Kellie Armstrong
Strangford · Alliance Party · Northern Ireland
“I welcome the opportunity to speak in support of the Fisheries, Aquaculture and Water Environment Bill. It is timely and important. Miss McIlveen, a fellow MLA for the Strangford constituency, has just spoken.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Bill reflects the realities of the post-Brexit landscape by aligning protections here with those in other UK jurisdictions and the UK Fisheries Act. That consistency is important for standards, enforcement and international confidence in our products.”
“Last year, I met the Department and we discussed that. The opportunities for seaweed farming in Strangford lough are wonderful, and the opportunities from seaweed that Queen's University has identified are incredible. We are lucky to have those opportunities on our doorstep, as long as there is licensing and it is properly looked after.”
“Moving beyond managing individual fisheries, the Bill recognises the interconnected nature of our rivers, loughs and seas — an approach that is very much in line with Alliance's commitment to evidence-based environmental policy. The inclusion of a national benefit objective is also significant.”
“A while ago, we saw that commercial bottom trawling had all but decimated the horse mussel population in Strangford lough. It has since been changed to a special area of conservation. That limits a lot of activity in the lough, which is not a bad thing considering that horse mussels are coming back.”
“They allow for timely action on lower-level offences without over-burdening the courts while still acting as a meaningful deterrent. If only everybody were acting properly, we would not need to have those deterrents, but we are where we are, and the Bill hopes to improve upon that.”
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“They deserve a system that works for them, not against them, and, with the proposals set out in 'A New Deal for Private Renters', we have a clear, credible pathway to deliver exactly that. We have a chance to transform the rental market, lift the stress carried by so many of our constituents from them and build a fairer, more secure housing system for everyone in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />I will finish by confirming that Alliance will not support the DUP's amendment, because a review of the house sales scheme is not enough. We will support Sinn Féin's moratorium and rent controls.”
“Those are not radical ideas. They are reasonable, evidence-based and in line with protections that renters already enjoy in other parts of the UK and Ireland. They represent fairness for the thousands of people who are currently paying too much, living with too little security and receiving too few protections. <BR /> <BR />The Communities Minister has the power to act, and the Assembly has the ability to deliver change, but, without political will, renters will continue to struggle. That is why we are calling once again for urgent action, not after the next election but now. Our private renters deserve better. They deserve the same protections enjoyed elsewhere in these islands.”
“Our paper sets out clear practical reforms and calls for an affordable rent triple lock — a mechanism designed to prevent the kind of unstable rent hikes that are forcing people into hardship. It proposes a ban on no-fault evictions to give renters the security that they need to build stable lives. It recommends capping short-term holiday lets to ensure that homes are used for local people, not just tourism profit. It also explores the creation of a statutory housing ombudsman with real legal powers to enforce standards and protect tenants when things go wrong — a housing ombudsman that would look at all types of housing. <BR /> <BR />As Oscar Wilde said, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so I welcome the SDLP's repetition of Alliance's position as set out in our 'A New Deal for Private Renters' paper.”
“That is why the Alliance Party brought forward solutions, publishing our comprehensive policy paper, 'A New Deal for Private Renters', a detailed set of proposals designed to fix a broken system and deliver fairness for renters across Northern Ireland.”
“No-fault evictions continue to push people into instability. The rapid growth of short-term holiday lets and the selling off of Northern Ireland Housing Executive homes has squeezed the supply of long-term homes, leaving renters competing for fewer and fewer options. That is why rents are going through the roof. <BR /> <BR />The problems are not new. They have been allowed to grow year after year because successive Communities Ministers have failed to act. Almost two years since the Assembly's return, we have seen no meaningful progress from the current Minister. That is simply not good enough. Everyone deserves access to a safe, secure and affordable home.”
“Across Northern Ireland, more than 300,000 people live in the private rented sector: that is one in every six households. Those renters are families, young professionals, students, older people and those who are simply trying to get by. For far too many of them, renting here means living with constant anxiety about rising rents, insecure tenancies and whether they will still have a roof over their heads in a month. We know that the reality is that finding safe, secure and affordable housing in Northern Ireland has become increasingly difficult. Rents are rising faster than inflation. Today, the DUP mentioned that rents can be updated only once every 12 months: they can be doubled or trebled if a landlord so chooses. It does not matter whether somebody is given three months' notice: if their rent is unaffordable, it is unaffordable.”
“As the Minister said, the report was given to her Department in November 2025. When does the Minister anticipate the publication of that report, and why is it taking so long?”
“Given the cross-departmental nature of the strategy, how are the First Minister and the deputy First Minister ensuring that Departments are being held accountable for delivery? What mechanisms are in place to address underperformance?”
“Thank you, Minister. I am very intrigued by your answer, in which you mentioned the 17 integrated neighbourhood teams. However, one of the groups of people who have not been included are the patients. Co-production and co-design are core, underpinning themes of the Northern Ireland Executive and the Assembly. How will the 17 integrated neighbourhood teams work in partnership with communities, particularly isolated rural communities, LGBTQIA communities, asylum seekers and so on?”
“I need to know and I need the Minister to outline what steps he will take to ensure that every person who needs shelter during severe weather gets it and what changes will be made to guarantee that SWEP works every time it is needed. No one should be left out in the cold again.”
“Did the Department, perhaps, not provide enough money to deliver the service? Those are questions that demand answers. <BR /> <BR />The Department and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive know that the number of out-of-hours homeless requests has exploded over the past three years. In July of last year, 1,675 people presented to the out-of-hours service. That was in just one month, in warm weather. Imagine if 1,675 people were to present in December and January and be turned away. <BR /> <BR />There has been a call by Councillor Paul McCusker at Belfast City Council to say that the out-of-hours service is dysfunctional and chaotic, so we have to get it fixed. There is public outcry every time that a homeless person dies on our streets and rightly so. The public expect leadership.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is not just a procedural failure; it is a failure that put lives at risk. The public expect us to act when systems designed to protect the most vulnerable break down. The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) has reported that 58 homeless people died in Northern Ireland in 2024. That is 58 lives lost — 58 tragedies that should compel us to do better. When a protocol that is designed to save life fails, the consequences will be fatal. We cannot allow more homeless people to become statistics. <BR /> <BR />SWEP is supposed to provide emergency accommodation in communal spaces provided by hotels, hostels, churches — anywhere that offers warmth and safety — yet 11 people were turned away because there was not enough space. Was it a lack of capacity, a breakdown in communication or a failure in planning?”
“Mr Speaker, I wish you and everyone in the House a very happy new year. <BR /> <BR />Unfortunately, it has not been such a happy new year for some people in Northern Ireland. On Sunday 4 January — one of the coldest nights of the year so far — 11 people were forced to sleep on the streets in sub-zero temperatures. That happened despite the severe weather emergency protocol (SWEP) being in place. SWEP exists for one reason: to prevent anyone from sleeping rough during life-threatening weather conditions. On that night, it failed. Those 11 people were turned away because there was not enough space in communal areas. I have to ask why that happened. I have reached out to the Minister for Communities to ask why it happened on his watch and to ask him to ensure that it never happens again.”
“That is non-stop, and the pressure that it puts on some communities is unbearable. That is where we need to work together. That is a solution that should not exist for someone who is living in poverty. We need to make sure that, when we fund and support those community and voluntary organisations, we support them to stop that activity. It is important. Our local police also have a role in that. <BR /> <BR />I say this to all of our community and voluntary organisations: I know that you are on the front line, and I know that you find it tough, but we need you. I only hope that, with the anti-poverty strategy and fuel poverty strategy coming forward, there will be help for the too many people in Northern Ireland living in poverty.”
“I thank the Member for her intervention. I will confirm that by saying that the food banks that I know, which work extraordinarily hard, are not required to report paramilitary lending and that possibly being the reason why someone is in debt.Paramilitaries see themselves as the solution, the helper, the people who will step in when there is nobody else to provide that help. We do not lift data that enables us to say how many people are borrowing money from paramilitaries. I know for a fact that paramilitary lenders were sitting in a car outside a North Down and a Strangford constituency food bank and support system, watching to see who was going in, and saying to them afterwards, "I can lend you fifty quid" or, "If you put in for discretionary support, we'll help you fill out the form. You give us fifty quid, and you'll get the rest".”
“I am so sorry that they live on the minimum wage. I would love to see that improve, because they are as important to me in my work as an MLA as a GP. They are vital to keeping people well in our community. The stress that is placed on constituents in North Down and elsewhere because of poverty is unimaginable to someone like me.”
“I know a mum-of-six who was recently offered support through the Kiltonga centre. I was amazed that it was able to deliver that. That support was not available anywhere else. I encouraged her to go forward for discretionary support, but, because she had had a loan before, she was out of the system. She has six children. As we know, the two-child cap is going, thank goodness, so she will see some light at the end of the tunnel, but it will not solve her problems. <BR /> <BR />Thanks very much to all those who work for the community and voluntary sector organisations. They, too, are living in poverty, because many are paid the minimum wage. To those whom we in the Assembly depend on to see people living in poverty through the winter and the school holiday period, when there is no help with hunger, I say, "Thanks".”
“There are many people who try their very best, but, after they have paid their rent, their electricity bill and their gas or oil bill, they have nothing left at the end of the month. That is what we have come to in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />I know that the Minister is determined to look at fraud, but not everyone who is on benefits is a fraudulent person. They simply need help from us to keep going. Costs and the cost of living have continued to rise. As we have seen, the local housing allowance (LHA) has not kept in line with housing benefit rates or private rented sector rates. There are issues. The number of people who call all our offices to reach out for help is incredible. From working in the constituency next door to North Down, I know that that is the case there too. <BR /> <BR />Mr Chambers spoke about the Kiltonga centre.”
“There is much that we need to do. We cannot keep depending on the community and voluntary sector to pull the Assembly out of a hole when it comes to poverty. <BR /> <BR />As many of us will know through our constituency offices, the Bryson scheme opened recently. Within a week — I tell a lie: it was not a week; it was two days — the vouchers issued to my office to help people who live in poverty with their electricity bills were gone. Fifty vouchers were snapped up just like that. I could have given out another 150 vouchers if I had had them. The food bank is constantly giving out vouchers for food parcels and is asking people what they need help with in order to prevent them from having to use a food bank. To be honest, it all comes back to one thing: they do not have enough money.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Principal — "Principal"? — Deputy Speaker. I have given you a promotion, Mr Deputy Speaker. <BR /> <BR />Obviously, I am not a Member for North Down, but I am a Member for the Strangford constituency, which is next door to North Down and shares one of its council areas, Ards and North Down Borough Council. As has been said by everyone here, poverty is a scourge on our society. More and more people who work are on universal credit and need the support of our Government in order to get by. We have children living in poverty, we have middle-aged people living in poverty and we have a growing number of older people living in poverty. <BR /> <BR />I know that the Minister is due to come forward with the final anti-poverty strategy. Other strategies such as the fuel poverty strategy are due to come forward.”
“Will the Minister outline how much of the remaining £12·8 million of financial transactions capital (FTC) can be allocated, and is he aware of any shovel-ready projects?”
“Thank you very much. The Member talks about reform, but, in the previous mandate, Alliance, alongside his predecessor, Jim Allister, worked on AERC to have the report on reform brought to the House. Have you read that?”
“Thank you, Minister. I must declare an interest as a member of the deaf community. The statement is very welcome. We have been waiting for the strategy for quite a while. I am a little bit concerned at the timing of it, given that the multi-year Budget is coming up. In the sign language legislation, it says that, without doubt, Departments can take into consideration affordability when deciding about reasonable adjustments. Have you had any discussions with your Executive colleagues on the amount of money that they should be setting aside in their multi-year budgets to deliver the eventual outcomes of the strategy?”
“Minister, we await the much looked-forward-to fuel poverty strategy. Have you made adequate application to the multi-year Budget to fund any innovative measures that will come forward in that strategy?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. I am delighted to hear that coastal communities will be able to have input into the forum. Minister, can you update the House on your work on marine protected areas (MPAs), such as Strangford lough in my constituency?”
“Minister, you spoke about doing what matters most and about a draft Budget being put forward to the Executive. How will we reduce energy costs for households and businesses in Northern Ireland, given the extra help that people in GB will get as a result of the Budget?”
“Every person in Northern Ireland who does not have a suitable, safe home can have one if every Minister comes together and focuses on homelessness as a priority. It is a key issue in the Programme for Government, and I hope that we will see a commitment across Departments to end homelessness in the upcoming multi-year Budget.”
“We believe that the launch of that research fits well with this year's theme, because the approach is person-centred, designing and delivering tailored support to suit the individual needs of the person experiencing homelessness. Led by Fiona Boyle and co-authored by Imogen Blood and Nicholas Pleace, the research outlines what Housing First is and what it has done up until now and makes recommendations on how it could be further utilised to respond to chronic homelessness. Please come along to today's event to hear Fiona outline the findings of the research, alongside input from other voices in the homelessness sector. <BR /> <BR />I thank all of the organisations that help people who are homeless every day. I especially thank the health inclusion nurses who work on the ground with so many on our streets. Homelessness can be resolved.”
“This year, I remind everyone that behind every figure and every headline is a person with hopes, struggles and potential. <BR /> <BR />There is a programme of events on Homeless Connect's website. I encourage every MLA to take a look at the website and to take part in one of those events. I invite all MLAs to go along to an event in the Long Gallery at 1.30 pm today that is being operated by Homeless Connect. At that event, we will launch a major piece of research that has been completed by the Housing Executive on Housing First. The Housing First approach is one of the best-evidenced models from around the world for responding to chronic homelessness. We have chronic homelessness in Northern Ireland.”
“Many of us and much of the public will be out and about in our towns and cities doing a bit of shopping before Christmas. How many times have any of us walked past someone who is sitting on a cold street? How often do we actually see that person? How did they end up there? Why are they there today? When was the last time that they sat on a comfortable seat or had something healthy to eat? When was the last time someone said a simple "Hello" to them? <BR /> <BR />Today is the start of Homelessness Awareness Week. It runs every year from 1 December to 7 December. This year's theme is "See the person". I ask all MLAs this: when was the last time you saw a homeless person? Too often, homelessness is reduced to statistics, labels or stereotypes: they must be begging, or they must have something wrong. Often, that is completely incorrect.”
“Thank you, Harry. I just want to say that, last Christmas, for a number of days on end, there was a two-hour traffic jam at the very place that you are talking about.”
“<BR /> <BR />The new roundabouts that were put in from Messines Road out to Portaferry have acted more as a blockage than an enabler of traffic. There are more people now driving through Newtownards to avoid the Messines Road, so it has not worked. The new road that Miss McIlveen talked about, which will connect the Movilla Road to the Portaferry Road, will, to be honest, have Nimbyism written all over it, because people who are buying houses there are not expecting the traffic flow that will hit the area, so I expect there to be a lot of objections. We therefore need to step in now and show leadership on the issue before it gets worse.”
“A heck of a lot of people are transferring from those areas through Newtownards to Bangor or Belfast. What we are finding, however, are the standstills. I can leave my office and, in less than a mile, be sitting in a traffic jam for 45 minutes to move another mile. It is unbelievable. <BR /> <BR />We need to give the issue consideration, Minister. I have a great working relationship with your team in the area. They work extremely hard and are flexible in their approach. Some of the ways in which they have managed to fund road repairs have been excellent, and I welcome them, but I wish that a town planner would have a look at the transport in Newtownards and the way that it works or, rather, does not work.”
“<BR /> <BR />I agree that we need to look at the roll-out of park-and-rides and why it is taking so long. There have been issues with the old Ards leisure centre site in Newtownards, with asbestos a consideration there. The planning permission for that site has progressed, so what is taking so long? That is a valuable piece of land and should have been used for much-needed social housing, but if it is going to be used for a park-and-ride, make it a park-and-ride, because when that is being planned, the road network in the area will need to be redesigned. If up to 400 or 500 cars are going to be going there every morning, on top of the issues that Miss McIlveen raised, we will be in trouble in Newtownards. <BR /> <BR />Newtownards is a town that is growing. Comber is growing. There are villages down the Ards peninsula that are growing.”
“If the first park-and-ride that you hit when travelling from Portaferry or Comber is in Dundonald, you are encouraging cars to go that far. The delay in the roll-out of park-and-rides is unbelievable: we need the next phase of park-and-rides to be realised. If cars do not have to go into Newtownards to use the park-and-ride there, that will take away some of the rural traffic. <BR /> <BR />The one thing that I do not agree with is the idea of a bridge from Portaferry to Strangford because of the connectivity implications and the destructive impact that it would have on both villages. The villages would end overnight because the bridge would not be where the ferry currently crosses. We all know that taking a road away from those villages means that they will die on the vine as time moves on.”
“It should have been on the Scrabo High School site but we lost that site, so it is in the town instead of being outside the town. There is a junction close by that will not be able to cope with the amount of traffic. We have already heard from Miss McIlveen about how traffic flow has impacted on other parts of the town. <BR /> <BR />There needs to be a review of the one-way system, and consideration given to the amount of pedestrianisation in the town. Is there another way of doing that to improve the flow through and around Newtownards and make it a more effective town for everyone who wants to use it? <BR /> <BR />There absolutely should be more public transport options so that we can take people out of cars.”
“My office is on South Street, one of the busier streets in Newtownards, and retailers in that area have commented on the difficulty that shoppers experience at times in getting in and out of the town, so something has to be done. <BR /> <BR />When was the last time that Newtownards traffic was reviewed effectively? I have said on several occasions that I welcome park-and-rides. The planned park-and-ride in Newtownards is in the wrong place. It will increase traffic in the centre of Newtownards, which will decimate some of the routes through the town. There will be such an amount of traffic trying to use that park-and-ride, which is in the town centre, that we will see difficulties for retailers in the area. To be honest, we will be at a worse standstill when it opens.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. My apologies to yourself and to Miss McIlveen for being late. Unfortunately, a group of children were talking to me about roads and public transport before I came here. <BR /> <BR />I cannot disagree with anything that Miss McIlveen said. At times, the traffic around Newtownards has to be seen to be believed. I get stuck most evenings on my way home, regardless of whether I leave here late or whether I leave my office at an earlier time, particularly around the Portaferry Road. There is absolutely no consideration given to how many roundabouts are blocked by static cars that are trying to move into the town. The route to Bangor was not conceived appropriately. <BR /> <BR />There is an issue with the amount of damage that the congestion is doing to businesses.”
“Therefore, will the Executive, particularly the Minister of Finance, because the census sits with him, remove the second religion question from the 2031 census? Let us be the same as all other parts of these islands.”
“The second religion question, which asks not only current affiliation but upbringing, is outdated. It is unnecessary, and it is misleading. It has been removed in England and Wales and Scotland, and it was removed in Ireland in 2016. It is an optional question and is, therefore, unreliable. If we are to be serious about fact-based evidence, let us remove questions that distort the picture of who we really are and put in questions that tell us more about the economy and the economic movements that we need in this place. <BR /> <BR />The census is our mirror: it must show us clearly, not through the lens of the past. Let us use it to build policy on truth, not tradition; on evidence, not assumption; and on the future, not the Troubles.”
“The census confirms that. The evidence is there, and the challenge is ours. Northern Ireland must not be left behind. We need to make this place work. <BR /> <BR />I have to be absolutely clear: accuracy matters. The census, whether we have it alongside an Irish census or a GB census, must reflect today's realities, not yesterday's divisions. When was the last time that we looked at our census and the questions in it? I know that the motion is for all the Executive Ministers, but I specifically ask the Minister of Finance what comparisons have been made with other censuses across these islands and whether questions will be updated to ensure alignment and that we have the evidence that we need to plan better for Northern Ireland's future? <BR /> <BR />Finally, I must raise a point of frustration.”
“When we understand those dynamics, we can act to reduce unemployment, address shortages and strengthen productivity. Knowledge is power, and the census gives us that power. The motion welcomes the census as a tool, and, rightly so. The census tells us about the £12·5 billion in all-island trade. It talks about the fact that commuting has gone up 25% since COVID, which you would expect because nobody could move around during COVID. It talks about shared infrastructure — the single electricity market is one issue that needs to be sorted out for the future of housing — and the Windsor framework and the common travel area. It also talks about joint initiatives such as enterprise schemes, trade missions, tourism collaboration and so on. <BR /> <BR />The message is clear: our island is growing, ageing and becoming ever more interconnected.”
“OK, let us get back to what we are talking about here. Population statistics are not just things on a page; they are the story of who we are, how we live and how we plan for the future. The census is more than just numbers; it is the evidence that is supposed to guide our decisions on health, education, infrastructure and the environment. Without that, we would be navigating blind. So, those who say that they represent a point in time need to talk to the statisticians in our Departments who use those figures for 10 years. <BR /> <BR />The census allows us to consider our labour force. The working-age population defines our productivity capacity, and participation rates shape our economic strength. Skills distribution reveals the gaps that we must fill.”
“Under the response to recommendation 20, the Department confirmed that opportunity for growth for the independent and locally produced products will fall to the Department for the Economy and Invest NI. If those organisations confirm that the licensing arrangements for our independent producers are not working to enable them to take the opportunities, is the Minister open to reviewing that part of the licence?”
“I worked for many years as a bereavement counsellor for people who had suffered miscarriages, and I have not been behind the door in telling everyone about my losses. However, today is an important day. I cannot make that more clear. Having baby loss certificates will be of value to parents, and it is important that we recognise that the difficult work that has been done. <BR /> <BR />It has been difficult to hear the evidence. It is a very emotive issue, but today we in this House can congratulate ourselves on doing something that is compassionate and has been needed for a long time. Thank you, Minister, and thank you to your Department.”
“Through compromise, careful negotiation and debate, we have come to the stage at which we will have, at long last, baby loss certificates, and I thank you all for that. <BR /> <BR />I look forward to seeing the regulations that are published when the Bill is finally passed. It is key that they are as flexible as possible in the area of baby loss certificates to ensure that those who may not know the gender of their baby, or those for whom the date may be difficult to determine and so on, will have an opportunity to register their baby in a way that suits them. <BR /> <BR />I do not sit on the Finance Committee and I am not in the Department of Finance. It has been a difficult debate for me to take part in the debates on the Bill, so I thank all those who have taken evidence and been so careful with it.”
“Thank you, Minister, for bringing the Further Consideration Stage today. On behalf of the Alliance Party, I am pleased to confirm our support for the Minister's amendment. <BR /> <BR />The registration of deaths and stillbirths, including the provision, now, of baby loss certificates, is extremely important to the many of us in the House who will have to go through registering one or more of them. A compromise arrangement has been agreed. The Minister's original proposal will be changed by the amendment thanks to the input of the DUP, which suggested the compromise of free certificates. Thank you for that, and thank you to all who worked together on it. This process is an example of how we can be a compassionate House.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. Minister, I appreciate that your budget for new builds has been extremely testing, and I support your comments about housing associations, but there is a risk in your proposals, and it concerns how much the housing associations will be able to borrow in order to deliver the new homes. Are you satisfied that they have the capacity for the increased borrowing that they will have to take on? Will you clarify whether the new rate will affect houses that are in the process of being built or apply only to future applications?”
“The cost to the Northern Ireland Government of increasing school meal costs is a cost to the Department of Education itself, because it is the Department of Education that pays the Education Authority for school meals. Therefore, on the one hand, we have working families who are going to be in trouble, and, on the other hand, we have the Department of Education, which is already in trouble with its budget, now facing higher costs to provide those meals.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I was surprised when I learned through a question for written answer that the Minister of Education confirmed that nutritional standards for school meals were considered and reviewed in 2021, but, because he does not have enough money, none of those nutritional standards has been put into practice. Does the Member agree that we should push, as part of the anti-poverty strategy, to make sure that, where and when we feed children, they get the best nutrition possible?”