Deirdre Hargey
South Belfast · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“His double standards, including his condemnation of and opposition to equality and rights for our LGBTQ+ citizens, have caused real harm to others. The revelations about his double life expose the staggering hypocrisy of the DUP's moral facade. We need to know whether failing to act sooner left more vulnerable people at risk.”
“One week ago today, Jeffrey Donaldson was found guilty of 18 child sexual offences, including rape. That conviction was made possible only by the strength and resilience of the two victims who came forward and reported the abuse. Donaldson was an abuser. He abused children, but he also abused his position in politics and faith.”
“They now say that they knew about his behaviour, but, crucially, they did nothing to expose his inappropriate hypocrisy and double life. The 'Spotlight' programme and other reports have shown that senior members of the DUP — its most senior figures, including the then leader, Edwin Poots — were aware of serious issues and allegations abou…”
“It is therefore not credible to suggest that the intelligence agencies were blind to his compromised double standards and double life. <BR /> <BR />Those questions demand answers from the DUP leadership. They demand answers in the House from the deputy First Minister, who was closely associated with Donaldson.”
“It is clear that there is a huge disconnect between Whitehall and the reality that is being felt by people on the ground. A British Treasury policy that is managing decay, real-terms cuts and disastrous policy decisions such as Brexit or the funding of wars over public services comes on top of existing disparities between how public servi…”
“The answer is not the short-term fixes or cash injections that we have had in the past, which have allowed for the repeated Treasury script of record settlements and inability of the Executive to manage their finances — scripts that are often parroted in the Chamber.”
The complete record
Every one of 2,594 lines we hold for Deirdre Hargey, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 14 of 52.
“The initial correspondence was to highlight the progress to date, including the detail of my request for assistance from the Department of Finance, and to seek colleagues' support for my efforts to advance this important flagship programme. <BR /> <BR />In my follow-up letter, I clarified that I would be grateful for my colleagues' views and willingness to help the progress of the programme in the absence of an Executive. I can confirm that I have received some responses. The Finance Minister replied that he would be keen to work with me on additional financial assistance to look at the uncontrollable increases in construction costs, for example. I have some support from some Ministers on progressing the programme and doing all that we can to get around the impediment of having no Executive.”
“With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 2, 4 and 8 together. <BR /> <BR />In the absence of a functioning executive, I have undertaken a number of action to progress the programme. I met representatives from the Irish Football Association (IFA) and the NI Football League (NIFL) to reaffirm my commitment to the programme and to provide clarity on the work undertaken to progress it. I followed that by writing to all member clubs of NIFL and to Derry City. I intend to meet the IFA and NIFL again in the coming weeks. <BR /> <BR />I issued a letter to the Finance Minister to seek assistance from his Department in addressing the cost increases that inflation has brought to the programme and to ask how to secure the additional budget required to cover those costs. I have also written twice to my Executive colleagues.”
“We also run a number of schemes for fuel support and insulation. I recently announced increased investment of over £15 million that I secured for the Housing Executive, for necessary tower block investment and further insulation programmes for Housing Executive properties.”
“It is unfortunate; we have continued to raise it with the Treasury. The Finance Minister has raised it and other issues, such as VAT and the windfall tax, and has requested that the British Government do not go ahead with their planned tax increase that is due to come into effect in April. HMRC says that primary legislation is needed to share working tax credit information. We asked HMRC to share payment details so that we could make payments, but it said that it is not allowed to do so and that that would need primary legislation as well. <BR /> <BR />On energy efficiency, we have just had the Further Consideration Stage of the Private Tenancies Bill. That will start to take forward greater protections for those in the private rented sector regarding conditions and energy-efficiency standards in their homes.”
“<BR /> <BR />That said, around 45% of people who are on means-tested benefits also receive tax credits. It is likely that about 48% of those who receive disability benefits will also receive the payments because they qualify for one of the means-tested benefits.”
“I can make payments to people who are in receipt of benefits because we have their payment details. Therefore, we can work with the computer systems of the Department for Work and Pensions. When I was crafting the scheme a number of months ago, before I put proposals to the Executive, I made an approach to HMRC about making payments to people who are in receipt of tax credits because I recognise that families that are working and are on low incomes are acutely impacted by the rising cost of living and the fuel crisis. Unfortunately, HMRC said that there is no legal fix for that, because it would need primary legislation to change its data-sharing procedures, and there would not be time to do that in this mandate, when the money needs to be spent.”
“The energy payment support scheme cost £55 million, and I do not have that amount of additional money sitting in my Department, so we have to see whether there are ways to draw that down. Also, because we do not have a functioning Executive, I need to find another way of getting such a payment signed off in order for emergency money to be released under the Financial Assistance Act. Due to the way that the legislation is written, the signatures of Executive Office Ministers are required.”
“I have continued to look to do all that I can to support families. That is why, on top of the scheme payment, I invested an £2 million in the Bryson scheme, which families that are not on means-tested benefits, and therefore could not avail themselves of the £200 payment, could apply to if they were facing crisis with their fuel and energy costs. Members will know that that scheme needed approval via the Executive and that it needed sign-off by the First Ministers so that people could be paid under the Financial Assistance Act. I am trying to explore options for making additional payments, were we to do that. First, I am looking at whether I can secure the necessary finances.”
“Despite only securing approval for that scheme on 13 January, I am acutely aware that energy prices continue to rise and household budgets are being squeezed. Therefore, I asked for payments to be made as quickly as possible. As I announced in the Assembly on 1 March, the payment date has been brought forward as much as possible, with payments reaching people’s bank accounts from 10 March, which is this Thursday.”
“With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 1 and 7 together. <BR /> <BR />The rising cost of living and soaring increases in energy bills continue to have a major impact on people who are finding it harder to cope. Many are struggling to afford essentials, such as fuel to heat their homes and electricity. I announced on 13 January that I had secured support from the Executive for a £55 million energy payment support scheme to provide financial support to around 280,000 individuals across a range of benefits. The agreed scheme is targeted at individuals who are on low incomes and are in receipt of means-tested benefits administered by my Department, and it will provide a one-off direct payment of £200 to help with their energy costs.”
“I recognise that it is not everything, but I wanted to bring through some protections in this mandate so that we do not have to wait until the next mandate. Many housing campaigners have supported my doing that. Why would we wait until the next mandate to bring in more protections when we can do it now? That is what I aim to do with the Bill. <BR /> <BR />There are two clear choices: to vote for something that we know will fall at the next hurdle, meaning that there will be no protections; or to vote for the amendments to my Bill that will bring real, tangible and meaningful benefits to people in the coming weeks and months. I commend my amendments to the House.”
“No, you have spoken enough, Jonathan. You had your say. <BR /> <BR />The other choice is that you vote for my Bill and the amendments that I have tabled. That will mean the Bill's receiving Royal Assent as per the normal legislative process. That way, the Bill will be within competence, and, therefore, be enacted. That will see enhanced protections for private renters in and beyond West Belfast because the legislation is about all those who are in the private rented sector across the North. <BR /> <BR />I brought the legislation forward during the restricted mandate because I wanted to do something. I brought in emergency legislation to ensure that we were protecting private renters when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and I am the first Minister in over a decade to bring reforms to the private rented sector, albeit within a shortened mandate.”
“Again, I have been consistently clear on that: if you go back and listen to my speeches, you will know that I have said that on a regular basis. <BR /> <BR />The legislation offers some additional protections and controls on rents, and, of course, it offers other protections on the standard of the homes that tenants are living in. However, I reiterate that there are two choices for where the Bill goes today. Hopefully, it will achieve Royal Assent. However, there is a red herring in Gerry Carroll's amendments, because he knows that they are not enforceable. It is even clearer that if those amendments are made, the Bill will fall and nothing will be done. Therefore, he is proposing that nothing is done because he knows that if his amendments are made, the Bill will not be competent.”
“No, you had your time. I know why you have turned up here today, Jim, and it is not for the enhancement of the Bill. <BR /> <BR />I have been clear from the very start that I am for rent control and bringing forward robust legislation that looks at rent control and is fair and is affordable for those in the private rented sector. I have been quite clear and consistently said that since I first proposed the legislation last year. What I have also been clear and consistent on is that that cannot be taken forward in the Bill within the time that is left of the mandate. I have been quite clear on that from when I first put the Bill forward. I also said that we had begun scoping work to look at what rent control will look like in phase 2 of the legislation.”
“I thank all those who contributed to this afternoon's debate, even those who just came to the party today and were not involved until now. It is interesting, and I take it seriously, that some went back and listened to my speeches, but were selective in what they chose to repeat from them. Maybe they will improve upon that in the next couple of weeks. <BR /> <BR />To be clear from the start, this is a good piece of legislation, because it offers additional protections, as has been stated by many housing campaigners who have worked on these issues for a long time. Therefore, I stand over the legislation being progressed with the amendments that I have tabled, because it offers additional protections, and nobody, as much as they would like, can argue against that.”
“<BR /> <BR />In summary, my amendments will bring the Bill within competence and ensure that all the vital protections for tenants contained in it come into place as soon as possible. I commend the amendments in the group.”
“The transitional arrangements will come into place when the coronavirus emergency Act ends, or as soon as possible afterwards, depending on Royal Assent. The development of exemptions will keep the Bill within competence. The amendments also refine the tiers of notice periods, depending on the length of tenancy, and state the notice period in weeks and months rather than days. That is in response to comments that were made by many Members during the Consideration Stage and will be clearer for landlords and tenants. I thank Ciara Ferguson, whose original amendment was passed by the House, for working with my officials to refine the clause and ensure that that part of the Bill is brought back within competence.”
“Indeed, the proposed amendments are not even enforceable. The Department has further advised that amendment Nos 2 and 3 are defective in their drafting. For example, the offence created by amendment No 3 has the potential to criminalise the tenant as well as the landlord. <BR /> <BR />Amendment Nos 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10 relate to clause 11 and the notices to quit. Together, they set out that the Department will carry out work to develop exemptions to the new longer notices to quit, which the Assembly voted for. The longer notices to quit will come into effect when those regulations are made. In the meantime, there will be a transitional arrangement replicating the notices to quit in the Bill, as laid. That will prevent the notice periods from reverting back to those that were in operation before the coronavirus Act.”
“I have clearly set out the legal advice, which is that if that was to move ahead, it would be unworkable, and therefore the Bill would be beyond competence and would fall. That would mean that all those long-fought-for protections included in the Bill would also fall. I am sure that many have been contacted by housing campaigners who are concerned at that prospect. <BR /> <BR />Amendment No 4 is consequential to amendment No 1. Amendment Nos 2, 3 and 9, tabled by Gerry Carroll, also relate to clause 7. I have made clear the advice that Gerry Carroll's amendments at Consideration Stage will put the Bill outside of competence and lead to it falling. That would not change if the Assembly agreed the amendments that he has tabled today. Those amendments do nothing to address the unintended consequences of the provisions and amendments.”
“That is in keeping with the spirit of the amendment that was passed by the Assembly at Consideration Stage. The consultation will result in a report that is to be produced and laid before the Assembly within six months of the Bill's receiving Royal Assent. With the amendment and regulation-making powers included, this is a flexible approach to ensure that any rent reduction will, as far as possible, achieve its policy intent and avoid unintended consequences for those who are living in the private rented sector. <BR /> <BR />There are two clear choices for the House today: to deliver a Bill that will bring about the protections that are set out in it or to accept the amendment that was voted on at Consideration Stage, which is impossible to deliver at this time.”
“I had already asked my officials to begin work to look at fair and affordable rents in the private and social sectors. I have always been clear that that will be taken forward as part of the second phase of the private rented sector reform. I know that the previous amendment was well intended, but it cannot be done like this. I have made it clear that, with the legal advice that I have, the amendment that was made at Consideration Stage puts the whole Bill outside competence. Very simply, you will have to vote for amendment No 1 in order to keep everything else in the Bill, and particularly all the protections that are contained in it. <BR /> <BR />Amendment No 1 places a duty on my Department to conduct a consultation on a rent reduction and rent freeze.”
“From the outset, I wish to state that all my proposed amendments are intended to bring the Bill back within competence. The Bill is urgently needed and long awaited by those in the private rented sector, and I do not want to lose the important piece of legislation that is in front of us. My amendments seek to improve the drafting of the Bill, as amended at Consideration Stage, in order to ensure that its clauses operate properly, that they maintain consistency with the Bill or relevant parent legislation and that they address potential practical difficulties in implementation. For that reason, I will keep my comments brief. <BR /> <BR />Turning to amendment No 1, the issue of affordability in the private rented sector is a priority for me.”
“I thank the Chair and all those members of the Committee for Communities who spoke in the debate. These regulations will ensure that the largest occupational pension schemes, as well as authorised master trusts and authorised collective defined contribution schemes, have measures in place to identify, assess and manage climate-related risks. Better management of climate risks will be in the interests of everyone, including pension savers as well as pension takers. I commend the motion to the House.”
“Finally, the rule forms part of a package of regulations, along with the Occupational Pension Schemes (Climate Change Governance and Reporting) (Miscellaneous Provisions and Amendments) Regulations (NI) 2021, that amend existing pensions legislation to introduce related disclosure and notification requirements and requirements about trustees' knowledge and understanding of matters relating to the effects of climate change on occupational pension schemes.”
“The regulations include powers for the Pensions Regulator to issue compliance notices, third-party compliance notices and penalty notices. For example, where the Pensions Regulator is of the opinion that a person has failed to comply with the requirement to publish a report on a publicly available website that is accessible and free of charge, the regulator must issue a mandatory penalty of at least £2,500. A mandatory penalty is considered appropriate in such circumstances since there would have been a complete failure to comply with the publication requirements. It will be at the discretion of the Pensions Regulator whether to issue penalties in all other cases where it considers that there was a contravention of relevant provisions in the regulations.”
“The regulations also specify the reporting and publication requirements. Subject to limited exceptions, trustees will be required to produce a report for each scheme year or part of a scheme year during which they are subject to governance requirements. The regulations specify the information that the trustees must include in their reports, which must be produced and published on a publicly available website that is accessible and free of charge within seven months of the end of the scheme year. Therefore, once they are subject to governance requirements, it is expected that trustees will normally produce and publish a report each scheme year. <BR /> <BR />In complying with the requirements of the regulations, trustees are required to have regard to guidance issued by my Department.”
“That is defined in the regulations to mean that they must:”
“The legislative framework for CDC schemes was introduced by Part 2 of the Pensions Scheme Act 2021. <BR /> <BR />To recognise that the availability and quality of certain climate-related data may be limited but is expected to improve over time, trustees are required to comply with a number of governance requirements:”
“That includes requirements on governance, strategy and risk management, requirements to select and calculate climate-related metrics and requirements for trustees to set and measure performance against targets, referred to as the "governance etc. requirements". The regulations specify who is subject to the governance requirements, which will be introduced on a phased basis according to the value of the relevant assets of a scheme at the end of a particular scheme year. Trustees of authorised master trust schemes are subject to the governance requirements from 1 October 2021. The governance requirements will also apply to trustees of schemes that will provide collective defined contribution (CDC) benefits from the date of the scheme, as authorised by the Pensions Regulator.”
“The statutory rule that the House is considering will introduce requirements for trustees of certain occupational pension schemes to ensure that there is effective governance of those schemes with respect to the effects of climate change. It also introduces related reporting and publication requirements for trustees of such schemes and confers compliance powers on the Pensions Regulator. The requirements apply to trustees of schemes on a phased basis from 1 October 2021 according to the value of relevant scheme assets or whether the scheme has been authorised for certain purposes. <BR /> <BR />The regulations aim to ensure that trustees embed effective climate change risk governance activities and report publicly on how they did that.”
“I thank them for putting their trust in me and working with me for over two years, particularly on getting the Bill through the stages of the legislative process. I am glad that we are at the point of binning the bedroom tax and getting the legislation done in this mandate. <BR /> <BR />This is a good day for those on the ground who have been impacted. Of course, there is much more to be done, but the Bill shows that it is possible to address the issue of mitigations. Hopefully, in the next mandate, with an operating Executive, we can do that. I commend the Bill to the Assembly.”
“<BR /> <BR />As I said, I commend the Committee and the Chamber for working with me to get the Bill to this point, including the amendments that have been made. I thank the staff behind the scenes in the Department, the Committee and the Bill Office. Importantly, I thank the housing associations and the Housing Executive. The Bill will be a huge relief to the tenants who live in their properties. Also importantly, I thank those who have campaigned as part of the Cliff Edge Coalition, which is made up of over a hundred organisations from across our society and communities. They have long campaigned about the cliff edge that was being presented. The legislation removes the cliff edge of the bedroom tax.”
“I thank the Deputy Chair, the Chair, in her absence, and the Communities Committee for working with me over the past two and a half years to progress the legislation. This is a good day. The Bill is at Final Stage, and we are in the final stages of binning the bedroom tax. When I came into post, it was one of my first priorities; indeed, if I had been given the support that we have now, it would have been done two years ago. It is important to point that out. There was no dithering by me. I put the proposal to the Executive within a few weeks of taking up office. Again, I set out the reasons for the delay. They were unfortunate, but that was then, and this is now. We are now at a point where we are binning the bedroom tax. I am delighted that I am the Minister bringing that forward.”
“The report will also provide a basis for a future assessment of that continuing need and of whether we need additional welfare mitigation schemes. That will include, in particular, a view to be taken on the provision of statutory extension beyond 31 March 2025 for mitigation schemes other than the bedroom tax. <BR /> <BR />The Bill represents a vitally important step to deliver meaningful change before the end of this mandate and provide long-term assurances to around 37,000 households that they will not be penalised by the bedroom tax. Subject to the Assembly's passing the Bill today and its receiving Royal Assent in the coming weeks, it will come into operation the next day. We will then be able to say, hopefully as a united House, that we have binned the bedroom tax. I commend the Bill to the Assembly.”
“I intended to do that from the outset when I took up office. <BR /> <BR />I will summarise the main purpose of the legislation. Once enacted, this Bill will remove the end date for qualifying for welfare mitigation payments for those impacted by the bedroom tax policy. That will provide for the continuation of much-needed support for some of the most vulnerable in our communities by shielding them from the financial impact of the bedroom tax. <BR /> <BR />The Bill will also require my Department to monitor and report on the operation of welfare mitigation schemes, with a report to be laid in the Assembly no later than 31 March 2025. I am committed to keeping welfare mitigations under review to ensure that they meet the continuing need and support the people who need them most.”
“I am pleased to be able to move the Final Stage of the Welfare Supplementary Payments (Amendment) Bill today. I take this opportunity to thank Members and Committee members from across the political spectrum who have given their support for this important Bill and its speedy progression through the Assembly within such a short period of time. <BR /> <BR />I also take this opportunity to thank all the organisations and groups — the Cliff Edge Coalition, Advice NI, the Human Rights Commission and others — that worked with me to get the Bill to this point. I welcome the positive responses to the Bill from organisations that were at the forefront of the campaign to extend welfare mitigation payments and ensure that we did not introduce a new cliff edge for people who have been dependent on those payments.”
“We could have used the £55 million to spread the scheme across all. There are about 55,000 people in receipt of tax credits. We take 45% off that number for those on tax credits who would get the payment because they are on one of the other means-tested benefits. We were told that primary legislation would be needed and therefore that HMRC could not move on that in this mandate. We were willing to make the payment and to use HMRC's payment details, but it said that, because of data-sharing limitations, it was not able to provide them.”
“Those who will receive the payments directly are those in receipt of income-based jobseeker's allowance, income-related employment allowance, universal credit, pension credit or income support.”
“The proposal in his paper did not make it on to the Executive agenda until January of this year. That two-month delay in the decision being made meant a two-month delay in getting the scheme up and running. Members will know that, for an item to get on to the Executive agenda, it takes the two Ministers in the Executive Office to sign off on it. Unfortunately, we could not get sign-off until January of this year, yet the proposal was ready and put to the Executive in November of last year.”
“From the Chancellor's announcement last year, £13·8 million was to come forward as a Barnett consequential. When that money was announced last year, I indicated that I would like it to go towards a fuel support scheme, but I also recognised that £13·8 million would never be enough. When I wrote to the Finance Minister last November, I requested the £13·8 million and for him to see what other resources were available. Right away and automatically, he contacted other Ministers asking for projections of any in-year underspends in advance of the January monitoring round and saying that those would go towards a fuel support scheme. He got an announcement. <BR /> <BR />The Finance Minister then wrote to the Executive in November, suggesting that the £55 million be allocated.”
“I continue to keep options open to see what more we can do, but, without a Budget for next year being agreed, we have to look at our baseline budgets and can only function on a three-month basis. To do anything of scale, we need a functioning Executive. <BR /> <BR />There is a big focus on the revitalisation of the Housing Executive to get it on to a firm financial footing and look at the cavity wall insulation issues. The Housing Executive has action plans for that. Over the past year, we have put additional moneys into the reserves of the Housing Executive to allow it to do more works. It will come forward with additional measures and schemes to address some of the challenges.”
“Unfortunately, my proposal was held up in the Executive for two months. We could have seen the payment in January, not March. That was out of my control. It was not allowed on the agenda for discussion until January, when it was finally approved at the Executive, even though the Finance Minister had written to the Executive in November last year. That was unfortunate. <BR /> <BR />The scheme is not responding to the winter fuel pressures — we have already paid out over £51 million over the last couple of months — it is responding to the cost-of-living crisis and the global fuel crisis that we face and will probably face for the foreseeable future. I am glad that payments will go out directly to all of those households. Next Thursday and Friday, the bulk of the payments will be made to 280,000 individuals across the North.”
“<BR /> <BR />The payments for this scheme, for example, are made under the Financial Assistance Act 2009, and we need the signature of the First Minister and deputy First Minister. Again, if any new additional resource or funding comes forward, we will need a functioning Executive to allocate the money and to sign off on the regulations to allow the money to get to the people who need it. That is where the focus needs to be.”
“Definitely. As I have just said, the Executive, through the Finance Minister, wrote about reducing VAT costs on household energy bills or removing the VAT. We also looked at the windfall tax and other measures that could be put in place. We wait to hear a response from them about measures that they were going to introduce. I attended the British-Irish Council meeting recently on energy, at which Minister Lyons was the lead Minister. The cost of living and rising energy bills were not on the agenda, so I asked for a discussion about it. I used that as an opportunity to raise serious concerns and to say that those matters needed to be elevated to Westminster level. I am hopeful that, even through those engagements, we will start to see things.”
“I will continue to do all that I can to represent communities on the ground, but we need a functioning Executive in order to allocate any additional resources that come forward.”
“I implore everyone around the Chamber to focus on getting the Executive up and running again so that we can start to deal with the challenges collectively. <BR /> <BR />There is also a push for Westminster to look at the issue in a serious way, just as we approached the pandemic. The energy and the cost-of-living crises will not go away. They are huge crises, and they are growing across all our communities. Therefore, there need to be solutions at the level at which tax powers and other powers are held. Westminster needs to make an intervention. Before the Executive folded, the Finance Minister wrote on their behalf about those interventions, but we are still waiting for them to come across.”
“There would need to be a change in the legislation for there to be an additional scheme and to make emergency payments, and that takes a functioning Executive. I continue to exhaust all avenues to see how I can support people on the ground. There are limitations, as I have said, around tax credits, for example. I recognise that in-work poorer people just do not have enough income to sustain their outgoings. Unfortunately, there were legal barriers. HMRC said that it needed primary legislation in order to progress. <BR /> <BR />We do not have the three-year Budget that we wanted. We cannot get a Budget signed off. We need a functioning Executive, so that, if any additional money becomes available, we can allocate it to the cost-of-living crisis.”
“I can do all that I can in the Department, but I need others working with me and a functioning Executive up and running again. I am hopeful that that can happen sooner rather than later.”
“I do not hold responsibility for energy, and, obviously, the Department for the Economy has to address issues there as well. That said, my Department has met the Utility Regulator regularly, and we continue to see what we can do to address those problems. The Finance Minister has written to Westminster about VAT costs on energy bills and calling for a windfall tax. More moves are needed there. <BR /> <BR />The reality is that, if any additional moneys come, we need a functioning Executive in order to make decisions and allocate those resources. In the absence of that, I do not know where that leaves us when it comes to any additional resource that may come. How will that money be allocated? There is a concern there.”
“I wanted the scheme to hit people's pockets earlier, but the failure to have it put on the Executive agenda for two months meant that we are getting the money out to people only now, rather than in January, which is when I would have liked it to have been given out. On top of that, we are doing the £2 million Bryson Care scheme, which has been working really well. Over 11,000 people receive support from that. Of course, that is on top of all the other schemes that the Department is working on. The affordable warmth scheme, the cold weather payment scheme, the boiler replacement scheme, the winter fuel payment scheme that I touched on, the Bryson Care scheme and discretionary support are all services and supports that the Department runs. <BR /> <BR />There is a responsibility on other Departments.”