John Stewart
East Antrim · Ulster Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“Decisions taken over the next two months will determine whether Northern Ireland has a modern, responsive enterprise service or whether we simply roll forward a model that increasingly struggles to keep pace with the world around it.”
“<BR /> <BR />I understand that significant efforts have been made to bring the Department for the Economy, councils and Enterprise NI around a table to design collaboratively the modernised service for 2027, yet that meeting still has not happened. That is deeply disappointing.”
“<BR /> <BR />I thank Enterprise Northern Ireland and note the outstanding work of our local enterprise agencies, which go above and beyond, often in challenging financial circumstances, for our entrepreneurs and businesses.”
“I declare an interest as the chair of the all-party group on micro and small business, but I feel that I must highlight an issue that should concern every Member, regardless of party or constituency.”
“The infrastructure in Larne West is shambolic and fails residents and commuters daily. Minister, you will be aware of an ombudsman's investigation of the missing link road at Ballyloran that reported last February on the back of my office having brought the matter to it.”
“The Bill sends an important message that demonstrates confidence in the governance arrangements that are already in place and in the boards and management teams that have successfully led the organisations for many years.”
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“Recent weeks have, once again, shone a spotlight on the importance of our social care workforce. Therefore, I very much welcome the Minister's recent announcement that he will ensure that the sector becomes a living wage employer. Will he provide an update on what else has been achieved to date to support our social care workforce?”
“I join the First Minister and deputy First Minister in thanking all the front-line workers and volunteers who have been working tirelessly to repair storm damage. First Minister, a lot of damage has been caused to domestic and commercial properties. Some people have told me that they are really struggling to get commitments from their insurance companies and that barriers are being put in place. What can your office do to lobby the insurance companies to ensure that they are cooperating with those affected and pay out what is due?”
“Minister, one of the biggest barriers to further and higher education is funding. When will you be able to provide an update on the higher education funding review?”
“Given the impact that the roadworks etc are having on local businesses, have you engaged with your colleagues in the Finance Department and the Economy Department to see what support can be opened up for those businesses?”
“Given the impact that the congestion is having on retail and services in the city, what consultation has the Minister had so far with traders? Is any consideration being given to additional temporary flexibility in the bus lanes to take pressure off the other lanes?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. He correctly referred to the success of the previous boiler replacement scheme and the importance of getting a new scheme in place, which he has done. The Minister will know that many people are unable to avail themselves of that scheme because of its criteria. Does he agree that we need to help those on low incomes, who are in danger of falling into fuel poverty? What more can he do to extend the application criteria?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. On consultation and engagement with various stakeholders, can the Minister confirm that dieticians have been engaged up to this point, given their expertise in that field and the fact that they have a vital role to play?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. He referred to the pilot project that ran between August 2022 and August 2023, which coincided with a significant spike in the number of flocks in which the disease was confirmed and in the number placed under restriction in that year. Will the Minister confirm what plans, if any, he has to build on the pilot project? Is he pursuing a policy of eradication?”
“<BR /> <BR />We support the work of the Committee and will continue to contribute in any way in which we can.”
“Some of the charities that work with people who have moved here from overseas were threatened and intimidated. Their premises were targeted merely because they were supporting those people. That is despicable. We need to learn from those experiences. <BR /> <BR />The final element that I will focus on is young people. Sadly and tragically, we saw far too many young people being dragged into what happened because of faceless individuals' online rhetoric. Community groups and schools need to have much more engagement with young people to ensure that they do not get caught up in such activity and that they realise the impact of their actions, including the long-term impacts that those actions could have on their life. They need to realise that that sort of activity is totally unacceptable.”
“As Members have said, it needs to be quick, sharp and focused. I am keen to focus on the impact on the victims. There will potentially be an impact on the workforce, because we heard that, tragically, so many people who work in our NHS or as care workers are thinking of leaving. It is important that the Executive Office engage with them and with the community groups that represent them. During that horrific time, I dealt with, as, I am sure, did many others, local charities and community groups that represent and work with those individuals daily. It is important to understand their shared and lived experiences. It is therefore really important that the Executive Office engage with them to see what difficulties they face and to establish how best to overcome them.”
“Most of them are making a very valuable contribution to our society. Nothing was more saddening or caused more despair than seeing members of our NHS and care workers, having returned from a hard day's work, crying upon finding that their home had been attacked or burnt out. That was utterly despicable. It is etched in all our memories. At the same time as we saw that, however, we saw the true nature of the people of Northern Ireland. Across the country, hundreds of people came together, be that in my constituency or in any other, in support of the people who had been targeted. That is the true nature of the people of Northern Ireland. It is important to remember that that is their true spirit. That is the real Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />I fully support the need for a review.”
“I thank the Committee for the Executive Office and its Chair for their work on the review and for tabling the motion. As they will know, my party does not have a representative on the Committee, but I am grateful for the work that they have done. I have been watching intently along the way. <BR /> <BR />I echo many of the comments that were made by Ms Nicholl and other Members in sending our solidarity to the many people who were affected in such a tragic way during the summer. We saw the most vulnerable in society being targeted in a horrific way, with online rhetoric leading to intimidation and, ultimately, to attacks on businesses, homes and places of worship. <BR /> <BR />As we know, those people are the most vulnerable in society. They have come here for a better life, having fled some of the worst places in the world.”
“As I said, when people who are stuck in that position see the developers who built their property building a mile down the road while, 15 years on, they still cannot get access to basic services, they rightly find that frustrating. <BR /> <BR />We support the motion. We look forward to hearing from the Minister. I would like to hear how much of the money from the 1,600 developments is still caught up in bonds and how many of those examples have been tapped into. In the example that I gave, in which a percentage is drawn down, what is the current value of bond money sitting in holdings, and how much of that could be used to start tackling the backlog? I am interested in hearing the Minister's thoughts.”
“Their ability to sell the property is affected. They feel, like so many other people do, that they are totally in limbo and nothing is being done. That is why we need to see some sort of change. I am open to having the discussion about what that looks like. <BR /> <BR />I appreciate that there will be a backlog when addressing some of them, but we must stop it. If that means that the bond has to excessively grow, so be it. If it means that developers are stopped from selling the last percentage of their houses until everything is signed off, so be it. A debate needs to take place about what needs to be done to stop it. The good developers will continue to do the right thing, but the most frustrating thing is those who do not.”
“Thank you. <BR /> <BR />That is exactly the point, and that is the frustration. I think that there is a development in my home town of Carrickfergus that remains unadopted after 24 years. Ninety per cent of the bond has been drawn down by the developer, but it has transpired that the money that is left over will not even touch the sides of the repairs that need to be done. Where did the system break down? How on earth was that developer allowed to, effectively, draw back 90% of the bond without having done any of the adequate works underneath the ground? When the homeowners contact me, other representatives or the Department, they are, invariably, told to sort it out with the developer, who does not engage. After 20 years, the cycle continues, and they remain totally frustrated. Their house price is affected.”
“There is no doubt that it would be significantly more than that. There is nothing more frustrating for the people who are living in those developments than seeing developers starting to build elsewhere while their own cannot be finished. Some of those developments are 20 or 30 years old, and they —”
“We all know that buying a home is one of the most important and biggest steps that you will take. Many, thankfully, go through without any difficulties, but, sadly, thousands of people across Northern Ireland are left in a limbo land where they cannot get access to services and are not on the grid. <BR /> <BR />I agree with much of what has been said today. One of the many things that has been covered is frustration with developers. I called in a Member's statement for a two-pronged approach, which would fit with what has been proposed today regarding a strategy to tackle the backlog. I would be interested in hearing from the Minister how much that would cost. I know that it would be significant and that money is tight. The 2012 report, for example, suggested that it could be in excess of £300 million.”
“The Ulster Unionist Party will support the motion and the amendment. <BR /> <BR />The sponsors and the Minister will know that I, too, have been raising the issue in the Chamber, at Committee and at any other opportunity that I get. As elected representatives, we know that, at the best of times, it is hard to get roads repaired, sewerage facilities sorted and lights fixed, but, when you do not even exist on the system, it is impossible. Last week, I stood in East Antrim with some of the many hundreds of people who live on one of those 1,600 developments as they had just managed, after six months, to get lights switched on. That was a result of their own efforts, but they remain without any proper sewerage facilities and road repairs. They are some of the many thousands across the country who are in that situation.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Minister, I am sure that you agree that our education support workers, classroom assistants and staff at all levels are invaluable and deserve a fair rate of pay and good conditions. Can you indicate whether the financial package agreed today for your Department will allow you to redress all the pay requirements for education staff? If not, what projected shortfall could there be, and where is it likely to land?”
“We need a strategy that will encourage single-occupancy dwellings, social housing projects and first-time-buyer projects, rather than just big housing projects, to go ahead. That simply has to be tackled, and, if the Department needs to get involved from the centre, we would welcome that. <BR /> <BR />Earlier in the debate, my party colleague made the point on the housing aspect, but, collectively, the Executive need to tackle housing as a cross-departmental issue and do all they can to resolve it.”
“Something fundamentally needs to be tackled, and that is one of the biggest infrastructure issues that collectively affects the entire Executive in housing terms — affordable, social and first-time-buyers' homes — and across the economic piece. So many aspects of our society are being held back by that. <BR /> <BR />The second limitation is in planning. We have waxed lyrical here on a number of occasions about the problems of the planning system. It has been 10 years since planning was devolved to councils, and, sadly, that simply is not delivering and something has to change. We talk about local area plans. They were meant to be produced by 2019, but most councils are still developing them.”
“Number one among them is the capacity issue at Northern Ireland Water. In East Antrim, for example, whole areas are being blocked because there simply is not enough capacity in the system. Across Northern Ireland, tens of thousands of houses are stuck in that process because there simply is not capacity for them. In my intervention on the Member for Strangford, I talked about the developer-led aspect of that. The Member made the valid point that developers are offering solutions, but, for smaller housing associations with smaller projects, such as first-time affordable homes or social houses, the bandwidth and budget for them to be developer-led are simply not there, and those necessary projects are therefore being held up in process.”
“<BR /> <BR />My party colleague Andy Allen elaborated on many aspects of the matter that relate to the Department for Communities, but I will touch on it from an infrastructure point of view, as we look to tackle the biggest obstacles to new and affordable homes. First, the limits affecting the Northern Ireland Housing Executive's ability to borrow are hamstringing it in its fundamental role. In the 1950s and 1960s, it built, on average, 15,000 new homes a year. We are nowhere near that now; in fact, we are at zero. We need to begin to replicate what we did in the '50s and '60s. That will be achieved by, first, opening up the ability to borrow and then building on the back of that. <BR /> <BR />The second obstacle — a number of Members discussed it — is in the limitations on our infrastructure.”
“They are not just numbers but families, children, elderly people and vulnerable individuals who are being forced to live in inadequate or temporary housing conditions. Across the Chamber, we all know that the many people who come into our offices daily are just crying out for support. Many of them have points far in excess of the number that would ordinarily guarantee them the house that they need, but they cannot get that house because the stock is simply not there. For each of those people, this is a crisis and an emergency. <BR /> <BR />Years of underinvestment coupled with growing demand and a lack of housing construction, together with the right-to-buy scheme, have created a perfect storm. It is incumbent on the Executive to collectively find a long-term solution and strategy to tackle the growing housing waiting lists.”
“I welcome the opportunity to continue the debate, which is worthwhile and, obviously, emotional for many of those who are involved. So far, regardless of disagreements, there has been a collective will among spokespersons that we need to see change. That collectiveness needs to be emulated in the Executive across all Departments. The Member for North Antrim made that point. <BR /> <BR />Housing is not just about bricks and mortar; it is about dignity, security and opportunity. Yet, for far too many families and individuals across Northern Ireland, the right to adequate, affordable and safe housing, sadly, remains out of reach. Northern Ireland faces a housing emergency. The waiting list for social housing continues to grow, with over 47,000 households waiting, many of them in urgent need.”
“That is welcome news, and I welcome that commitment. Will the Minister provide an update on where the East Antrim GP Federation sits within that proposed roll-out?”
“I appreciate the Member's giving way. I agree with many of her points, which are well made. On the infrastructure issues and the capacity in Northern Ireland Water, the only suggestion that we have been given to date is that the solution should be developer-led. Given the pressures on our housing associations and those who are building affordable homes, surely that approach is not viable in the current financial climate?”
“If that requires legislative change, I hope that the Minister will do something about that, but we need to do everything that we can in the House to represent those residents.”
“That needs to be done in collaboration with departmental officials in Northern Ireland. Secondly, there needs to be a full review of the bond system to ensure that it will cover the works that need to be carried out should a developer not do them. Bonds are meant to be in place to do that, but, again, invariably that is not happening, and people are being left in limbo. <BR /> <BR />I also suggest that we look at banning developers who serially offend. For a homeowner who has bought a house from a developer and is unable to access services, there is nothing more annoying than seeing the same developer start a new project 100 yards down the road while they are left wondering when they will get access to the services that they are paying for through their rates.”
“Clearly, the system is not working, and people are paying the price. <BR /> <BR />The bond that DFI demands from a developer before work on a new housing development starts is meant to act as an incentive for developers to complete the work on time and to standard, but that incentive simply is not working or is not working enough. I raised the matter with the Infrastructure Minister at last week's meeting of the Infrastructure Committee. I am glad to see that he is looking into it, but I believe that we need a two-pronged approach. First, we need to look at all outstanding developments across Northern Ireland, create a plan to bring them up to standard and then adopt them. If that means taking legal action and being harsh with former developers, whatever their current situation, then so be it.”
“That leaves residents in a dreadful position, unable to access the basic services that they pay rates for and stuck in the middle of a convoluted legal process between the developer and the Department for Infrastructure. It also invariably impacts on the price of the house that they paid so much for and, often, on their ability to sell that property. Some owners in my constituency bought their houses in good faith over 15 years ago and are still without access to street lighting and functioning sewerage facilities. That story is replicated across Northern Ireland. Rather than getting better, the situation is getting worse. A 2012 report by the Regional Development Committee showed that there were over 2,500 instances. I understand that that has increased in the past decade, rather than having got better.”
“I speak on behalf of the many thousands of people across Northern Ireland who currently live on unadopted roads, streets and developments. Across my constituency of East Antrim, and across Northern Ireland, thousands of people are stuck in limbo without the basic provisions that most of us take for granted. They are living in the absence of street lights, sewerage services, road repairs and, often, bin collection; the list goes on, and the frustration of those residents grows. <BR /> <BR />The reasons for that are often multifaceted but invariably involve housing developers either going bust or simply not completing work to the required standard before they move on.”
“I welcome today's statement and the timely advance notice of it. Minister, will you expand a bit on the vesting process and outline roughly how long that will take? Is there any reason to be concerned about some of the outstanding issues?”
“I thank the Minister for that answer. Minister, you will be aware that the use of our beaches is growing and that sea swimming is a growing pastime for many people. Sadly, in Ballygally, in my constituency, the beach was recently closed due to two E. coli spikes. What more can you, as Minister, do to address the issues arising in our waters to make them safer for all users?”
“It is important to look towards that technology and make sure that the processes are in place to support it as well. As I said, we will support the motion and the amendment.”
“There is not a great deal to oppose about increased funding for planning services; recognising the importance of mobile infrastructure in the planning process; hiring digital champions to support the planning process; attracting and retaining talent, which is vital; improving planning policy frameworks; and fostering proactive digital leadership from councils. We could all get behind all of those points and support them. <BR /> <BR />There are many new and emerging technologies that would go hand in hand with and support that. It is vital, whether it is led by the Infrastructure Minister or the Economy Minister, that all of us get behind supporting that future technology. I have had to avail myself of it in my area, and I know that many others are doing the same.”
“<BR /> <BR />The proposer of the motion talked about the Mobile UK framework and the feedback that it has given. It talks about some delays. The proposer mentioned the seven applications that have been withdrawn recently after suffering such delays. In Fermanagh and South Tyrone, one planning process took over 720 days. There has to be scrutiny and process, and planning committees and planners must be given time, but that seems to be excessive for something that, we all accept, is a vital infrastructure asset. The people impacted most by that are the 8,000 or 9,000 people living in that area who required it most and are relying on other technologies. <BR /> <BR />I support Mobile UK's six-point plan.”
“The Member makes a valid point. It is frustrating when people are in touching distance of that infrastructure but, for whatever reason — it may not be switched on — the service is not being provided. <BR /> <BR />I agree with the proposer of the amendment, as well, about the processes in planning. We devolved that power to councils. We ask not to interfere with that but that the processes are streamlined and that there is an understanding of how essential the infrastructure is. I cannot imagine that anyone particularly likes to look at a mobile phone mast. In the same way, I do not like to look at an electricity pylon in my garden, but it is a vital piece of infrastructure on which we all rely daily. They are an essential evil, and they must be provided.”
“<BR /> <BR />The proposer of the motion talked about "hard-to-reach areas", which is a frustrating term. I totally agree with her: there should not be any. I declare an interest, Mr Deputy Speaker: I live in a hard-to-reach area. I sympathise with the many people who are west of the Bann, but I live in east Antrim, and, where I live and in the houses surrounding mine, there is zero mobile phone coverage. It is not an issue that affects only the west of the Province; it affects many people across Northern Ireland.”
“On behalf of the Ulster Unionist Party I support the motion and the amendment. I agree with much of what was said by those who proposed both. <BR /> <BR />Mobile coverage is something that most people in Northern Ireland take for granted in 2024. However, sadly, as we heard from the statistics cited today, a significant minority of areas in Northern Ireland still do not have it. That is extremely frustrating for them. We have heard about the economic impact that not having mobile phone coverage can have in those areas. We hear about the community impacts as well. We often hear at the Infrastructure Committee about how many road traffic collisions happen on rural roads. Many of those rural roads do not have mobile coverage, and that provides an additional safety impact.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer and declare an interest as the chair of the all-party group on micro and small business. <BR /> <BR />You rightly point out, Minister, the great work that not only Enterprise NI but our local enterprise agencies across the country do to help new and existing entrepreneurs to further their business. Sadly, time and time again, local enterprise agencies tell me that they just do not have the funding to meet the work that they want to do. What more can your Department and local government do to support them to continue the great work that they do?”
“That is a valid point and one that I was trying to get to. From memory, the Department required all those development plans to be ready by 2019. It is now 2024 and significant numbers of plans are still only at draft stage, so that is hugely frustrating. Next year, it will be 10 years since the review of public administration (RPA) began and those powers were handed down, and now is the time to see that happening. It also needs to happen as part of a joined-up strategy to make sure that areas and applications do not fall through the cracks and so that we do not have a geographical lottery depending on how different councils bring those reports together. <BR /> <BR />That concludes my remarks.”
“It put forward two or three significant proposals, and one that I and my party agree with is reconstituting the regional planning commission. That would be significant, particularly by bringing experts in the field to contribute to it. The second proposal is a reform of the Planning Appeals Commission (PAC). The Northern Ireland Audit Office report talked significantly about that, and we need see it removed from the Department of Justice and brought under the remit of the Department for Infrastructure. We also need to see it recast in a similar vein to what was done in England and Wales, with full operational independence and top-level accountability that would be —.”
“That point is well made and should be remembered. <BR /> <BR />On the issue of the local development plans, not only have they not been finished, but there does not seem to be an overarching Northern Ireland theme to them. We almost have 11 different strategies, but, when it comes to green growth and identifying major infrastructure projects, we fall between the cracks. We often talk about the variance in delivery and in the process, but we will also see, on the back of those reports, variance in how processes and policies are being implemented. When it comes to major, significant policies, that will obviously have a major impact. That needs to be looked at as well. <BR /> <BR />To finish, I agree with and echo the points that were made by the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry in its feedback.”
“Statutorily, planning committees and procedures should be 30 weeks. Unfortunately, over a fifth of those are extending that, and that has more of an impact on the major significant projects that most affect green growth. I am interested to hear what the Minister thinks about that. Secondly, there is the impact of the silo mentality. It is nearly a decade since planning powers were handed down to local government. Unfortunately, although councils were statutorily required to have local development plans in place by 2019, many still do not have those published. That is not only frustrating; it is leading to a silo mentality. <BR /> <BR />To quote the Audit Office report:”
“<BR /> <BR />We are all aware of people — locally grown businesses or outside investors — who have pulled the plug on major infrastructure projects here because they were so frustrated with the delays and bureaucracy that they saw in the planning system. That is lamentable, and everything must be done to reform that. <BR /> <BR />There has been a series of reports, and we waxed lyrical about those in the previous debate. The Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry produced an important report on reform, and the Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) did the same in 2022. I say that as a member of the Public Accounts Committee. That report is hugely beneficial, and I thank both organisations for those reports. <BR /> <BR />Significant points came out of them. First, there are the delays.”
“I thank the Members who tabled the motion and the amendment, which helps it. I thank the Minister for Infrastructure for coming along. The issue straddles the responsibilities of two or three Ministers. I will speak from an infrastructure point of view about planning reform. <BR /> <BR />The Minister will know that we have had a successful and balanced debate on planning reform, and we all know the impacts that it will have. Our party fully supports a green growth agenda and moving towards net zero. Undoubtedly, that has already benefited from having legislation in place. However, it is being hamstrung in two key areas. The first is a lack of funding, which has left many areas of development in Northern Ireland hamstrung. The second is planning reform and how difficult it is. Mr Brett referred to that and how difficult that was.”
“Minister, the public has lost confidence in the sentencing system, particularly the pitiful sentences for crimes of a sexual nature against women, girls and young people. What more can your Department do to restore public confidence?”
“I pay tribute to all those who took part, including members of my regiment, the Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry, which was there to recruit. It was also good to see so many benevolent organisations representing the interests of our veterans here. We have tens of thousands of people who served in our armed forces living in Northern Ireland, and days like Armed Forces Day are so important to them in acknowledging their service. Many people here and across the United Kingdom continue to serve in our armed forces, and days like those are important in recognising their selfless commitment. Again, I pay tribute to the organisers and everyone who took part.”