Daniel McCrossan
West Tyrone · Social Democratic and Labour Party · Northern Ireland
“I thank the Member for giving way. She has raised some points of interest. Aside from the Bill at hand, the Department of Finance currently collects rates from property owners across Northern Ireland. I have found that there can be difficulties with that when properties have been lying vacant for a significant period.”
“That applies in particular to those who have been land-banking over a period of time — that happens everywhere, unfortunately — with the hope that the big cash cow will be coming and, ultimately, they will be relieved of their responsibility to maintain, look after and enhance the landscape in a town or village by spending the necessary f…”
“As is often the case when we speak in the House, it may be that some ratepayers or members of the public will take it as a given that the Bill will be the silver bullet that will resolve the dilapidation issues in towns. Depending on which area you are in, the scale is very different.”
“We need to be creative in how we can put the Bill to task. <BR /> <BR />Certainly, as I have said, it is good policy. I have no question that the Bill is well intended.”
“<BR /> <BR />Addressing dilapidation is not simply a matter for local government in isolation. The responsibility lies with the Executive as a whole. The Executive have had their eyes closed to this matter for too long, and many of our buildings have deteriorated significantly across council areas over a long period.”
“That encourages private investment, and there is natural enhancement from those investors. However, in areas that lag behind because of economic decline, underinvestment and general deprivation, many towns and cities can quickly become the poor cousin.”
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“There is no day on which I am on that road that I do not witness a potential accident or an accident occur. People have been seriously injured, and some have been left with life-changing injuries that they have had to live with and that they will have to live with for the rest of their life. The people of my constituency are traumatised by that road but are forced on to it because we have no alternative means of travel. Public transport is weak and largely inaccessible in rural constituencies, and in parts of my constituency in particular. We have no rail options. We have only the A5, which runs through the very heart of West Tyrone. That is why business owners and people right across the constituency are united in their frustration.”
“In recent weeks, the Minister for Infrastructure rightly made a positive announcement about the A5 upgrade. Unfortunately at the end of last week, news emerged, which the Minister has confirmed publicly, that pre-action correspondence of a potential legal challenge has been received against the upgrade. Rightly, that has caused a huge amount of frustration and anger in my constituency and beyond and a huge amount of concern over the implications of any action taken against the project. <BR /> <BR />There have been countless delays to the A5 upgrade, and, as a result, we have seen far too many deaths on the road. Almost 60 people are dead, and every single day of delay means that further lives in my constituency and in neighbouring ones are put at risk from that deathtrap of a road.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. She makes a valid point, particularly pointing at the Minister of Finance, given that it was the Minister's party that was so appalled by RHI — they shared our frustration with what was happening — that it collapsed the institutions. Does the Member agree that it is shocking that these failings are happening on her watch?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. He makes important and valid points. Maybe the Minister will shine some light on the fact that the subcommittee that was established to ensure that the recommendations were implemented has not met in this mandate. Does the Member agree that that is appalling, given what was at stake and what was lost as a result of RHI?”
“I thank the Member for giving way and for drawing attention to some of the clear failings. Will the Member agree that this stinks of lessons that have not been learned by the Civil Service and Departments across Northern Ireland, given the huge crisis that was inflicted on our people as a result of RHI a few years ago?”
“I thank the Minister for the statement. The Minister's intentions are good with the statement, but I am sure that he will agree that, when it comes to the wider problem, £1·3 million is like lifting a pebble off a mountain. I am sure the Minister will agree that Advice NI does a great job. Surely the funding would have been better spent by investing in Advice NI and its services because it could certainly do with it. Does the Minister agree?”
“I am grateful to Members for listening to me rant on about these important issues, but I am happy, for once, that we are about to see much positive change in the town that I love so well.”
“There is also the £100 million investment by the city deal, which is a significant investment in health, education and recreational services in Strabane town centre and will benefit the community to a significant degree. Furthermore, we cannot forget the most recent announcement on the A5, which will transform the area and save lives. That has been a great relief to the many who have campaigned for a lifetime for an upgrade to the A5. <BR /> <BR />Those projects are wholly welcome, and they will transform a town that has suffered considerably over many years as a result of a lack of funding and investment. They will benefit all our people and pave a positive path for the young people of the area.”
“It is a 30-acre project that will deliver a shared parkland facility, a pavilion to facilitate cultural activities, adventure play park areas for young families and a footbridge linking Strabane and Omagh. That is a huge and significant investment. It has had its hurdles and difficulties, but it is hugely welcome. <BR /> <BR />That announcement complements all the other announcements that Strabane has enjoyed over the past few weeks that, hopefully, will soon bear fruit, such as the public realm scheme that will see £7 million invested in Strabane town centre. Members have heard me bang on continuously about the need for the regeneration of Strabane town centre. That is ahead of us and will happen soon.”
“Before I refer to a local constituency issue, I put firmly on record my deep appreciation to you, as Speaker of the House, and to colleagues across the Floor, for the support, condolences and wishes that I received on the loss of my mum in recent months. The loss of a mother is deeply personal and absolutely earth-shattering in ways that words cannot express, but I put firmly on record my appreciation to colleagues. <BR /> <BR />Yesterday, there was a positive announcement, again, for Strabane — we are on a winning streak, locally. Some £16·7 million has been delivered by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) for the Strabane and Lifford Riverine project. That will see PEACE PLUS funding invested in the border area between Strabane and Lifford, which will resolve considerable issues that reflect a very difficult past in that border area.”
“How many times has the homelessness strategy steering group met since the Minister took up office? During that time, how many people have presented as homeless citing loss of private rented accommodation as the reason?”
“I thank the Member for making very valid points. That is a huge issue of concern for us all, and it presents to us in our offices every week. Does she agree that there is a disproportionate impact on young single men in particular, who are healthy and well but cannot get enough points to get housed quickly enough, which leads to a particular issue for them with homelessness? I see examples of that every day.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. She has made her points well, and I agree with most of them, but this is a crisis for the Executive. It is up to Ministers to work collectively to resolve the problem of building houses. It is not good enough that one Minister hides from the other; they need to work collectively. The problem with the Government is that they work in silos. That is why we are in a situation that worsens by the day.”
“We must capitalise on this moment to bring about real change to create a Northern Ireland where every family has a home that they can afford, where communities thrive and where no one is left behind. The SDLP is calling for immediate action. I know that all Members recognise that there is a serious problem, but unless we sit down, discuss it properly and lay out a strategy, more people will be left behind. It is the core function of the Executive to ensure that we end poverty; to ensure that we end homelessness; and to ensure that everybody has the same opportunities in life to thrive and build a good life for them and their families. I urge the House to support this important motion and to recognise this crisis.”
“We are talking about vulnerable people in our communities, people who are being put into areas that do not have the infrastructure to support them with regard to their well-being, mental health or addiction, or to police the challenges that they face. It is failing. It is taking a typical sticking-plaster approach, instead of sitting down and working out a strategy, investing in that strategy and achieving outcomes that provide people with homes for the future.”
“That does not mean pumping £28 million into temporary accommodation that is not fit for purpose, spending £7·6 million on non-standard accommodation, such as B&Bs and hotels, and £15·4 million on temporary single housing lets. That represents an increase of 543% since 2016-17. What a legacy for the Executive. <BR /> <BR />When we are out, all smiles, and the cameras are flashing, remember the consequences of the failure of the Executive to address homelessness in our society. An increase of 543%, and that does not even paint the full picture, because people are being put into units that are not suitable for their needs.”
“Some might think that that is overly ambitious, but, for the people I speak to daily who are sleeping on sofas — some are sleeping in our emergency departments — it is a very serious problem, and it points to one reality, which is the failure of the House to address the critical need of our people. <BR /> <BR />Furthermore, we need a renewed commitment to tackle chronic homelessness, strengthen protections in the private rented sector and introduce a new, robust, empty homes strategy. With at least 21,000 properties lying vacant across Northern Ireland, we have a clear immediate opportunity to address short-term housing needs.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is not just the responsibility of the Minister for Communities; it is a collective one for the entire Executive. It is one that lingers from the Executive Office, right through every Department, and it needs to be a key priority for the Executive. They need to come together, remove the silo working and put people at the heart of some of these objectives. <BR /> <BR />We urge the Minister:”
“I will not. I am tight for time, Mr Stewart. <BR /> <BR />The SDLP has long advocated for solutions to these interconnected issues and has called for an immediate declaration of a housing emergency. Send a message to our people that the Executive are taking this crisis seriously and will step up and act, not just put a slight slant in the Programme for Government and say that it is a priority, with no time frames, no plans on how they will achieve it and no measurable outcomes whatsoever, which is typical of how the Executive function. They put out the words with little action to follow, and the crisis gets worse. The hamster wheel continues, and people continue to suffer. There is no greater crisis than homelessness in our society. People should not be suffering in that way.”
“Without urgent upgrades, particularly in areas of greatest need, housing development will remain blocked, and the cost of housing will continue to rise.”
“The rising costs of rent, coupled with increased energy and food prices, are pushing more people into debt and homelessness, with a staggering 70% increase in households presenting as homeless due to the loss of rental accommodation over the past few years. <BR /> <BR />Housing is a vital part of our infrastructure. Yet, it is not being given the priority or investment that it deserves. We are seeing a 60-year low in housebuilding across Northern Ireland. That situation is exacerbated by underinvestment in our waste water infrastructure, which has stalled development of an estimated 19,000 new homes. That is some legacy for this place and how the Executive function and how they really prioritise one of the greatest issues at the heart of our people's concerns.”
“Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Causeway Coast and Glens, which has the highest average house prices, at £242,985, despite being one of the most deprived council areas in the UK. Young people are being priced out of their communities, and that is eroding the very fabric of our local economies and cultures. <BR /> <BR />Meanwhile, our private rented sector remains under-regulated, costly and, often, substandard. Some 13% of households are in the private rented market, with average weekly rents of £109 and rising when compared to social housing rents, with no effective mechanism to enforce the decent home standard, and many tenants, especially those on low incomes, are often forced to live in very poor conditions. We hear about them every day in our offices.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Executive really need to address the crisis, and they need to address it now, with fresh and ambitious ideas and a housing supply strategy that not only replaces lost social housing but increases significantly the homes available to meet current and future demand. We will not get that by standing still. We will make the situation worse. We will have more people struggling on waiting lists and with their lives, which adds to other pressures on the Department of Health and other aspects of the social and economic challenges that our society already has. <BR /> <BR />The proliferation of second homes and short-term holiday lets is another challenge because it is pricing people out of their local communities.”
“Here, however, we are completely left behind. What is worse is that we recognise the problem, yet it continues to get worse. <BR /> <BR />The challenges around social housing are not new. They have long been a very dark shadow over this Building and at the heart of government, but they have become more pronounced in recent times. In recent times, the right-to-buy scheme has led to over 120,000 properties in Northern Ireland being sold. It has left our Housing Executive with just 86,000 housing units, representing a total deduction, since the 1980s, of 58%. We are not building houses — we do not have enough to go round — yet we are selling the ones that we do have. Someone point to me what is wrong with that picture. It is making the situation worse.”
“Is that the legacy of consecutive Executives and their failure to resolve the issue and the growing demand for housing in our society? <BR /> <BR />This year, the Executive managed to secure funding to build only 400 social housing units. It is a number so low that, if we were to continue in that trajectory, it would take 250 years to house everyone on that waiting list. That is an absolutely shocking indictment of how this place functions and how the Executive prioritise, or not, housing for people across our communities. To make matters worse, the budget cuts of nearly 40% to the Department for Communities' capital funding have crippled its ability to invest in new social housing projects. In contrast, in other UK regions, long-term capital budgets and decarbonisation funds have enabled continuous investment in housing infrastructure.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is a basic, fundamental right that people should have access to quality housing, yet over 47,000 households are currently on the social housing waiting list. That figure has grown exponentially in recent years. It means that tens of thousands of families are living in uncertainty, unsure when or if they will find a place to live or to call home. It is one of the biggest challenges of our time, and it is affecting people in a very serious way. Not having the basic provision of a home affects their well-being, their health and their ability to function in society. <BR /> <BR />The situation has been going on for years and years. People have been on housing lists for years. People have died while waiting to be housed in Northern Ireland. Is that really acceptable? Is that the legacy of the House?”
“Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I stand before the Assembly today to address a crisis that has been allowed to grow and worsen by the day under the lack of leadership of the Executive. It is a crisis that is affecting tens of thousands of families right across Northern Ireland. There is no constituency, family or community that is not affected by the real, serious challenges of the crisis. <BR /> <BR />Housing is not just about having a roof over your head; it is central to our well-being, our economy and our futures. Yet, we are facing an unprecedented housing emergency that requires immediate and decisive action: not words, excuses, delays, collapsing institutions and disappearing, but action.”
“I think on his mother and father, Claire and Stephen; his partner, Chloe; his sister, Stephanie; and his brothers Arden and Sheehan. May he rest in peace.”
“<BR /> <BR />I have spoken to the Housing Executive and will continue to engage with it and the Minister on how emergency accommodation is allocated and what checks are put in place to ensure that the person in question, who has been moved from one end of Northern Ireland to the other, is no risk to anyone else or, indeed, to themselves, given that a lot of people are vulnerable. The community is looking for answers from the Housing Executive. I and other elected representatives will seek assurances that a better process will be in place to ensure the safety of the population in those villages and towns, but that does not change what happened. A young man was buried yesterday, and his family are in mourning, grieving the heartbreaking and tremendous loss of a young life.”
“<BR /> <BR />I attended a public meeting on Friday at which hundreds of people from the wider rural community gathered in solidarity with Kyle McDermott's family and his partner to express their outrage at what had happened in the local community. When we delved further into the incident, we found that there is a hostel or an emergency accommodation at the outskirts of the village to which the Housing Executive has been allocating various people. No risk assessments; no checks; just allocations into towns and villages. As a result, we see spikes in antisocial behaviour and issues emerging in various parts of Northern Ireland. On that Sunday night, the worst possible consequences occurred: a young man lost his life. It is absolutely devastating. The sense of anger in the community is palpable.”
“A short distance from Strabane town centre is a small, quaint village known as Ballymagorry. It is a tight-knit local community in a rural part of my constituency, where people have lived for a long time and where there has been little disruption, antisocial behaviour or serious incident. All of that changed on Sunday 6 October, when a young man, Kyle McDermott, was attacked outside his home. Unfortunately, as a result of that attack, he died a short time later. Kyle was 24 years of age. He had recently moved into a new home with his partner, Chloe, and they were living peacefully in the village without any issue. That all changed in a small moment on that Sunday night.”
“I thank the Minister for giving way and providing that clarification. Minister, in the hypothetical context in which Matthew O'Toole has a house in Tyrone — he does not, by the way — that has mica in it and, say, it is 15 years since it was constructed and the contractor has gone bust, what support or redress is there for the affected person in that situation? Ultimately, that is what we will face. A lot of contractors that build houses or estates will not be there. What support is there in the legislation for the likes of Matthew or others who are affected as a result of mica 15 years down the line? Will the legislation provide protection?”
“I am clear that we will see a significant number of homes in my and neighbouring constituencies affected or potentially affected when the effects of those defective materials become obvious in the not-too-distant future. I seek reassurance from the Minister on that as well. <BR /> <BR />It is important that the Minister outline the exact engagement that his Department has had with stakeholders. Certainly, the main criticism that I am receiving in my inbox and to my office — as, I know, other MLAs are — is that there has been minimal engagement, concerns have not been listened to and little reassurance has been given about the potential impact of the legislation or its unintended consequences. I seek those reassurances and updates from the Minister.”
“I would like strong reassurance from the Minister on that. With all due respect, I think that he understands that it is a serious issue and that anyone who is currently affected is in a very stressful situation. <BR /> <BR />I believe that we are about to see only the tip of the iceberg. Constituencies across Northern Ireland and areas across the border are badly affected. It makes no sense that homes across West Tyrone — in places like Castlederg, Killeter, Aghyaran and Strabane — to Derry and Fermanagh and South Tyrone would not be affected by those defective materials when the homes of many thousands of people have been destroyed by them just a few short miles over the border. The border is free-flowing. It does not really exist in practical terms for me and others who live in the areas along it.”
“Indeed, the Minister and the House will be conscious that I tried to table an amendment to provide further protection for people whose homes are affected by mica, pyrite, RAAC or any defective material that would render their homes unsafe and prevent their being able to live in them. It is a scourge that is causing huge stress across the island of Ireland, particularly in border counties around Donegal. A key question for the Minister, following what he said in the House during the debate on a previous stage of the Bill, is this: if someone whose home is 15 years old and crumbling with mica comes forward to the Department, are they protected under the legislation? What protections do they have under it? From what I gathered from the Minister previously, he and the Department feel that those who are affected are adequately protected.”
“I am keen to know from the Minister whether he will update the House on what engagement he has had with it, whether he has taken on board its concerns and why it is not going to receive a response to its legitimate concerns until after the Bill is voted on today. That is a concern for me and other Members.”
“It goes on. In correspondence to me and other MLAs, they say that they have written to the Department on a number of occasions and that the responses from the Department were slow or non-existent; in fact, its most recent concerns will not be addressed until the Bill passes. Therefore, I am a bit concerned about whether the Minister has taken on board the concerns that are shared by various stakeholders. <BR /> <BR />The Minister has cited a number of bodies in the construction industry that the Department is engaging with, but the Royal Society of Ulster Architects has been very, very vocal in its concerns.”
“Just this week, it outlined four areas in correspondence to me and other Members across the House. Its concerns are:”
“As I have stated at the Bill's various stages, accelerated passage is not the proper way to do business in the House. It has led to concerns being raised, concerns that I raised at the Committee for Communities. They were thrashed out between members and across the House in recent weeks. It would have added to the Bill and reassurance would certainly have been provided had we had a Committee Stage to ensure due scrutiny of the Bill. That said, the Minister and the Department were adamant about proceeding on the basis of accelerated passage to ensure alignment with the rest of the UK. <BR /> <BR />Concerns have been raised, and the Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA), as one of the witnesses that attended the Committee, has been vocal about its concerns about the legislation.”
“The commissioners' report from the public inquiry on the A5 has been with the Department for 10 months; it has been on the Minister's desk for six months. Five people have died since February. The Minister has told me that he is being careful, yet, yesterday — three days before the election — he made an announcement to the House about his intention. Whilst I cautiously welcome it, I am sceptical. Minister, what is the small contribution from your Department, and what are you doing as Minister for Infrastructure to ensure that funding will be found to deliver fully the A5 road?”
“Mr Butler, for those of us who have suffered the consequences of putting on the Stormont stone, what advice would you give to keep more active? Does the Commission have plans to bring in, maybe, gym facilities for unfortunate Members like me?”
“Minister, as Chair of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), I have heard countless witnesses at the Committee criticise the Executive for a lack of co-operation. Are you confident that your Department has adhered fully to the Children's Services Co-operation Act?”
“Rather than rehashing what the Minister and the Chair of the Committee have said, I find myself in the strange position where I agree entirely with the Minister. It does not happen often, but it has happened today. It is clear that the Bill is a step towards a more responsive and effective Child Maintenance Service. It is a commitment to the children who depend on timely maintenance payments for their well-being and future. It is an important alignment, and I thank the Minister.”
“I asked the First Minister specifically about housing and whether it would be a stand-alone outcome in the Programme for Government. Minister, your party committed to building 100,000 houses. The Executive, which you lead, are now committed to building only 400 this year. Is that a failure on your part, as First Minister, to deliver housing for all?”
“<BR /> <BR />The House is quick to criticise the austerity that London implements, but I do not hear the dissenting voices of Sinn Féin members of the Executive crying out about job losses and the effect that they are having in our communities, particularly when we cannot even deliver on something as simple and fundamental as housing for our people. This is a ridiculous situation, and the Minister for Communities and, indeed, the First Minister and deputy First Minister need to address it.”
“It is distressing to consider that individuals may be affected directly as a result of the Executive's inability to manage their Budget or, indeed, even provide a Programme for Government to outline the direction of travel for the Government. There is a pressing need for transparency about the locations in the Department where the job losses have happened, and I have requested that Minister Lyons provide a detailed account of those job losses to the House. There is a constant avoidance of providing answers to these important questions, and this matter cannot be dressed up: in real terms, it means 695 job losses.”
“Given the critical nature of the work that the Department for Communities carries out, particularly in areas such as housing — the House has an abysmal record on that, especially the Executive, given that they are not even announcing the sufficient level of new builds this year, with the 400 that have been announced an insult to the many people in Northern Ireland who are waiting to be housed — it is crucial that public services do not suffer as a consequence of those cutbacks. <BR /> <BR />As a representative of West Tyrone, my thoughts are first and foremost with all the DFC staff who are stuck in this disastrous mess and affected by job losses.”
“That is a significant number of job cuts — let us be under no illusion: that is exactly what it is — in the Communities Department, and it raises important questions that are specifically about which areas are affected and the reasons behind those decisions. <BR /> <BR />While it is acknowledged and well played out in the House that financial pressures are facing the Executive and, in turn, individual Departments, the implications of such widespread job losses on the Communities Department's services cannot be ignored.”
“Since the return of the Assembly in February, I have been continually raising issues and concerns about staffing, recruitment and retention in the Department for Communities. I have raised issues about temporary promotions, including those on some posts that have been temporary for seven years now. Concerns have also been raised with me that the avoidance of fair competition is affecting morale and causing frustration in the Department. <BR /> <BR />A response to a question for written answer that I received from the Minister for Communities last week outlined further concern for me, because he said that he is announcing a further 95 job reductions in the Department this year. That is on top of 600 in the previous year.”
“They deserve better than a social security benefit that systematically traps them in poverty. Delivering the carer's allowance recognition payment would not change that completely, but it would be an important starting point. There is a significant moral and financial case for the Department to prioritise it during the rest of the Assembly mandate. It is so important that the House recognises carers' outstanding contribution. Today, as I present this petition and thank Carers NI for the work that it does, as well as all those who signed the petition, we must put on record our deep appreciation of all that carers have done for the people of Northern Ireland.”