. With that in mind, are there any proposed schemes in the forthcoming financial year that may be under threat?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Minister, as I highlighted, I very much welcome the payment, and I have been contacted by many in the sector who also welcome it. More importantly, Minister, are you aware of any steps that the Finance Minister is taking, in consultation with Treasury and the Communities Minister, in respect of income tax and social security payments to ensure that the maximum amount of money remains in the pockets of those who deserve and are entitled to that payment? Furthermore, will you indicate the overall cost of the scheme?”
“At the outset, I declare an interest as a veteran. Indeed, I have witnessed first-hand some of those difficulties that the First Minister alludes to. <BR /> <BR />First Minister, will you advice whether, with the appointment of the Veterans Commissioner, you will nominate him to the armed forces covenant reference group? Also, will the Executive Office work with the commissioner in order to compile a report to the UK-wide armed forces covenant review?”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. Minister, it will come as no surprise that, repeatedly and daily, constituents right across Northern Ireland are contacting myself and other Members about the business support scheme for the COVID-19 restrictions, pleading for those payments to be made. Minister, can you advise what additional support will be provided to Invest NI to ensure that the money goes to the individuals who desperately need it now?”
“Minister, in the past 10 years, we have been in and around meeting the target for social housing starts. As we discussed in Committee, however, that is clearly not having the effect that is required to house the many thousands on the waiting list across the Province. I appreciate that part of your revitalisation is to increase the number of houses. Are you able to indicate at this stage what a more realistic and ambitious target of new housing starts will be?”
“Minister, can you advise how many of the unsuccessful appeals went on to stage two appeals to the Social Security Commissioner? Also, do you have any data on how many of those within the backlog of appeals are currently in receipt of welfare supplementary payments? Can you give a guarantee that none of those payments will be impacted whilst they wait for their appeal to be heard?”
“I echo the comments of colleagues around the Chamber in welcoming this much-required enhancement. I thank you for bringing it forward. <BR /> <BR />Minister, my constituency office team and I have supported many constituents to avail themselves of this grant. As you have highlighted, it is a lifeline for many. With that in mind, can you advise on the average time taken to process the claims and on any steps that you have taken within the discretionary support system to ensure that claims are processed efficiently?”
“As the Minister will be aware, the subregional stadia programme is a commitment that sat alongside the regional stadia programme, for which a potential increase in the final budget has been forecast. The Department for Communities carried out a budgetary exercise recently. From that, can the Minister advise whether the Minister for Communities forecasts an increased spend on the subregional stadia programme?”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. The Minister gave a startling figure, and I appreciate her referring to it. Minister, what is the Department's average response time to a reported defect? Does the Department hold any information on claims made in the window between a defect being reported and repaired?”
“As you highlighted, Minister, we are seeing an increase in hospital and ICU admissions. That puts pressure on the health service and impacts on other services. Do you agree that the appalling actions of some should not be a benchmark for wider society?”
“The Member mentions the joined-up approach in supporting children in the education system. Does he agree that Communities also has a vital role to play in providing quality and affordable social housing? In many properties across Northern Ireland, children live in conditions that would be described as unacceptable, and that can have a knock-on effect on the education system.”
“Will the Minister outline the engagement that he has had with housing providers on the availability of public land in order to meet a more ambitious housebuilding target?”
“The Minister has rightly highlighted the use of public land for new house building and, indeed, his colleague, the Minister for Communities, has highlighted that she feels that the housing targets of the Department are abysmally low.”
“What impact will COVID have on the capacity for face-to-face assessments to be conducted? What work will the Department undertake to ensure that appellants are offered the appeal type most suitable for them?”
“As the Minister is well aware, paramilitarism and organised crime have affected far too many lives across Northern Ireland. Organised crime bosses prey upon many of our impressionable young people and get them to do their bidding. What engagement has the Minister had with her colleague, the Minister of Education, around creating an education programme to prevent our young people getting caught up in organised crime and paramilitarism?”
“As highlighted, the appeals process is very stressful and daunting for those who are going through it. Will the Minister highlight any actions or steps that her Department is taking to clear any potential backlog in the system?”
“I thank the Minister for her commitment to extend and strengthen the welfare mitigations. They are important for mitigating the worst impacts of welfare reform. <BR /> <BR />Minister, social sector size criteria, the bedroom tax, will be around for a long time to come. It is not going away — we all know that — and we have all given a commitment to support those affected by it. Often, constituents have approached my office wanting to downsize from properties that are larger than they require, but the current system does not allow them to do that. Will you advise what work the Department, in conjunction with the Housing Executive and housing associations, intends to undertake to support those who wish to downsize?”
“I thank the Minister for his comprehensive answer. Minister, you have outlined that contact tracing is one important resource at the disposal of your Department, alongside others that include the wider Executive guidance and regulations. Recently, we have seen examples of mass gatherings that are perceived to have exceeded the limits set out. Will the Minister outline whether he is confident that contact tracing will have the resources at its disposal, should an outbreak occur as a result of one of those mass gatherings?”
“I am sure that the Minister will be looking at other ways to ensure that she can maximise the uptake of financial transactions capital. Indeed, my party leader has pointed out today that the Finance Minister has indicated that FTC funding may be available. I hope to see the Communities Minister lobbying the Finance Minister to get that funding and invest it into our housing stock. I promised to be short, so I will leave it there.”
“A significant area of importance, although it is not the only one, in my constituency office is housing. I have heard many Members speak on that area, and I have spoken to other Members across the House about the many representations and queries that they receive from constituents in relation to housing. Those are not just about repairs to Housing Executive and housing association properties but are predominantly about the lack of social housing. <BR /> <BR />We in this House really do need to be ambitious. We need to back our words up with actions, and we need to start delivering. I welcome the Minister's announcement of the £10 million investment in the co-ownership scheme, and that is another scheme to enable, help and support individuals into affordable housing.”
“Housing associations will all, of course, also welcome the Bill and the much-required clarity and certainty that it will bring for them. I also welcome, as my Committee colleague across the way did, the press release from the Minister setting out her housing programme, which we received today. Indeed, it is referred to as an ambitious housing programme, and I am sure that many Members will agree with the Member across the way who said that, in previous years, housing programmes have been less than ambitious. It is widely recognised that we have not been building enough houses, year-on-year, to meet the demand. <BR /> <BR />There has been much talk in the House today in various other debates, which I will not stray into, about our Assembly staff, and rightly so. Our Assembly staff and, indeed, my own staff are invaluable to me.”
“Mr Temporary Speaker, I assure you that I will exercise restraint and will not speak for too long. I am sure that Members across the Chamber will welcome that. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Minister for setting out to the House and providing various updates to it on the queries that were raised at Consideration Stage. Indeed, I thank the Minister for the haste in which the Department came forward to the Committee to address the oversight around the consultation report. I agree with the Deputy Chair and do not believe that it would have had any bearing on the decision process that we have undertaken in the House. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the passage of the Bill, as all Members across the House do. It is a very welcome development. It is a Bill that has been in the making for nearly four years.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer, and for outlining the important additional funding received from the UK Government. The Minister will no doubt be aware of the additional £30 million announced in March — which seems like a long time ago — by the Chancellor for the Changing Places Fund for toilets. <BR /> <BR />I believe there is no Barnett consequential due for that fund. Can the Minister outline what engagement he has had with Executive colleagues, particularly the Minister for Communities, about setting up a similar fund for Northern Ireland?”