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.”
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“The sector was hit very hard, and now it is trying to restore public confidence as venues reopen and events return. The sector is trying to straddle both. We will continue to work with the sector. The task force carried out its work, and many from the music sector were involved in that. I also met representatives from Music NI throughout the period to get an update on the impact on the artists, the industry's support staff and the jobs that the sector supports. They have made a series of recommendations to me by way of the task force. I announced the funding package, and that was the number one issue that came up as part of the task force. I am looking at the recommendations, and I will write to the task force shortly about what I will bring forward as a result of its recommendations and proposals.”
“I will make further announcements shortly.”
“That fund was to support them. I assure Members that we will continue to work to bring forward further support urgently, particularly for organisations.”
“I distributed a further £4 million to the community support programme at a local level to develop local initiatives, harness the power of the arts and to improve people's lives for the better. <BR /> <BR />In the 2021-22 financial year, my Executive colleagues have allocated a further £13 million of support for the culture, arts, languages and heritage sectors. I have already allocated up to £5·5 million of that to support self-employed and freelance individuals. That allocation was made on the back of the work of the task force that was established earlier this year around culture, arts and heritage recovery, which identified issues around freelancers as the number one issue. The task force report will be published soon. Members will remember that, up until just over a month ago, a lot of the sectors and venues were still closed.”
“I thank my Executive colleagues for the £33 million that was allocated last year, to which my Department added a further £3 million. That brought the total support to just under £36 million. For well over a year, our culture and arts venues fell silent. We have not been able to enjoy the magic of live gigs, festivals, plays and many other activities that enrich our cultural lives. <BR /> <BR />Funding allocated for the 2020-21 financial year continued to flow. We provided much-needed support for individuals. Some 3,000 people received awards, which came to just under £10 million in total. We also provided over 400 organisations with £18 million to eliminate deficits and to help with reopening and any adaptions that they needed to make to ensure that they could reopen safely. I also supported our languages sector with over £3·5 million.”
“Therefore, we try to create multiple pathways, but the key is working with employers to find employment opportunities. That will be a focus for us in the time ahead. I will write to the Member with the specific information that he requested.”
“I do not have the figure for West Tyrone, but I will send you the breakdown. <BR /> <BR />We are working with employers to provide opportunities at the end of the placement. Young people can then seek to transfer into employment. In my Department, we are looking at how we can transfer them over and guarantee them an interview for employment opportunities that arise. We are also matching them to opportunities, through work coaches and local jobs and benefits offices so that they can consider other opportunities. They will have garnered skills, and we help them to write applications and present CVs, which allows them to consider other employment opportunities on the jobs list at the moment. We also work with colleges on pathways to further education for those who need it.”
“I will announce those enhancements soon and promote them widely in the time ahead.”
“Over the last couple of months, I met a number of young people, some of whom work in my Department in a variety of areas. I also met those working in the private sector; a mixture of those with a disability, who are on the nine-month placement, and those on the six-month placement. From what I gathered, they enjoy the experience. They like the opportunity to try out an area of work that they have not previously thought of. It has been a good opportunity for them to come together and meet other young people. <BR /> <BR />We continue to listen to the young people, and we may need to make enhancements to the scheme. In some of the engagement with them, they tell us that we should do that, particularly in regard to pay, incentivisation, childcare and working hours for different age brackets.”
“We are looking at new incentives. There will be almost a relaunch of the scheme, to tell people where the opportunities are. It is important for us to work with organisations and employers on the ground to get that word out. MLAs and others will play a key role in that.”
“Many businesses have come forward, and many opportunities are available. We are looking at how we can enhance the scheme to encourage young people to come forward. As I said, we want to make it be worth their while. Among their concerns are the rate of pay and the fact that placements are not necessarily full-time employment. I am looking at enhancements for young people who want to consider placements. There are, obviously, issues around childcare as well, because parents are coming forward. We also want to broaden the age range to allow more young people to apply. <BR /> <BR />We will advertise jobs differently. We are looking at social media, such as Instagram, where young people can be reached. They do not necessarily look at the jobs and benefits office's internet line, but they are to be found on Instagram and other platforms.”
“We are looking at providing more full-time employment and childcare costs and also at, potentially, increasing the age range for those who can access the opportunities. <BR /> <BR />The bigger part is how we can engage and get the word out that these opportunities are available. In the Member's area, 64 employers have come forward, and that is brilliant. We need to find young people to match to those positions. There may be MLAs who can say that the opportunities exist, and we are more than glad to facilitate that. We will work with councils, training providers, the community and voluntary sector and employers to get the news out that these opportunities are here.”
“We are trying to do all that we can. When the scheme first came into being, it was a programme that was run in Britain, and it then transferred to here. We had projected that the jobseeker's allowance claimant count would be at 120,000 at this point. We are at around 48,500, so, thankfully, we did not get to the projected levels. That said, we have 4,942 opportunities for young people right across the North in a variety of sectors, and those employers are keen to get young people through their doors. <BR /> <BR />We are engaging to rapidly increase the numbers. I am looking at incentives for the scheme. We have talked to young people to find out what further supports they would need to take up the opportunities.”
“It is intended that, by the end of the opportunity, Job Start participants will either be offered a job by the employer, or have the necessary skills and experience to help them to find another job or to progress into further education and training opportunities. Employers are openly encouraged to retain the participant at the end of the programme. Work coaches in the local jobs and benefits offices will support young people who participate in the scheme. <BR /> <BR />When the scheme was developed, unemployment levels for young people were predicted to be significantly higher. Thankfully, the expected levels have not come to pass. Therefore, I have asked officials to explore further enhancements to the scheme to encourage increased participation.”
“Thanks very much. Since its introduction, more than 1,529 employers have signed up to provide opportunities through the Job Start scheme. As of 30 September, 64 employers in the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area had submitted a Job Start funding application. Ten young people from that area have already commenced employment through the scheme. <BR /> <BR />Job Start provides a financial incentive to encourage employers, including those in the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area, to provide Job Start opportunities for young people who are at risk of long-term unemployment. Opportunities are available for six months, which can be extend to nine months if they meet the additional criteria.”
“OK. I should say that I will formally reply to Members' questions in writing.”
“The strategy will give more definitive information, Andy, about the number of homes that we think that we will build over that period. I do not want to say anything until the strategy has been produced. However, I will come back to you on that. <BR /> <BR />On the private rentals —.”
“— and can overcome all the issues in challenging sectarianism and racism where they raise their heads. <BR /> <BR />I touched on housing allocations. We have established the project team for that. We are implementing a number of the proposals, and work on those will be under way by March of next year. We are continuing to do the rest of the work. I am in consultation and am engaging with the Infrastructure Minister on how we can bring forward schemes and align what Infrastructure is doing with our housing programme in the time ahead. <BR /> <BR />As I touched on, we are doing the housing supply strategy. I hope that will go out to consultation at the end of this year. The strategy will take us up to 2037. It will have three-year action plans for delivery over that period.”
“I live in the Market, which is an inner-city working-class area that is just like many communities in East Belfast that feel the pressure of development and the lack of available land. I come from a family of seven siblings, and three of my siblings had to leave that area and go to the north of the city for private rented accommodation and to purchase a home because they could not get one in the community in which we live. I am acutely aware of that. The issue is not just about building houses. We want to build communities and ensure that they are sustainable, thriving, have cohesion —”
“Members mentioned other issues, and I will come back to some of them. The demolition of Housing Executive tower blocks is not just an issue for East Belfast. It is, perhaps, an opportunity. Where there is housing need and the blocks need to be demolished, they will be replaced by modern, energy-efficient warm homes. My Department has already approved the demolition of Clarawood House and Kilbroney House. Once they are cleared, that will create an opportunity for the sites to be redeveloped in a manner that suits the needs on the ground at that time. I fully appreciate that people have been born and bred in and around those blocks and live in that community. The Housing Executive has assured me that it will deal sensitively and sympathetically with tenants. <BR /> <BR />I completely understand the issues that have been raised.”
“Councils will play a critical role in that, particularly around the local development plans. On the one hand, with private development, I will be encouraging and saying that they should allocate a percentage to social and affordable housing and that that should be fit for purpose. I will also be identifying public land that they own. I cannot remember who mentioned the cataloguing of all public land. There is a difficulty in that not everybody keeps records. There are paper copies, and they will have to be transferred. That will take time. That has slowed down some of that work. We are trying to identify public land for public housing. That is something that I am working on with the executive in the time ahead.”
“We need to grow that further. I call on Executive parties to support my call and that of the housing sector to have a dedicated outcome for housing in the Programme for Government, because that would put a focus on housing and state that it is a fundamental right. It must also be recognised that housing is an issue not just for the Department for Communities. Issues across government around land assembly, planning and infrastructure lead to a home being built. That is what we need to look at in the time ahead. <BR /> <BR />I am working with housing associations and have been encouraging them to identify land that is available for housing. On behalf of the executive, I am also conducting an exercise to identify surplus land that could be used for housing developments.”
“We need to look at that in the context of how we replenish the stock that is being lost from the social housing provision, because it is not being recirculated to those on the housing waiting lists who need it. We also need to offer options on co-ownership and for those who want to rent properties, and we need to look at an intermediate rent. Obviously, we are bringing forward proposals on those issues. <BR /> <BR />I have already told the House that I believe the targets for social housing are too low and that, unless we do something radical about the targets, the waiting lists will get worse rather than better. The continuation of building quality homes and creating stock for individuals and families is also a priority. To that end, I increased the budget this year. The Executive agreed to the investment of an additional £26 million.”
“Many people still live in the home that they bought through the right-to-buy scheme, and many properties are sold off and end up in the private rented sector. Obviously, they are still housing people. We know that there are more families with children in the private rented sector than in the social sector, so we need to look at housing holistically. That is what we are trying to do through the housing supply strategy, this term's legislation around the private rented sector and the legislation in the next term. We need to look at all of those issues. <BR /> <BR />The points system is one part of the piece on housing need. We are trying to ensure that people on the list are retained on it and we identify that need. I also want to look at ring-fencing and reintroducing it into the housing development programme.”
“The other area that we need to look at is the right to buy. It was touched on. A few decades ago, the Housing Executive had over 240,000 homes in its stock; we now have fewer than 100,000. That in itself — the loss of that stock — tells you why there is a housing crisis. Those houses are not being turned over into more homes. For every 1,900 homes, on average, that we develop in a year, we lose almost 500 through that scheme. It is a popular scheme, but we need to look at the options. I have proposed a consultation, but, again, that has not been approved by the Executive. I want to consult on what the options could be.”
“The bidding for the programme is done on a three-year cycle. <BR /> <BR />I completely recognise that, on average, around 1,900 homes, as part of the social housing development programme, are not enough. We need to be more ambitious and to increase the number of homes. We need increased capital investment around that, and we also need the ability to build the homes. It is OK saying that we have the money in place, but is the infrastructure in place? Do we have the builders to take forward a programme of that scale?”
“<BR /> <BR />I am committed from the outset to building more social housing, and, indeed, social housing is at the core of my programme and what I am doing in the time ahead. Last year, 2,403 social housing units were started. That was the highest figure in 10 years. During the same period, 1,318 social homes were completed, exceeding the target of 1,200. In each one of those houses is a person and a family, and we know fundamentally that they need a home. In the past five years, 393 new social starts have commenced in the East Belfast constituency, and 421 social housing units have been completed. Currently, 79 social housing units are under construction, and, in the current three-year housing development programme that takes us up to 2024, a further 381 housing units are planned in the constituency.”
“There is a huge issue, and you see that in the private rented sector as well. Not all those tenants are in social housing. Going back to your point, Andy, the waiting list is not reflective of the real need and the issues out there. We know that, and we are trying to look at how we can ensure that the waiting list actually reflects the real need. We know that there are particular problems with that in rural areas as well, and we are working with the Rural Community Network and others on the latent demand tests, for example. Are there other ways that we can look at that need? It is also about encouraging people who need a home to make sure that they are registered and that they stay on the register. I totally recognise all those issues and am trying to look at solutions to bring forward.”
“I cannot give all the details now because all those types of issues are still being looked at. Part of that is looking at the trajectory of rent, and it also involves looking at an analysis of making sure that it is affordable and that people do not fall into debt and an affordability crisis. That is some of the analysis that is being carried out on those issues. <BR /> <BR />We are also looking at the housing supply strategy.”
“That is part of what we are looking at, Andy. I want to keep the Housing Executive as a public body but for it to have the ability to borrow. Obviously, there is a difficulty at the moment, and we need to allow it to have the ability to borrow in order to invest in the stock or we will not have half of the stock. That is just the reality. That is not to scare people, but that is the assessment of Savills. We are updating that assessment, and I do not think that the situation will get better. It will probably present a worse picture rather than an improved one, so we need to fundamentally deal with this issue. <BR /> <BR />The programme board is set up, and there is a commitment from me that I will present this way forward to the Executive before the end of this mandate, and work is under way.”
“We need to ensure that it remains public and that the sense of it as a public body is retained, both in its landlord function and as a regional housing authority. As I said at Question Time, the Housing Executive and the Department have set up a panel to look at how we can do that. <BR /> <BR />Within the confines of the legislation and the parameters set by Westminster, how can we get the Housing Executive into a position where it can borrow and yet retain its status of a public body? Those are some of the challenges that we are trying to work through. We are working with experts on the legislation and the finances around it, and we are engaging with Westminster because, obviously, that is where some of the restrictions, I suppose, around these things come from.”
“That is because the money to invest in the fundamental work that must be done is not there. That is part of the challenge. <BR /> <BR />The main thrust of last year's housing statement was that we need to deal with the fundamental challenge of getting the Housing Executive onto a firm financial footing, allowing it to borrow, to invest in those properties and to bring the existing housing stock up to date so that people can live in homes that are fit for purpose, not just now but taking into account the challenges of climate change. We must ensure that we build new homes as well, and the Housing Executive, along with the housing associations, must be able to do that. <BR /> <BR />My focus for that agenda of change is to keep what is good about the Housing Executive as a public housing body.”
“As of March this year, 44,985 people were on the list, and some 30,926 of those were in housing stress. As to the extent of the predicament that we are in, the figures speak for themselves. <BR /> <BR />As I said in the Chamber previously, there is also a crisis in existing Housing Executive stock, as was touched on when we discussed insulation and other issues. The Savills report of 2019 concluded that, if we do not fundamentally deal with the investment challenges of the Housing Executive, half of its remaining stock of over 96,000 homes could be lost to public housing because it cannot afford to maintain them. <BR /> <BR />I completely understand that these are the issues that Members pick up in their constituency offices. I pick up the same issues of poor housing conditions in my office too.”
“They are the same as those in the north of the city and in Derry, Foyle and other parts of the North. It is important to point out that I acknowledge that there is a housing crisis, and it exists not just in East Belfast but across the North. We are in the midst of a housing crisis, and we have serious difficulties. The Assembly, the Executive and I, as Minister, need to overcome those difficulties over the next decade, and we need to look at short-, medium- and long-term plans for how to get there. <BR /> <BR />Partly, this crisis is because of decades of underinvestment. Even before the Assembly was created, on the back of the Good Friday Agreement, there was underinvestment. Over the period since, the crisis has built. We can see that reflected in the recent waiting list.”
“I thank Joanne for securing this important Adjournment debate, and I thank everyone who has contributed. East Belfast is a lovely place. I live in the Markets, just across the river from the east. Many agencies think that the Markets are in East Belfast. I always say that it is the river that divides us but the bridge that brings us together. <BR /> <BR />In the last couple of weeks, I was out in the lower Ravenhill with Joanne's party colleague Christopher Stalford. We met community organisations and looked at the issue of housing infrastructure. The Department for Infrastructure was represented on that walkabout as well. I have said that I am more than happy to continue that engagement with the community to look at its issues. <BR /> <BR />The issues in that part of East Belfast are the same as those where I live.”
“We would need to build a new system, because the payments are made by Westminster. They are paid by the Department for Work and Pensions. We do not have the IT system to do it here. If we wanted to build our own IT system for social security, over £1 billion would have to be invested. We have built extra systems for the mitigations that we pay here that other parts of Britain do not get, but that is at a cost. To build an additional system would cost over £7 million, and, to do that, I need the agreement and approval of the Executive. There is no point in me building a system unless I get the approval to continue the payment. We are looking at plans to do that, but I have to get that approval in order to know that the finance will be there to make the payments.”
“We have the discretionary fund and all that and, indeed, the debt advisers who can give advice and support.”
“We are continuing to lobby for it to be reinstated. I made a bid in the monitoring round, but I was also clear that you cannot cover it for just six months. You cannot just provide it until March and create another deadline. If you are going to cover it, you need to look at resourcing it going into the next financial year and beyond. To do that will take a huge commitment. Almost £200 million will need to be found from existing budgets. That will be part of the conversation. <BR /> <BR />The focus at the minute is, rightly, on the British Government. They removed it, and they dictate the finances for it. We are continuing to apply pressure, and, in the intervening period, we will continue to try to support people.”
“A huge amount of money will be lost, which will obviously put people into greater hardship at a time of increased fuel costs, the rising cost of living, as you say, issues pertaining to Brexit and the winter months.”
“The Tory cut to the universal credit uplift is disgraceful, particularly in the midst of a pandemic and as we enter into the winter months as well. When the money was given, there was already recognition that the basic rate was not enough. I believe that the Tories are ideologically wedded to eroding the welfare state as it exists. That said, I am glad that I got support from all Executive Ministers and all parties around the table in lobbying and writing to the British Government. I also worked with my counterparts in Scotland and Wales, calling for the uplift to be retained. Almost £110 million pounds will come out of the local economy here and out of people's pockets. That will increase to almost £200 million if you consider all the legacy benefits that would, eventually, transfer to universal credit.”
“I am more than happy for the Member to engage with my officials directly on that matter. Once I come forward with recommendations, I will be happy to communicate them directly to the Member and the Assembly.”
“The big thing is that a lot of people who have been intimidated feel that we should not be taking away the right to claim points for intimidation because they are going through that traumatic experience. Unfortunately, intimidation happens; it should not, but it does. We still need to look at what provision we can make, and we are looking at other options at the moment, outside of the recommendation to just remove the points. We know that organisations, particularly in the women's sector, raised concerns that domestic violence was not being considered. They feel that it should be, and I agree with that. <BR /> <BR />We also need to look at the robustness of the evidence and the information, and we need to make sure that there is greater oversight of that. That is part of the scoping work that the Housing Executive is doing as well.”
“Some concerns were raised about the recommendations that were being proposed, particularly around domestic and gender-based violence. We have asked the Housing Executive to reassess that and to engage on it. I am waiting for options and proposals to come back to me for my consideration. We will be able to update the House further once we have that information back.”
“A consultation and a review were carried out into the points system, and 18 of the review's recommendations were agreed to and brought forward. Work is ongoing with the Housing Executive on the implementation of those recommendations. There are systems, including IT systems and all of that, that need to change. That implementation work will be done over the next two to three years, and the first phase should be completed by March 2022. As I say, it will take a further two years after that to complete all of the work. That will ensure that we can fully implement the 18 recommendations. <BR /> <BR />The other two outstanding recommendations that have not been brought forward at this time deal with, for example, intimidation points.”
“The Housing Executive is an equal opportunities employer. It has excelled in the job of recruitment. It adheres to the law on recruitment matters. If there is a particular issue that you need to address with me, that is fine. Staff in all our offices are there to deliver a public service — delivering houses — for everybody, no matter from which background or walk of life they come. That is the commitment and the ethos of the Housing Executive and why it was established: to ensure that there was not discrimination in housing and to take the politics out of housing. I will defend the Housing Executive in that regard in the time ahead. If you have specifics, then get in touch and we will come back to you directly.”
“I am not sure what you are referring to. When you say "make-up", do you mean people's background, or what? The Housing Executive, like any public authority, works to equality regulations and guidelines in its recruitment policies. We ensure that it adheres strongly to those. We have ongoing engagement with the Equality Commission and the Human Rights Commission. If you want to talk about something more specific that I am not aware of, I am more than happy to address that directly with you.”
“Alongside the housing supply strategy, which will look at the needs and start to determine how many homes we need to build over the next decade, there will have to be a commitment to provide an increased capital programme in order to match that need. I will raise the issue of the budget for that with Executive colleagues.”
“I covered some of that in a previous answer. We will look to introduce ring-fencing again to the social housing development programme; to focus on building more homes in those areas of highest need; and to deal with the Housing Executive's investment challenge. It is critical that we get the Housing Executive building again as soon as possible, as well as investing in its existing stock. We do not want to run the risk of it losing half of that stock because we did not deal with the challenge. <BR /> <BR />This year, I got increased capital budget investment from the Executive for more social homes.”
“That investment is crucial. We have had a lot of engagement with contractors, social housing associations and the Housing Executive on the increasing costs. It is no secret that that is affecting all capital programmes across the board. The huge increase in the cost of materials after a contract is given has been a challenge. We wanted to meet that challenge to ensure that the housing programme can still go ahead and that we can deliver on target. That funding is vital and has been broadly welcomed by the sector. I know that it followed a similar announcement by the Finance Minister on investments in capital infrastructure and de-risking those investments. Obviously, housing is a priority, so I am glad that we were able to create that fund to allow those contracted works to continue.”
“We need to look at bringing forward a number of the factors that were addressed in the housing statement: ring-fencing; the housing supply strategy, which we will consult on later this year; and the need to be more ambitious through increased capital investment in order to build more social housing in the time ahead.”