Northern Ireland Assembly, 9 June 2025

358 contributions from 65 members. The official report.

Assembly Business

Edwin Poots (DUP, Belfast South)

Before we move to Members' statements, I want to draw to the House's attention my concern about the Assembly's not routinely being given an appropriate opportunity to give or withhold legislative consent. The Westminster Parliament will not normally legislate on devolved issues unless it has the consent of the relevant devolved legislature. Therefore, if a Minister wishes to seek the consent of the Assembly for Parliament to do so, they should, in line with our Standing Orders, lay a legislative consent memorandum and table a legislative consent motion.

In November 2024, I wrote to the First Minister and deputy First Minister, copying in all Ministers, on the scrutiny of legislation. I used that opportunity to reinforce the importance of Ministers engaging with the Assembly in a timely manner when seeking legislative consent. I drew attention specifically to the relevant requirements of Standing Orders and reminded Ministers that late notification to the Assembly risks compromising the ability of the Assembly and its Committees to carry out effective scrutiny of Bills that require legislative consent.

In that November letter, I drew attention to six Bills having been introduced at Westminster for which the Government had accepted to engage legislative consent for Northern Ireland. One of the six Bills was the Data (Use and Access) Bill. I am extremely concerned to have been advised by the Committee for Finance that the requirements of our Standing Orders had not been met in respect of that Bill. The Bill was introduced in Parliament in October 2024, yet a legislative consent memorandum was laid only within the past two weeks. The timing meant that it was too late for the Committee for Finance to undertake its scrutiny or for the Assembly to have any meaningful opportunity to decide whether to give its consent. That is simply unacceptable.

I understand that there may be challenges for Departments arising from the UK Government's not engaging with them on relevant Bills in a manner that facilitates early engagement with the Assembly. It is for the Executive to raise those issues with the UK Government.

Regardless of those challenges, however, our Ministers, on some occasions, are still not engaging with the Assembly in a timely manner. If a Minister wants the Assembly to give its consent, that Minister should ensure that a legislative consent motion is tabled and moved in good time in order to allow the Assembly to carry out its role. Any legislative consent motion needs to be debated prior to the Bill's relevant final amending stage at Westminster, in case the Government need to table amendments. That is the relevant deadline for seeking consent, not at Royal Assent.

I know that the Committee for Finance will be pursuing the specific instance of the Data (Use and Access) Bill, but I will be writing to the Executive again to remind Ministers of their duty when seeking legislative consent. For today, I underline the point that the Assembly has a crucial role to play in carrying out scrutiny and that it is a core responsibility of Ministers to ensure that business is brought before the Assembly in a timely manner in order to allow Members to carry out their role.

Some Members

Hear, hear.

Matthew O'Toole (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast South)

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I welcome the fact that you have made that announcement. It is an extremely serious matter, into which the Committee for Finance has been looking. Frankly, it is a shambolic situation. Will your office confirm, today or subsequently, whether this is the first time that the Assembly has failed to be given the opportunity to give legislative consent when it has been sitting? In addition, is there some mechanism whereby the Assembly can write to UK Government to make clear to them that we have had no opportunity to give or withhold legislative consent for that Bill?

Edwin Poots (DUP, Belfast South)

We will happily take a look at that, Mr O'Toole. Needless to say, it is a very significant matter when legislation that affects here travels through Westminster without having received any guidance from here as to its impact. It is therefore for each Minister to ensure that that does not happen again, and I trust that it will not.

Members' Statements

Pat Sheehan (Sinn Féin, Belfast West)

I commend the activists who sailed on the ship the Madleen to bring aid to Gaza. That aid consisted mostly of baby food and rice. Everyone here is aware of the blockade that Israel has imposed on the Gaza Strip for a number of months. Everybody is also aware that the Israeli Government are using starvation as a weapon of war. We have seen horrific footage of starving and malnourished children, who are suffering as a result.

The Madleen was commandeered in the early hours of this morning in an act of piracy by the Israeli Navy, which forcibly abducted the crew, among whom are Greta Thunberg, the well-known environmentalist, and Liam Cunningham, an actor from here in Ireland. I suppose that we can count our blessings that no one was hurt or injured — that we are aware of so far — because, when another ship sailed from Malta in May, it was hit by two Israeli drones. We are also cognisant of the fact that, in 2010, the Israelis attacked another ship, the Mavi Marmara, and killed 10 people on board.

I also commend the people who took part in the Great March for Gaza between Lurgan and Omeath yesterday. Thousands participated in the march, which was 25 miles long. That is the length of the Gaza Strip. They were harassed along the way by a small number of pro-Israeli protesters. I have to say that the media did a very bad job of portraying the arrests of four people, because the four arrested were pro-Israeli protesters, whereas the media gave the impression that they were people from the pro-Palestinian group.

Furthermore, I commend Queen's University for following the lead of Trinity College Dublin by ending all its ties with Israel. Despite what Arlene Foster has said, that is a progressive and welcome step. Let us hope that other universities and institutions take the lead from those two universities and cut all ties with a rogue state that is involved in the genocide of the Palestinian people and that is starving men, women and children by using starvation as —

Edwin Poots (DUP, Belfast South)

The Member's time is up.

Pat Sheehan (Sinn Féin, Belfast West)

— a weapon of war.

Paul Frew (DUP, North Antrim)

For the majority of my time in the Assembly, since 2010, I have worked incredibly hard with Departments, outside bodies and charities to modernise legislation to protect women and girls. I sit on the all-party group (APG) on domestic and sexual violence — I have done so for a considerable time and was chair for a period — and I have changed and amended legislation, not least the domestic violence and stalking legislation that came before us in the previous term. I even brought in the child protection disclosure scheme that allows parents to apply for disclosure on anyone who is acting suspiciously around their children. We have made great advances, yet, every week, we are confronted with crimes that show that we have much more to do. I have continually warned Departments that more must be done to support and protect women and girls, yet we see government and enforcement agencies continue to fail our people. The police will not promote the child protection disclosure scheme, and they do not make our people aware of it. Councils, the Housing Executive and Departments have not got to grips with problem tenants and with HMOs, and the Westminster Government have failed us all with their abject failure to secure our borders and keep us safe. There is absolutely no sign of them reversing the situation and fixing the problems in immigration — indeed, illegal immigration.

Only a matter of weeks ago in the House, I warned that people who live in my North Antrim constituency, particularly in Ballymena, are living in fear. Since then, there have been two serious sexual assaults on two teenage girls in broad daylight by what could be multiple perpetrators. Police investigations and legal proceedings are ongoing, so I refuse to comment further on those live cases, lest they be damaged or compromised. Those assaults have sent shock waves through Ballymena and further afield. Given the level of concern that there has been and the contact that I have received from all quarters of society, I really worry for my home town and the residents who live there. We need to see justice being done for those heinous, despicable crimes of sexual assault when they happen. We need to see women and girls — our children and grandchildren — protected from people who seek to do them harm and to hurt them. It is time for effective government action, with all government arms and agencies working together. It is time for justice. It is time for our women and girls to be able to walk our local streets in safety, and it is time for Departments to act in order to prevent such heinous crimes. That is what our people call for, and that is what our people require. It is about time that the Government protected our people.

Nick Mathison (Alliance, Strangford)

I am concerned about the current capacity of the Education Minister's School Uniforms (Guidelines and Allowances) Bill to deliver for parents. Statutory guidance, which will dictate what schools must comply with when the Bill passes, has still not been published by the Department or shared with the Committee. Departmental officials were not available to appear at last week's Committee meeting to answer any questions as the Bill progresses through its Committee Stage.

All of us in the Chamber are clear that the Bill needs to deliver lower costs for parents and carers and fairness and equality for children and young people. The Bill will place guidance for schools on a statutory footing. That will be fundamental to what schools are required to do on branded items, affordability and reasonable adjustments. To not have those guidelines available, even in draft form, means that scrutiny has been very limited. We, as a party, did not support reducing the scrutiny period, as the DUP, Sinn Féin and other parties did, as we believed that we needed sufficient time to work through the guidelines and to reflect on how the Bill would deliver. In the context that we are in, we need the Department to come forward with that guidance urgently.

Having taken evidence from young people, families, trade unions and other organisations, we remain concerned, as a party, that the Bill as introduced may not deliver. The major interventions that are required on limiting branded items or potentially capping costs remain enabling powers only. With none of the consultation work delivered by the Department leading up to the introduction of the Bill to help us understand how the measures could operate, the Committee has been left in a very difficult position as it tries to amend the Bill effectively.

The fact that officials were not made available to answer questions on the legislation at last week's Committee meeting is concerning. The Minister assured us that officials would be made available throughout our deliberations, but, at a key stage of the process, they were absent. In the continued absence of the guidance, the Minister really needs to be clear about the fundamental aspects of the Bill. Will the guidelines limit branded items? Will they specifically address the rising cost of PE kits? Will they address equality considerations, such as permitting girls to wear trousers?

Alliance will do all that it can to amend the Bill to ensure that it delivers as far as possible, but, ultimately, the responsibility for its content and how it has been introduced lies with the Minister. I am concerned because we seem to be in a scenario in which we are tinkering with change but stopping short of anything more substantive. The sooner that we get sight of the guidelines — we have been promised that they will really clarify the intended scope of change — the sooner that we will understand what difference the legislation will make for parents and what the Committee and we, as Members, can do to improve it.

Robbie Butler (UUP, Lagan Valley)

I bring to the attention of the House a service of remembrance that was held yesterday in St John's Church of Ireland in Moneymore called 'Life Beyond'. I think that it was the third such ecumenical service. It is run by Rural Support and Embrace FARM. The purpose of the service is to remember farmers who have died by accident whilst farming and those affected by mental health and, unfortunately, death by suicide on farms.

I was excited when I became Chair of the Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs six months ago, because agriculture is so fundamentally important to everyone across Northern Ireland. We rightly hold up our agrisector and our farmers as some of the best in the world. We produce some of the best food in the world. We eat it and export it, but we do not shout about it enough. However, I did not know about the physical and mental toll on farmers. Over the past six months, it has become evident to me that there is much more work that we need to do.

I have said in many speeches that I was in the fire service. You all know that. Everybody understands that being a firefighter is a very dangerous job — people rightly hold you up — but steps have been taken over decades to improve safety for firefighters. The same is true of the Prison Service and the Police Service. Anywhere where there is a calculable risk, the Government take action to protect the lives of the people who serve. I contend today that we undervalue our farmers and their families. Many families sat in that service yesterday having lost a loved one, whether through an accident on the farm or suicide. Every day of their life, farmers work to provide the food that we need to survive and that is so important to our economy in this country; it sustains rural towns and communities.

I pay tribute to the families across Northern Ireland, this island and these islands who have been affected by death on a farm. Those people serve us every day to give us the best that they can, often unrecognised. I also offer this challenge locally: we can and must do better to protect their lives. We must take action, and it must be more than words. We must embrace our farmers in a way that shows that we value them and that we are going to protect them.

Mark Durkan (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

I rise today not just as a public representative but as a father, a son and a human being who is horrified and terrified at what is unfolding in front of our eyes. I cannot and will not remain silent in the face of such injustice and inhumanity.

The overnight Israeli interception of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which is a convoy of medics, aid workers and peaceful advocates, is not only unlawful in anyone's book; it is a moral outrage. They are unarmed civilians, acting in accordance with international law, attempting to reach a besieged and starving population in Gaza, for which they have been detained, threatened and silenced. Let us be clear: the flotilla carries more than much-needed aid; it carries solidarity. It carries the moral weight of the millions of people who will not look away. It carries the message that the people of Gaza are not alone. It carries hope.

Among those on board was a face that we all recognise: that of Greta Thunberg — a young woman who has become a symbol of moral clarity. Let us not forget, however, the other heroes who were on board who are without fame or a platform: ordinary people who were showing extraordinary courage and compassion, offering a lifeline to those who are in unimaginable desperation and despair.

Gaza is dying, with hospitals that have been turned into rubble, ambulances that have been shelled and children who have been pulled, lifeless, from the ruins of homes that once echoed with laughter. They are a people who are being starved. This is not self-defence. This is not war. This is collective punishment. This is the slaughter of the innocent.

The world is watching, and when the world watches and we do nothing, we are not neutral but complicit. Desmond Tutu famously said:

"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor."

It is outrageous that some people here and elsewhere have chosen that side and that they have done so not even through silence but through statements of support and attempted justification.

I urge the Executive and Governments around the world — all those who value justice and life — to condemn the actions unequivocally, to condemn the illegal interception of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, to demand the release of those who have been detained, to support an independent investigation into the atrocities in Gaza and to demand intervention and an immediate end to violence. History will remember not just what was done but those who stayed silent. Let us not be among them.

Pádraig Delargy (Sinn Féin, Foyle)

I acknowledge the significant achievement in the South of holding the highest educational attainment rate anywhere in the world. According to CBRE's research in the 'Global Tech Talent Guidebook 2025', over 52% of the population in the South now hold a bachelor's degree or higher qualification. That is a remarkable achievement that reflects a sustained commitment to education across Ireland and is testament to the value that families, communities and educators across the South place on learning.

In the North, we also have a fantastic and world-leading education system. I am proud to have been a teacher here and of the fact that I come from a family of teachers and educators. We know that our schools, colleges and universities punch well above their weight. We need to encourage lifelong learning, with more students staying in education and continuing their education journey throughout their lifetime. The Department for the Economy has done significant work to encourage more courses and greater student support for those who are in full-time employment or who have childcare or other caring responsibilities in order to prevent them from being locked out of academic opportunities and career progression.

Fundamentally, we must ensure that equitable opportunities for higher education attainment are accessible to those who wish to pursue them in the North or the South. Far too often, young people in the North face barriers to accessing higher education, not because of lack of ability or ambition but due to gaps in careers services, complex and confusing application systems and a lack of alignment between key processes. Differences between the Central Applications Office (CAO) and UCAS application systems, particularly the misalignment of results release dates, place unnecessary stress on and create a disadvantage for students who are navigating all-Ireland educational opportunities. We must work together to remove those barriers. That means improving careers guidance in our schools to ensure that it is timely, independent and comprehensive, and it means pushing for a more joined-up approach to higher education applications across Ireland. Aligning the CAO and UCAS results dates is an important enabler for moving in that direction.

We can recognise and applaud the South's achievement, but let it also serve as a call to action to us in the North. We must strive to ensure that our people, regardless of their background or geography, can access the education that they aspire to right across Ireland. Let us match ambition with action.

David Brooks (DUP, Belfast East)

Today is Batten Disease Awareness Day. This is a day that carries great meaning for families around the world, and for around 100 to 150 families in the UK: a community that refuses to give up hope.

Batten disease is a rare inherited disorder of the nervous system that typically begins in childhood. It is progressive and, at this time, has no known cure. Children with Batten disease may experience seizures, vision loss, difficulties with movement and a decline in cognitive function. As the disease progresses, it steals the abilities that most of us take for granted. Batten disease does not just affect the child: it reshapes the lives of parents, siblings, caregivers and the networks and communities around them. It challenges them to find strength, courage and resilience in the face of unimaginable hardship.

Some in the House will know one such set of parents: my friend and former colleague George Dorrian and his wife, Lauren. Their beautiful daughter Edie, who is four years old, has the condition. They have been inspirational in how they have faced and are facing that unimaginable circumstance for their daughter. George told me recently that, thankfully, Edie is too young to be aware of the seriousness of the condition. She is a happy child who, like any other, enjoys few things more than watching cartoons. The family's aim is to ensure that she enjoys every day and that they do not waste a single day spent as a family with her. Anyone who wants to see a great picture of Edie should see me afterwards, as Lauren once sent me a photo of their little girl dressed in a beautiful pink Linfield T-shirt, which made her Glentoran diehard father, George, almost crash the car when he was told about it.

Today is about raising awareness, because awareness fuels research; awareness brings resources; and awareness helps families to feel seen, supported and less alone. More important, awareness drives action, from funding for scientific breakthroughs to better access to care and support. We celebrate the children and families who face Batten disease with unbelievable strength: your stories matter, and your voices are powerful and are being heard. It is also a day for us to let those families know that they are not alone. Those of us who know George, Lauren, Colin and Edie want them to know that we are here for them.

Sian Mulholland (Alliance, North Antrim)

Yet another morning, and I wake up to yet another humanitarian disaster unfolding in Gaza. The Madleen is a civilian vessel with 12 unarmed individuals carrying essential humanitarian aid for those in desperate need, and the eyes of the world are on it. Yet, instead of just facing the dangers of the open seas, overnight those individuals experienced the deeply troubling jamming of their communications and the despicable act of the interception of their vessel and the unlawful detention of activists on board.

Theirs was not a military operation but a humanitarian mission grounded in compassion and international law. The International Court of Justice has issued binding orders requiring unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza. Standing by while aid is blocked, stolen or used as leverage is not neutrality; it is complicity. I call on the Prime Minister to uphold the UK's responsibility to defend its citizens and vessels under international law, given that the Madleen is a UK-flagged vessel. The people aboard the Madleen were acting where too many Governments have failed by attempting to deliver hope and assistance to the most vulnerable. To threaten them is to threaten the idea that humanity must always come before politics.

I will also speak about the unimaginable pain being endured by one local family amidst the crisis. In Gaza today, nowhere is safe. More than 54,000 people, overwhelmingly civilians, have been killed since October 2023. Médecins Sans Frontières reports that Nasser hospital is being overrun by gunshot and shrapnel wounds, with its blood bank nearly empty and staff donating their own blood to save lives. Families are collecting bodies on donkey carts because ambulances cannot access the areas that are under fire. That is why I want to speak about Omar and Dalal, two valued constituents and friends of my colleague Kate Nicholl. They are well-known members of their community in South Belfast. Omar is a respected oncologist in Belfast City Hospital. On 4 December, they received the unenviable news that they had been dreading: 19 members of their family in Gaza had been killed in an Israeli air strike. They had fled their homes nine times, only to die in tents, burned alive. Three weeks ago, Omar's cousin and his cousin's two children were killed. Last week, another cousin was killed in an Israeli air strike, and, just yesterday, Omar's wife's cousin was killed in the south of Khan Younis when Israeli soldiers apparently opened fire on civilians who were trying to collect food. Immediate family, including children as young as two, who are trapped in Gaza are still in danger. Their lives are in danger every split second.

I will say this plainly: we have to respect humanity and international law, and we have to stand up for it. I call on our Government, on the Irish Government and on all who have influence to act.

The people of Gaza need urgent humanitarian protection from genocidal acts such as the limitation of access to food. Omar's family needs a path to safety. Humanity must come first, and the death of humanity must not be seen as inevitable, as, tragically, was the death of Omar's family in Gaza.

Philip McGuigan (Sinn Féin, North Antrim)

Today marks the beginning of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Week. Approximately 100,000 people have been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis worldwide. In Ireland, we have the highest rate of cystic fibrosis per capita in the world, and, in the North, 500 people live with it. In Cystic Fibrosis Week, we have the opportunity to raise awareness and promote understanding of what it is like to live with the condition. It is also an opportunity to share stories and host fundraising events, particularly on 13 June, which is Wear Yellow Day.

CF is a life-threatening genetic condition that severely affects the lungs, impacts on the digestive system and can lead to other complications, including diabetes, liver disease and infertility. Daily life for someone with cystic fibrosis often involves hours of treatment, the use of inhalers, having physiotherapy to clear mucus and taking multiple medications just to stay healthy. Cystic fibrosis is not just a medical condition; it is a life story for those who have it.

Despite its challenges, people with cystic fibrosis are resilient. Many become advocates, athletes and scientists, driven by the fight to find a cure. There was a time when cystic fibrosis meant a short life that often did not extend beyond primary-school years. However, thanks to research and innovation, life expectancy has improved dramatically, and we see people living longer and healthier lives. Breakthrough cystic fibrosis modulator drugs transform lives by treating the root cause of the disease for many patients, not just the symptoms. Those drugs can help about 90% of those living with cystic fibrosis to prolong and improve their life. Unfortunately, due to the cost of the drugs, many people across the world, including children, are denied access to that medication. Access to life-changing medicine should be made available to all.

Cystic fibrosis is a lifelong battle, but it is a battle that is slowly being won. Through awareness, science and compassion, we can support those who live with the condition and work to a future where "CF" stands not for suffering but for "cure found". For that to happen, continued research, funding and awareness are essential. In Cystic Fibrosis Week, I encourage people, be it in a school, local community group or business, to help to raise funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and life-changing research.

Stephen Dunne (DUP, North Down)

I congratulate our very own road racing legend, Mr Michael Dunlop, on winning his thirty-third TT on the Isle of Man last week. It is a truly incredible achievement that is worthy of celebration and recognition. It is an honour for another sporting hero from Northern Ireland of whom we can be proud. The Dunlop family name in motorcycle road racing is truly world-famous and iconic through the success of Michael's late uncle, Joey; his late dad, Robert; and his late brother, William, all of whom are sadly no longer with us but have left an incredible legacy of success in their sport of motorcycle road racing.

This summer also marks 25 years since the late great Joey Dunlop tragically passed away while competing in Estonia. He will certainly never be forgotten. It was fitting that a special event was held recently in Ballymoney to remember his legacy 25 years on. Stars from today and yesteryear turned out in style on some of Joey's most iconic bikes.

Despite many personal trials and tragedy, Michael continues to excel. To win a record 33 races at the Isle of Man TT — two last week in the very competitive super-sport class and another in the super-twin class — is an incredible achievement. The TT is one of the most iconic and competitive motor sport competitions in the world. The success that Michael has had is amazing, and we can all celebrate it.

We have a proud legacy and heritage in Northern Ireland of punching well above our weight in so many sports, including motor sport, and that success continues to this day. Congratulations, Michael Dunlop, and very best wishes to you. I am sure that many more victories are to come in the years ahead.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Belfast South)

You have two minutes, Mr Buckley.

Jonathan Buckley (DUP, Upper Bann)

Thank you, Mr Speaker. As a Member for Upper Bann, I mark the passing of an incredible and remarkable man: Hilbert Willis. Hilbert was 101 years old. A football fanatic and loyal-to-the-core supporter of Loughgall Football Club, his life was one that was well and truly lived. He described himself as an "all-round farmer".

Hilbert was born on 11 February 1924, and his life spanned an extraordinary period. Such was his character that he engaged with his community, rolled up his sleeves and continued to work as a volunteer at Loughgall Football Club. Right up to his death, he was seen at the club supporting the team in all its endeavours.

For 30 years, he served as groundsman and then as club chairman, among a host of other voluntary roles. In 2021, at the age of 97, inspired by the walk during COVID of Sir Tom Moore, Hilbert took to the pitch, doing 100 laps and raising £27,000 for Loughgall Football Club. It was remarkable for the man that he was.

We have lost a legend. A family is in mourning. To the Willis family, I send our deepest sympathies. Hilbert's life was well and truly lived. It is true when they say, "There was only one Hilbert Willis". Such was his contribution to the local community that a stand was named in his honour at Loughgall Football Club. He was a much-loved servant of that team and, indeed, many other organisations in the Loughgall community.

Assembly Business

Edwin Poots (DUP, Belfast South)

I ask Members to take their ease before we move to the next item of business.

(Madam Principal Deputy Speaker in the Chair)

Ministerial Statement

Carál Ní Chuilín (Sinn Féin, Belfast North)

I have received notice from the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs that he wishes to make a statement. Before I call the Minister, I remind Members that they must be concise in asking their questions, as this is not an opportunity for debate or long introductions.

Andrew Muir (Alliance, North Down)

With permission, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, I wish to make a statement to set out my plans for the launch of the public consultation on the draft remediation strategy for the Mobuoy site.

At the outset, I declare in the register that my stepfather is quality manager for phase 1 of the A6 project.

I welcome the conclusion of the Mobuoy case in court last week. I share the public’s concern and recognise the concern and anger caused by the appalling situation at Mobuoy. That is why I will move to launch the consultation as quickly as possible in order to help people to understand the proposals to minimise risks to water quality and the environment.

Safeguarding public health, ensuring safe drinking water and reducing the environmental impact of the Mobuoy site are paramount to me. My Department recognises that it has a duty under the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 to promote the cleanliness of water in waterways and underground strata and will continue to take action to safeguard water quality and the environment at Mobuoy. There is no room for complacency, and I take the discharge of that duty very seriously. To that end, my officials have produced a draft technical remediation strategy for the Mobuoy site. The draft remediation strategy has been developed to mitigate the long-term risk that the contaminated site poses to water quality in the River Faughan and to address its contamination of the Faughan groundwater body. NI Water’s Carmoney water treatment works takes its supply from river water abstracted less than two kilometres downstream of the Mobuoy site, and safeguarding the drinking water supply and the environment is unequivocally a priority for me.

The draft remediation strategy is a detailed, technical and complex document that has been developed by a specialist contaminated land consultancy team in accordance with the industry standard process known as the "land contamination risk management" (LCRM) guidance.

LCRM guidance is the UK Government guidance on how to assess and manage the risks from land contamination, and, as well as in England and Wales, it applies here in Northern Ireland.

A detailed quantitative risk assessment (DQRA) was carried out in line with the LCRM process, drawing on extensive site investigations to establish the volume and nature of the waste and utilising over seven years of monitoring data. That provided a robust scientific basis for the specialist contaminated land consultancy team to work through a remediation options appraisal for a range of potential remediation options to develop the draft remediation strategy. The remediation options appraisal process was undertaken in line with the LCRM guidance and the Sustainable Remediation Forum UK (SuRF-UK) publication 'A Framework for Assessing the Sustainability of Soil and Groundwater Remediation'. That guidance was produced with the aim of encouraging more sustainable management of remediation practices in the UK. It outlines the principles of sustainable development and the criteria that should be used in the selection of sustainable remediation strategies.

At each of the stages, the work was presented to stakeholders and published on the DAERA website. That work has now culminated in the production of a draft remediation strategy for the site. It is a technical document that proposes taking an integrated remediation approach to how the site could be remediated in order to mitigate the risks highlighted by the evidence, in accordance with the outcomes from the remediation options appraisal process. The strategy sets out a technical proposal, which, following the consultation's conclusion, will require further development in order to take account of consultation responses, affordability and deliverability. That will inform the final remediation strategy.

At this stage, there is no agreed preferred option, and the way forward will not be decided until consultation has been completed. I want everyone who has an interest in the draft remediation strategy to respond to the consultation. Consultation is hugely important to me. The public consultation will ensure that all stakeholders and interested parties are afforded the opportunity to respond. It also presents an opportunity for stakeholders to provide information that they think that we need to consider in finalising the preferred approach. The consultation process is designed to ensure engagement with all, and I look forward to rolling out a series of engagement events as part of it. I am keen to hear stakeholders' views on any points that they believe should be taken into consideration before a preferred approach is agreed.

It is important that the stakeholder engagement be effective, and I will ensure that we provide the best opportunity for people to respond so that we can receive meaningful responses. For that reason, the consultation will run over a period of 16 weeks in order to take account of the July and August holiday periods. Stakeholder engagement meetings will be arranged for early September to maximise the opportunity for all interested parties to attend. Details of the meetings will follow as soon as possible.

Following the consultation, my officials will carefully consider the responses received, and an assessment will be undertaken to establish any changes that are required in order to determine a preferred approach. We will then need to evaluate that approach by looking at what is affordable and deliverable and by ensuring that it mitigates environmental risks and safeguards water quality for future generations. The consultation is a very important and significant step. It is important to note, however, that the consultation does not guarantee that everything in the draft remediation strategy will be delivered immediately. Nonetheless, it is an important and significant step forward in the process.

There is no quick fix, but I am committed to continuing to ensure that appropriate steps are taken to protect water quality and the environment during the processes. Next steps will be subject to a range of factors, including departmental and public spending approvals, meaning a wider role for the Executive and the Assembly in delivering a remediation strategy that recognises the constraints within which we operate. There will be important considerations to be made on the availability of funding and the realistic timescales required to deliver a remediation solution.

I am committed to protecting the water quality of the River Faughan and to working in partnership with Northern Ireland Water to safeguard drinking water in the north-west. To that end, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) continues to implement a comprehensive environmental monitoring programme (EMP) at the site. The EMP includes site and riverbank inspections, surface water and groundwater monitoring and daily laboratory testing of water quality at the NI Water drinking water abstraction point. The monitoring data is used by my officials and NI Water to assess continually any changes in risk to the water quality in the River Faughan and the water quality at the Northern Ireland Water abstraction point. Water quality reports are published regularly and are freely available on the DAERA website. I am advised that, to date, there has been no adverse impact on the safety of the drinking water that is being supplied from the River Faughan.

As I said at the beginning of the statement, there is, however, no room for complacency, and I am moving to launch the consultation on a draft remediation strategy to address the risks that the Mobuoy site poses. My officials will require some time, which is likely to be just a few days, to address the logistical details of the launch of the consultation, but I hope to launch it later this week, with engagement events planned for September.

Today is an important moment, and I put on record my thanks to all the officials in my Department for the work that they have done over the past number of years. I am happy to take questions, including on consideration of a public inquiry.

Carál Ní Chuilín (Sinn Féin, Belfast North)

Thank you, Minister. Before I call Mark Durkan to speak on behalf of the official Opposition, I remind Members to rise in their places. We will try to make sure that they are on the list.

Mark Durkan (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

[Translation: Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker.]

I thank the Minister for his statement. We will support his efforts to ensure remediation of the Mobuoy site and the removal of the risk that it poses to the environment and to human health, as well as to the block that it has put on the completion of the A6. While focusing on the future, however, we cannot just forget about the past and how an environmental crime on an industrial scale was allowed to happen. It could cost the public and public services hundreds of millions of pounds to put right. Will the Minister seek support from his Executive colleagues for a public inquiry into the scandal?

Andrew Muir (Alliance, North Down)

Thank you, Mark, for your question. This was an abhorrent crime on an industrial scale. I was on the record before I took up this job, and I am happy to confirm again today that I believe that there is merit in having a public inquiry. Therefore, I will take a paper to my Executive colleagues on that.

You rightly said that the cost to remediate the site is likely to be significant. It could cost up to £700 million. I will be looking to the UK Government not just for financial support for a public inquiry but for the cost to remediate the site. Those are significant costs for those of us who are in the Executive to bear whilst we are continuing to deliver public services in Northern Ireland and doing good work in supporting agriculture and, more broadly, improving our environment.

I am committed to engagement on the issue. Whilst I will bring my Executive colleagues a paper on the merits of holding an inquiry and of the remediation of the site while giving them an update, it is important that I engage locally. Therefore, I will seek to meet the five Foyle MLAs along with the mayor and the chief executive of the council to talk through the issues regarding the site, in particular its remediation and the way forward. It is important that we look to the past and understand any lessons that are to be learned, but it is also important to look to the future and have remediation of the site.

Robbie Butler (UUP, Lagan Valley)

Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, and thank you, Minister, for your welcome announcement on what was an appalling assault on our environment. You outlined one of the significant barriers to reparations, that is, the costs. It has been estimated that the site generated in the region of more than £40 million. Are any steps or levers available to the Minister and his Department to recover those costs through the profits that were made from that site so that a strong message could be sent to those who deliberately assault our environment?

Andrew Muir (Alliance, North Down)

Thank you very much, Robbie. Following sentencing, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency will pursue confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 against three defendants with the intention of depriving them of the benefit that is generated by their criminal conduct and of asserting the "polluter pays" principle. The value of any confiscation order that the court may be minded to make will be a decision for the court.

Aoife Finnegan (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

Minister, what impact has the contamination of the Mobuoy site had on biodiversity in the River Faughan, particularly on the quality of the salmon?

Andrew Muir (Alliance, North Down)

I thank the Member for her question. We continue to sample the water quality in the river, and, as I outlined in my statement, no concerns have been raised to date. However, that does not mean that we should not take action. We must take action on this site, and that is why I am moving very quickly on the consultation. I encourage people to engage with the consultation. I will engage with local reps, my Executive colleagues and, very importantly, the UK Government. We will need financial assistance in order to deal with the site. It is not fair to ask Northern Ireland to deal with the site, which will cost up to £700 million to remediate. The UK Government need to assist us with that.

Tom Buchanan (DUP, West Tyrone)

Minister, your statement focuses a lot on a 16-week consultation on a remediation strategy and the possible delivery of that, depending on finances and all that type of thing. Are you in a position to inform the House as to whether any works will take place on-site in the remainder of this Assembly term?

Andrew Muir (Alliance, North Down)

I believe in consultation and in giving people the opportunity to have their say, particularly Derry City and Strabane District Council, which has been quite good in engaging with the process to date. It has technical experts who can make a contribution. I am not ruling anything in or out because that is the purpose of the consultation. The consultation will give people an opportunity to have their say, and there are a number of options in the draft remediation strategy that can be moved much more quickly than others. I will be interested to see people's responses in that regard. I have been to the site and have seen it. What happened there was appalling and disgraceful, and I am glad that the people who are associated with the site were sentenced on Friday.

John Blair (Alliance, South Antrim)

Along with my Alliance colleagues, I share the concerns that have been raised by other Members. I thank the Minister for his statement. Is the situation at Mobuoy holding up the delivery of the A6 road upgrade?

Andrew Muir (Alliance, North Down)

The consultation will outline the options that are in place to deal with the relationship with the A6. I understand that concerns have been raised about that. Essentially, as part of the consultation responses, consideration could be given to prioritising the remediation of the area close to where the A6 is meant to run. It is important that that is considered in the consultation in the time ahead. I understand the concerns around phase 2 of the A6 and its importance for the north-west. That is why we are considering that as part of the consultation.

Declan McAleer (Sinn Féin, West Tyrone)

I thank the Minister for his statement. We have heard mention, certainly from television reports, of vast quantities of money being involved. At some stage, will the Department consider those as proceeds of crime?

Andrew Muir (Alliance, North Down)

Thank you, Declan. Any profits made from this situation are an issue of significant concern for the general public. As I outlined in my response to Robbie's question, we will move towards proceeds of crime proceedings on the matter.

Deborah Erskine (DUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

I thank the Minister for his statement, and I share the concerns that have been expressed. I want to look at it from a roads point of view. Roads infrastructure is really important in opening up the north-west, and I note the delay of phase 2 of the A6 project. What detailed discussions is the Minister having with the Minister for Infrastructure at this time? I know that he is waiting for the consultation, but what discussions are happening between the two Departments on the A6 road infrastructure project?

Andrew Muir (Alliance, North Down)

As part of the consultation, the Department for Infrastructure will have an opportunity to engage on the remediation of the Mobuoy site. As outlined, phase 2 of the A6 Derry to Dungiven dual carriageway project extends from Drumahoe to the A2 Caw roundabout. Part of the works will encroach on the Mobuoy site. My officials are working closely with DFI Roads colleagues in order to ensure that there is an integrated approach so that the projects are coordinated and can progress efficiently. My officials are continuing to work through the land contamination risk management guidance, and the public consultation is the next step. That will be an important step, and my officials will continue to engage with DFI Roads colleagues as the consultation progresses. The start of the consultation is an important moment. I am very keen that we run through the consultation over 16 weeks and bring the responses back. We will then have to consider the way forward. I am getting the communication very clearly that the Mobuoy site should not hold up phase 2 of the A6 project. When it comes to prioritisation, however, we will have to consider where that fits and the costs associated with it. I get the importance of the A6 project to the north-west.

Andrew McMurray (Alliance, South Down)

I thank the Minister. Is he able to expand on how drinking water is being protected?

Andrew Muir (Alliance, North Down)

Thank you very much, Andy. The protection of drinking water and what we do to manage that is an important consideration for people.

Safeguarding public health and ensuring that there is safe drinking water are paramount. My Department is committed to protecting the water quality of the River Faughan and is working in partnership with NI Water to safeguard drinking water in the north-west.

As I outlined in my statement, officials have put in place a comprehensive environmental monitoring programme at the Mobuoy site. The monitoring data is used by my Department and NI Water to continually assess any changes in the risk to water quality in the River Faughan and at the NI Water abstraction point. Water quality reports are regularly published on the DAERA website, and, to date, there has been no adverse impact on the safety of the drinking water being supplied from the River Faughan.

NI Water has also tested procedures to ensure that, if the need arises, it would immediately stop taking water from the River Faughan as an emergency measure. NI Water provides robust treatment to water abstracted from the River Faughan and continually monitors the water from the plant in the distribution system and at customer properties in the area supplied from the Carmoney water treatment works. NI Water has completed planned works to provide additional resilience whereby increased flow from the Ballinrees water treatment works near Coleraine, supported by the Caugh Hill water treatment works near Dungiven, will provide sufficient supply to the north-west for a period.

My Department provides a continuous response officer, who is available on a 24-hour call-out, to respond and coordinate required actions, should an emergency arise.

Pádraig Delargy (Sinn Féin, Foyle)

Minister, as you know, I have asked you a number of questions about tougher sentencing to prevent such instances from happening again. The major concern for people in Derry today is about potential water pollution and how that can be avoided. I appreciate that you have gone through a lot of the steps, but the House needs the detail of what the emergency measures look like. We need to ensure there are proper and robust procedures in place to ensure there is emergency backup, and we need —

Carál Ní Chuilín (Sinn Féin, Belfast North)

Question, Pádraig.

Pádraig Delargy (Sinn Féin, Foyle)

— to ensure that it will not happen again. What is your Department doing with NI Water to ensure that it is in place?

Andrew Muir (Alliance, North Down)

As I outlined to Andy, we have measures in place in conjunction with NI Water. As part of the engagement, I want to meet you, the other Foyle MLAs, the mayor and chief Executive of Derry City and Strabane District Council, alongside NI Water and DFI, to give assurances about the issue and to talk about the remediation of the site.

The first part of your question mentioned tougher sentencing for environmental crime, and that is what l will seek the support of the Chamber to do. Later this month, I will consult on the fisheries Bill to give me additional powers to have heavier fines and penalties for environmental crime, particularly in relation to water pollution. I will also come to the Executive in the autumn to seek support for measures to improve and strengthen environmental governance. I will look for support around the Chamber.

I came to the Chamber earlier this year to remove the cap on penalties for water pollution as a result of cross-compliance. Only Alliance and Gerry voted with us. When people say to me that they want tougher penalties in the time ahead, they will need to support me and vote with me.

Alan Robinson (DUP, East Londonderry)

Minister, I condemn the death threat against you. In this day and age, whether it is 2025, 1995 or 1975, there is no place for such despicable behaviour.

Given the public health risks associated with the site, is the Minister aware of any other sites across the Province that may pose similar risks? What action is he taking to address them?

Andrew Muir (Alliance, North Down)

Thank you for your kind comments, and I appreciate that. I will not be bullied or intimidated by anyone, and I am clear about that. I thank the police for dealing with the issue.

I have set out the action at the Mobuoy site. There are other sites where unauthorised dumping has occurred. The Northern Ireland Environment Agency works with district councils to manage those sites. There is a protocol in place between the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and district councils to deal with the wider issue of fly-tipping and dumping. Two councils have still not signed up to the protocol. I have written to ask them to sign up, and it is important that they do so. District councils and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency need to work together, and the other two councils need to sign up.

Ciara Ferguson (Sinn Féin, Foyle)

I also thank the Minister for his statement this morning. I very much welcome the upcoming consultation on the next steps for the Mobuoy site, and I urge everyone to take part in that. There has been significant concern ongoing over many years, particularly among local representative organisations such as River Faughan Anglers, Strathfoyle Community Association, Maydown Community Association and Enagh Youth Forum, all of which have been there from the start right through. Minister, you mentioned that you will meet the council and us as MLAs. Will you open that meeting to those representative organisations, which have continuously engaged throughout the process?

Andrew Muir (Alliance, North Down)

No problem. That engagement is really important. As part of the consultation, my officials will engage with those organisations. It is really important that their voices be heard, because local communities have real concerns about the site. I will prioritise engagement with you, as representatives for the area, and the mayor and chief executive of the council. I know that Pádraig has also requested engagement with a local group. I will honour my promise to engage with them. I will see what we can do in the time ahead.

This is an important moment for consultation and engagement. To be fair to the council, it has been very good in engaging with us thus far. It is an important body from which to garner views on a complex and important issue. This should never have occurred, and it is important that we find a way to remediate the site.

William Irwin (DUP, Newry and Armagh)

I welcome the fact that criminal assets may be seized from those responsible. Will the Minister assure the House that every effort will be made to pursue those responsible and seize assets?

Andrew Muir (Alliance, North Down)

I can assure the Member of that. As Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, my sole focus is on being fair and even-handed with everyone. If people break the rules, they can be assured that my Department will come after them.

Sinéad McLaughlin (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

Thank you, Minister, for your welcome statement today. Will the Minister ensure that the systemic issues that were exploited by the criminals to make millions and millions of pounds have been addressed, as recommended in the Mills review? BBC Radio 4 journalists investigated the issue and suggested that something on this scale could have been carried out only with the involvement of organised crime: what is your view on that?

Andrew Muir (Alliance, North Down)

Thank you, Sinéad. What occurred at the site was appalling. The Mills review was conducted, and its recommendations are being implemented. There is a significant concern about the role of organised crime in waste crime. It is important that we say that. That is why my Department and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency collaborate with partners in the criminal justice sphere and take a coordinated approach.

As Minister, I have been very clear that we need to punish environmental crime much more harshly, because it is having an impact on our environment. We are talking about a potential cost to the public purse of £700 million. That is a significant cost. If we do not move the dial in how we deal with environmental crime and pollution in Northern Ireland, we will continue to see challenges emerge that will cost the public purse, so we need to have a different attitude towards it. I thank officials for the way they have engaged with the PSNI, HMRC and others on this. It is important that we tackle organised crime and that we view waste crime as part of that. We have committed to doing that. As part of our engagement with you as Foyle MLAs, I will have a bit more of a discussion and provide reassurance on what we are doing in that sphere.

Patsy McGlone (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Mid Ulster)

Minister, on the issue of criminal assets and the like, what liability falls to the landowners on whose property the illegal activity took place?

Andrew Muir (Alliance, North Down)

That is a technical question. The Proceeds of Crime action will proceed. That is the next step. It is important that we do that. I am happy to discuss the complexities of it all with you outside of here. The site has a lot of history, and that is what makes it a bit more complex.

Gerry Carroll (People Before Profit Alliance, Belfast West)

I also condemn the death threats against you, Minister, and offer my solidarity and best wishes.

Mobuoy was one of the biggest illegal dumps in Europe. I welcome the action taken against those implicated. I commend all the activists in Derry and the north-west. It would be remiss of me not to mention my former MLA colleague Eamonn McCann 's work as a journalist in highlighting the Mobuoy site.

Minister, do you have a grasp of how many smaller Mobuoy sites may exist across the North? Do you agree that the example of Mobuoy underlines the need for an independent environmental protection agency?

Andrew Muir (Alliance, North Down)

Thank you, Gerry, for your kind comments.

I thank the groups in the Foyle consistency that have continued to raise and highlight the issue. It is important that we thank them for that. The Mobuoy site is unprecedented in its significance. That is not to say that there are not other smaller sites and fly-tipping occurring in Northern Ireland. How we grade those things by size is an issue, but I am happy to write to you to outline that.

There is a wider issue: the need to strengthen environmental governance. I take that seriously, which is why I appointed an independent panel to look at it. It will come forward with an interim report soon. I will not be found wanting. We must strengthen environmental governance — we have to. Northern Ireland is an outlier in this regard. I will bring the paper to the Executive, and I look forward to receiving support for it. If we always do what we have always done, we will always get what we always got. We have to strengthen environmental governance.

I record my wholehearted thanks to all the officials in the NIEA, the Public Prosecution Service and more broadly for their work. The Northern Ireland Environment Agency does a lot of really good work, and Friday was an important moment for it. I thank it for the work that it does. As Minister, I wholeheartedly value the NIEA, and I am very proud to have it as a part of the Department.

Carál Ní Chuilín (Sinn Féin, Belfast North)

That concludes questions to the Minister on his statement. Members, please take your ease before the next item of business.

Justin McNulty (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Newry and Armagh)

On a point of order, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. The Minister made a statement, but I did not get an opportunity to ask a question. It is revealing that his Executive colleagues from the main party of government have refused to support a public inquiry into the biggest environmental crime that the island has ever seen: why?

Carál Ní Chuilín (Sinn Féin, Belfast North)

That is a not a point of order. You were not here when the statement was being read out. You came in late, when questions were being asked. You cannot ask a question on the fly or on the side: it is bad manners, Justin. Had you come in even at the tail end of the statement, I would have brought you in. It is not a point of order. Do not try that again. OK? Members should take their ease.

(Mr Deputy Speaker [Mr Blair] in the Chair)

Executive Committee Business

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

I beg to move

That Standing Orders 10(2) to 10(4) be suspended for 9 June 2025.

John Blair (Alliance, South Antrim)

The Business Committee has agreed that there should be no debate on the motion. Before we proceed to the Question, I remind Members that the motion requires cross-community support.

Question put and agreed to.

Resolved (with cross-community support):

That Standing Orders 10(2) to 10(4) be suspended for 9 June 2025.

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

I beg to move

That the Second Stage of the Budget (No. 2) Bill [NIA Bill 14/22-27] be agreed.

John Blair (Alliance, South Antrim)

The Second Stage of the Budget (No.2) Bill has been moved. In accordance with convention, the Business Committee has not allocated any time limits to the debate. I call the Minister of Finance to open the debate on the Bill.

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

[Translation: Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker.]

The Second Stage debate today follows the Assembly's approval on Tuesday 3 June of the Supply resolution for the expenditure plans of Departments and other public bodies as detailed in the Main Estimates 2025-26. Accelerated passage of the Budget (No. 2) Bill is necessary to ensure that Royal Assent is obtained before any Departments reach the cash limits for 2025-26 set in the Vote on Account that was agreed by the Assembly earlier in the year.

As I have said previously, I am grateful to the Finance Committee for confirming that, in line with Standing Order 42, the Budget (No. 2) Bill can proceed under accelerated passage. The Assembly's agreement of the Executive's final Budget for 2025-26 on 19 May 2025 allows me to bring the Budget (No. 2) Bill to the Assembly to seek legislative authority for the expenditure of the Departments and other bodies for the remainder of the financial year.

Standing Order 32 directs that the Second Stage debate should be confined to the general principles of the Bill, and I shall endeavour to keep to that direction. The purpose of the Bill is to give effect to the Main Estimates for 2025-26 and authorise the cash and use of resources on services to allow Departments and other public bodies to operate for the remainder of the 2025-26 financial year. Copies of the Budget Bill and the explanatory and financial memorandum (EFM) have been made available to Members, and the Main Estimates 2025-26 were laid in the Assembly on 21 May 2025.

The Bill will authorise the use of £27,431,599,000 from the Consolidated Fund and the further use of resources totalling £30,772,659,000 by Departments and certain other bodies listed in schedule 1 to the Bill in the year ending 31 March 2026 — this financial year. The cash and resources are to be spent and used on the services listed in column 1 of each of the schedules. The Budget (No. 2) Bill will authorise temporary borrowing by the Department of Finance for 2025-26. Up to £13,715,800,000 may be borrowed and is to be repaid no later than 31 March 2026. That is a normal safeguard to allow the efficient management of the Consolidated Fund and does not authorise any additional expenditure.

While the vast majority of expenditure by all Departments is done on the authority of the statutory powers provided through legislation and passed by the Assembly, there are occasionally some unusually small functions that may be done on the sole authority of the Budget Act. Table 5 of the Main Estimates 2025-26 sets out a summary of expenditures resting on the sole authority of the Budget Act. For some of those items of expenditure, the amount involved is greater than the Assembly would normally be asked to approve or is over a longer period. I assure Members that legislation is being developed to deal with those matters.

The numbers contained in the Budget Bill are significant, and I am sure that Members would agree that it is not an easy task to translate those figures into the delivery of public services on the ground. The reality is that this crucial legislation is required to ensure that all the day-to-day public services that we rely on can continue to be delivered to our citizens for the remainder of the financial year.

On that note, I conclude. I am happy to deal with any points of principle or detail of the Budget (No. 2) Bill that Members wish to raise.

John Blair (Alliance, South Antrim)

Thank you, Minister, for opening the debate.

Matthew O'Toole (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast South)

I will speak as Chair of the Finance Committee and as leader of the Opposition. Thankfully, in an untimed debate on legislation, we do not have the regular anomaly whereby a Chairperson's time and the Opposition's time are divided. I welcome that, but I promise not to detain Members too cruelly with my remarks.

First, I will speak as Chair of the Finance Committee. As I said, this is an untimed debate, and I thank the Minister of Finance for his comments and for bringing the Bill to the Assembly. The Committee also thanks the relevant departmental officials, whose regular engagement with the Committee has allowed members to put Budget scrutiny on a healthier trajectory than it has been in recent years.

Officials briefed the Committee on the Main Estimates and the Bill most recently at our meeting on 28 May, and we debated the Main Estimates in the Chamber last week. It is to be hoped that the strong working relationships that have been forged between the Committee and the Department will continue, despite there being the odd issue here and there. We need to deal with a specific issue to do with legislative consent motions, which I will come on to talk about later.

It seems not so long ago that we welcomed the Minister of Finance to his portfolio, not long before we debated the Second Stage of the previous Budget Bill, but it feels like an eternity since I spoke at Second Stage of the Budget (No. 2) Bill in 2024, as, since then, there has been a Westminster election, and there is, of course, now a new UK Government. On Wednesday, we will know the outcome of the comprehensive spending review (CSR). The CSR will tell us the settlements for Northern Ireland Departments and other bodies. As I said last week during the debate on the Main Estimates, the CSR announcement will be an important moment. Hopefully, it will mark the end of over a decade of single-year Budgets for this place. It would therefore be helpful if the Minister can indicate when he hopes to be able to give a clear and detailed update to the Assembly on the outworkings of the CSR, in specific and more general terms, for the block grant. Members have remarked at length in the Chamber about how difficult annual Budgets make running public services and making broader policy decisions. It is impossible to be genuinely strategic and to deliver meaningful long-term change using single-year Budgets.

Wednesday's announcement is expected to unveil resource spending for the next three years, with capital spending being announced for the next four. As has been said previously, multi-annual Budgets could be a game changer. It will be up to the Finance Minister and his Executive colleagues to make use of that change in order to deliver Budgets more strategically, allied to five-year business plans with baseline funding that, it is anticipated, Departments will publish in the autumn. Again, it would be helpful if the Minister can confirm that.

The Minister has talked about the five-year business plans, which I welcome as leader of the Opposition and as Chair of the Finance Committee, but it would be helpful if he could give an update on the latest timings. There should be much better opportunity for Statutory Committees to scrutinise departmental budgets. At this stage, it is important to say, as, I am sure, other finance spokespersons for the relevant parties will do, that it is not the job of the Finance Committee to scrutinise every Department's budget. It is the job of individual Statutory Committees to scrutinise their budget. Doing that will combine with the work that the Finance Committee has done and continues to do on simplifying financial information that is collated by the Minister's Department and then shared with other Committees. The Committee is working hard to ensure that Budget scrutiny reaches a new level, with greater access to more user-friendly information leading to greater transparency. As I said, multi-annual Budgets will be core to that.

I will now turn to the Minister's request for the granting of accelerated passage for the Budget (No. 2) Bill. At its meeting on 28 May, the Committee agreed that the Bill should be granted accelerated passage, and I wrote to the Speaker informing him of the Committee's decision. The Committee's agreement to accelerated passage for the Bill is predicated on:

"appropriate consultation having been received, as per Standing Order 42(2)."

As I have highlighted before, however, granting accelerated passage to the Bill is not just taken as a formality by the Committee. Each request is considered and debated: there is no waving through. Members understand that the nature of the Budget process is such that accelerated passage is necessary. The Executive do not get a free hand to decide the timescales that the Budget process follows, however. Everything flows from the actions that the UK Treasury takes initially, so Committee consensus on granting accelerated passage reflects members' understanding of the process, but it should not be taken as meaning untrammelled support for the Budget. I would not express that view in my Opposition capacity, but I am reflecting the Committee's view. Other Committee members will have the opportunity to give their views during the debate as it proceeds.

Accelerated passage is not the ideal way in which to do business. The return of multi-annual Budgets will, however, promote greater scrutiny throughout the rest of the Budget process, as Departments will be able to budget over the longer term, thus providing them with the opportunity to spend more strategically, to plan better and to offer greater security to those in receipt of public money to provide services to the public.

As Members are aware, the Budget (No. 2) Bill will give Departments legal authority to incur spending and use resources as agreed by the Assembly's Main Estimates document. We passed the Supply resolution last week, approving nearly £27·5 billion to be granted out of the Consolidated Fund to provide for Departments and other bodies. That is a significant sum, as it follows on from what was a bumper year in 2024-25 in drawdown from the Executive restoration package and other significant Barnett consequentials. The interim fiscal framework that was signed with Treasury last May provides for a 24% supplement to Barnett consequentials. Obviously, that is welcomed in the Chamber. We express hope that the work that Professor Holtham has undertaken on behalf of the Department and has now provided to the Treasury will persuade officials there that Northern Ireland's relative need requires additional resource. Obviously, we all support that. I hope that we get an update on that in the CSR announcement on Wednesday. I acknowledge the fact that the Minister and his officials have kept us abreast of those developments, and we look forward to being briefed on the outcome of the CSR at our Committee meeting next week on 18 June.

The Committee and, of course, the Assembly are aware of the fact that the Budget situation remains tight. The Committee stands ready to work with the Minister and his Executive colleagues to improve Budget sustainability. The Minister has already received and published a report on the cost of doing business in Northern Ireland. He is consulting on potential changes to the rating system, as well as undertaking a strategic income review under the terms of the Executive restoration package. I look forward to hearing an update from the Minister on both those items in his winding-up speech.

With budgets tight, it is vital that Departments apply their efforts to living within their means. Better management of budgets would mean an end to overcommitment in the hope of Estimates coming to the rescue, as it were. Hopefully, the work on an updated fiscal framework will provide for more sustainable budgets and, indeed, more flexibility in things such as end-year flexibility and the Budget exchange scheme. I have asked now for several updates from the Minister, but he will have lots of time for that in his winding-up speech later on. The Committee has received a draft of the Fiscal Council Bill and hopes to soon receive a draft of the financial provisions Bill. Those will go some way to address spending that is being approved under the sole authority of the Budget Bill.

As I highlighted in my speech on the Main Estimates and Supply resolution last week, the spend under the sole authority of the Budget Bill, which is also known as the black box, has fallen to around £13 million in the Bill. It has fallen considerably from the £25 million that it was at this point last year. Obviously, we hope that it keeps falling and that, at that point, we may even have a financial provisions Bill that has received Royal Assent, which would mean that the amount would be a lot less.

The implementation of the Financial Reporting (Departments and Public Bodies) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 has resulted in a number of changes to how financial information was presented in the Estimates last week and in today's associated Budget (No. 2) Bill. Those changes include the Assembly's ability to now authorise the use of income directly in the Bill. The Executive agreed the draft Budget for 2025-26 on 29 December 2024, and that was subject to a 12-week public consultation that ended on 13 March. The Executive agreed the 2025-26 Budget on 3 April. The Supply resolution for the Main Estimates agreed last week set the individual budgets for Departments and other bodies. The Budget (No. 2) Bill gives that resolution legal authority by virtue of the Committee's agreeing at its meeting on 28 May 2025 to accelerated passage for the Bill. The Committee supports the call in the motion that the Bill pass its Second Stage.

I will now make some remarks in my other capacity as leader of the Opposition. While it is welcome that we are now in a much more regularised Budget process than we have been here for many years, there are very profound concerns about the Budget-making process, strategic prioritisation and, frankly, the delivery of the Executive. The Budget (No. 2) Bill is a direct consequence of, and puts into law, many of the decisions that were made in the Budget 2025-26, which was voted on — obviously, the Opposition opposed it — in the Assembly just a few short weeks ago. The Budget 2025-26 was supposed to be an enaction of, or to put into place, the financial resources to deliver on the Programme for Government.

I promise not to detain the Assembly for very long today, but I want to call out the abject failure of the Executive to set clear targets in the Programme for Government and then meaningfully put resources behind it. It is not just me saying that: it is the Department's own Programme for Government and Budget, when you read them alongside each other. Table 4.1 of the Budget sets out the resource departmental expenditure limit (DEL) — that is, everyday, day-to-day spending allocations — matched to Programme for Government priorities, and the total matched to Programme for Government priorities is £328 million. You can see what those allocations are, and many of them are very worthwhile: £2 million for ending violence against women and girls; £50 million for the childcare strategy; and £215 million for the elective care programme. However, that £328 million should be read alongside the £27 billion that we are authorising. It is barely 2%. It is the case that a few per cent of the overall Executive Budget are going to deliver Programme for Government priorities. I imagine that the Minister may — he may not — turn around to me and say, "That is the wrong way to read it. Our Programme for Government priorities stand by themselves, and we also have to do all the everyday business of government".

I go back to the question about the Programme for Government: the public expect clear targets, and they expect delivery, not least when big promises were made and when, in the first full financial year of us being back — 2024-25 — there was, as the Minister's own officials acknowledged at Committee, a record year of allocations. The argument is constantly made that we are constrained by finances. Of course, we have inherited a decade and a half of austerity. There is no doubt that it has been pernicious and damaging. However, last year saw a record allocation to the Executive, so the public have a right to ask, "What is it being used for? How are funds being strategically prioritised to deliver on the things that we care most about?". Those include getting waiting lists down; dealing with the crisis in our water infrastructure in the broader ecological breakdown that we face; dealing with childcare; and dealing with social housing.

The Programme for Government was very short on specific targets. It was long on warm words, waffle and pleasant photographs. One of the very few specific targets in the Programme for Government was for social housing starts. It said that there would be just under 6,000 social housing starts by 2027 — by the end of the mandate. We are now two years off the end of the mandate. The Communities Minister has brought forward his budget proposals for this financial year, and he says that the maximum that he can build, in terms of getting them started, is 1,000 social homes. You do not need to be a mathematical genius to work out that, if you have two years left to build just under 6,000 homes, and you are building only 1,000 in year 1, there is no way at all that you will get anywhere near to your target. It is fooling people; it is gaslighting people to pretend otherwise. Then, to turn around and say to people, as the Minister did last week, "Be grateful" is always the way. It is warm words, waffle and promises, and then, when people are held to account for the failure to deliver, the message that we get back is, "Be grateful". That would never be said to voters south of the border. It would never be accepted on behalf of Sinn Féin by voters who expect action on the housing crisis but are simply told, effectively with the back of the hand, "Be grateful for it. You should be glad that there are 1,000 social homes". Those were, effectively, the words of the Minister last week. It is because he does not have —.

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

Will the Member take an intervention?

Matthew O'Toole (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast South)

Yes.

John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin, Upper Bann)

I know that the SDLP runs the alternative Hansard in here, but, even in the SDLP's alternative Hansard, I will not be found to have said the words, "You should be grateful".

Matthew O'Toole (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast South)

I am happy to have given way for the intervention and that the Minister has clarified that. I was paraphrasing. I do not have his precise words in front of me. He said that we should acknowledge the fact that there were 1,000 homes that families would be in. That is true, of course, but our job is not to simply say, "Isn't it good that some people will benefit?". It is wonderful that those families will benefit, but that is not the target, and that would not be a good enough answer south of the border, so it is not a good enough answer here. I recognise and accept that the powers in the North are different from powers in the South, but my job, as the official Opposition — in the same way that it is the job of the Opposition in the South — is to hold Ministers to account for delivery for people. If it makes people uncomfortable, that is fine too.

Social houses are already way, way, way under where they need to be.

There is literally no chance of us coming close to delivering much-needed houses, particularly in areas such as my constituency and others where working-class communities need extra houses. We are a long way short of the ambition for 100,000 and more homes over the next 15 years, which we were given just a few short years ago in the Chamber. Barely 1,000 will be delivered this year. However, we are told that we should be — not to put words in the Minister's mouth — grateful for what is being built. No, we should demand better from our Budget and from our Governments.

It also comes back to issues that are connected to the delivery of social housing, one of which is water infrastructure. The waste water funding for NI Water in this Budget, which we are authorising in the Budget (No. 2) Bill today, does not even touch inflation. Everyone — from the Construction Employers Federation to housing associations to any academic who has looked at this — will say that one of the core drivers of unlocking housing in this country is our crumbling waste water infrastructure. By the way, that goes for businesses as well. I am sure that every MLA deals with these issues. There is no plan to fund and invest in our water infrastructure. A big report is coming out about that tomorrow.

The Finance Minister, who was previously Infrastructure Minister, appears, at times, to be in denial about this problem. When the Executive are challenged on it, the answer is simply, "We do not want to do water charges". I agree: I do not want to do water charges either, but, in that case, there needs to be an explanation as to whether we are going to borrow more, or there is going to be progress on some kind of developer charge, which has been talked about but never explained, or are things simply going to be left alone? That would mean that the housing backlog, the businesses that cannot invest and all the other challenges, including environmental damage, that come from having crumbling waste water infrastructure are simply left to fester.

I have picked two connected things. I have not gone through a laundry list of all the ways in which the Programme for Government and this connected Budget and Budget (No. 2) Bill are failing the public of Northern Ireland, I have given two: social housing and our crumbling waste water infrastructure. Those are two areas in which we have had no clarity, no ambition and no delivery. When it is pointed out and Ministers are challenged on it, we are told, "People should be grateful". We are not; it is not good enough. Thank you.

Colm Gildernew (Sinn Féin, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

Tacaíonn an Coiste Pobal leis an Dara Céim den Bhille Buiséid (Uimh. 2).

Mar is eol do Chomhaltaí, soláthraítear an t-údarás reachtúil riachtanach leis an Bhille seo do na pleananna caiteachais a leagtar amach sna Príomh-Mheastacháin do 2025-26 a pléadh sa Tionól an tseachtain seo caite. Cé gur céim nós imeachta é, tá sé ríthábhachtach le caiteachas na Roinne don bhliain atá romhainn a chumasú. Tugaim aitheantas don ráiteas is déanaí ón Aire agus do na cruinnithe faisnéise a bhí againn le feidhmeannaigh, inar léiríodh go soiléir na brúnna airgeadais atá ann agus inar taispeánadh na tosaíochtaí caiteachais don bhliain airgeadais reatha.

Tá freagracht an-leathan ar an Roinn Pobal – freagracht atá lárnach do leas ár bpobail: leas sóisialta, tithíocht agus tacaíocht do dhaoine le post a fháil, athghiniúint, na healaíona, cultúr, oidhreacht, agus an earnáil dheonach agus pobail atá chomh tábhachtach sin.

Labhair mé le déanaí sa Seomra faoin bhrú atá na deacrachtaí airgeadais ag cur ar na daoine is leochailí inár sochaí, agus an éiginnteacht atá os comhair an oiread sin daoine. Cuireadh an éiginnteacht sin chun donais de dheasca na n-athruithe atá beartaithe ar an chóras leasa shóisialaigh in Westminster agus de dheasca an pháirt-athraithe ar íocaíochtaí liúntas bhreosla an gheimhridh. Mar sin féin, tá tacaíochtaí do dhaoine i mbaol go fóill. Faigheann an Coiste comhfhreagras ó earnáil na n-ealaíon agus ó ghrúpaí eile faoin tionchar atá ag na cinntí airgeadais ar a maoiniú.

Údaraítear suimeanna móra airgid leis an Bhille do na feidhmeanna seo, lena n-áirítear teorainn chaiteachas ghlan na Roinne de £954·9 milliún agus teorainn chaiteachas caipitil ghlan na Roinne de £318·1 milliún. Mar sin féin, cé go soláthraítear an t-údarás dlí don chaiteachas sin leis an Bhille, agus b’fhéidir go bhfuil cuma suimeanna móra orthu, tá sé tábhachtach iad a chur i gcomhthéacs na faisnéise a cuireadh ar fáil don Choiste ón Roinn. Léirigh an Roinn easnamh i dteorainn chaiteachas neamh-imfhálaithe na Roinne de thart ar £98·6 milliún, i gcomparáid lena riachtanais féin. Is easnamh ollmhór é sin a léiríonn fadhb leanúnach: ní riarann an blocdheontas a fhaigheann an Tuaisceart ar riachtanais ár bpobail ná ar riachtanais ár seirbhísí poiblí.

Seo fírinne an scéil: cé go n-údaraítear caiteachas tábhachtach leis an Bhille Buiséid (Uimh. 2), tá ar an Roinn Pobal cinntí an-deacra a dhéanamh. Mar shampla, chuir an Roinn in iúl dúinn go mbeidh teorainn ar infheistíocht sna hidirghabhálacha i gcúrsaí easpa dídine, sa chlár Tacaíochta do Dhaoine, agus sna hearnálacha cultúir, ealaíon, spóirt agus oidhreachta.

Tugann an Coiste faoi deara go bhfanfaidh an maoiniú san iomad earnálacha mar atá sé, rud a chiallaíonn, mar gheall ar an bhrú boilscithe reatha, go mbeidh dúshláin mhóra ann seirbhísí a sholáthar. Tá an Coiste ag coinneáil súil ar na brúnna atá ag teacht chun cinn.

Mar shampla, cé go bhfuil an Roinn ag déanamh measúnú ar na hathruithe ar an leas shóisialach i mBileog Ghlas na Breataine, níl leithdháileadh airgeadais ar leith nó nua sa Bhuiséad do na hidirghabhálacha tacaíochta fostaíochta cuimsitheacha a bheadh riachtanach leis an dífhostaíocht a laghdú nó leis na hathruithe sin a mhaolú. Meastar go mbeifear ag brath ar thairiscintí maoinithe in-bhliana éiginnte sa réimse sin. Ar an chaoi chéanna, cuirfidh an bhearna atá ag an Roinn le bainistiú laistigh den bhliain brú breise ar na comhlachtaí páirt-spleácha agus ar an earnáil dheonach agus pobail – na comhpháirtithe soláthair is tábhachtaí atá againn.

In ainneoin an tsocraithe maoinithe lochtaigh atá ag teacht ó Westminster – tá imní orainn faoin athbhreithniú caiteachais atá le teacht Dé Céadaoin – is ar an Roinn Pobal atá an dualgas na srianta sin a threorú ar bhealach cothrom soiléir, taobh istigh den chreat a údaraítear sa Bhille seo.

Gheobhaidh an tAire agus a chuid feidhmeannach comhpháirtithe fonnmhara sa Choiste san obair thábhachtach sin lena chinntiú go bpléitear le tosaíochtaí mar is cóir agus go ndéantar acmhainní a dháileadh go héifeachtach ar ár bpobal. Táimid ag súil le rannpháirtíocht bhríoch a bheith againn sa phróiseas monatóireachta agus sna hiarratais buiséid in-bhliana, ós rud é go bhfuil tionchar suntasach ag an mhaoiniú sin ar ghníomhaíochtaí riachtanacha. Coinneoimid linn ag díriú ár n-airde lena chinntiú go n-úsáidtear acmhainní ar bhealach éifeachtach, go háirithe le príomhsheirbhísí do na daoine is leochailí a chosaint. Beidh súil ghéar againn fosta ar fhorbairt plean cúig bliana airgeadais de chuid na Roinne.

I ndeireadh na dála, is uirlis riachtanach rialachais é an Bille Buiséid (Uimh. 2). Ach, má tá fíor-athrú ar sheirbhísí poiblí le bheith ann, caithfidh Rialtas na Breataine samhail maoinithe ilbhliantúil, inmharthana a thabhairt dúinn –bunaithe ar riachtanais ár bpobail, a éascaíonn an phleanáil fhadtéarmach, a thacaíonn leis an Chlár Rialtais, agus a fhágann gur féidir linn bogadh ón chur chuige géarchéime atá i réim faoi láthair.

[Translation: The Committee for Communities supports the Second Stage of the Budget (No. 2) Bill. As Members will be aware, the Bill provides the necessary legislative authority for the spending plans detailed in the 2025-26 Main Estimates that the Assembly considered last week. It is a procedural, but crucial, step in enabling departmental expenditure for the year ahead. I acknowledge the Minister’s recent statement and the briefings that we received from officials that highlighted financial pressures and clearly signposted the spending priorities for the current financial year. The Department for Communities carries an exceptionally broad remit, which is central to the well-being of our society: from social security, housing and employment support, to regeneration, the arts, culture, heritage, and our vital voluntary and community sectors. I spoke recently in the Chamber of the impact of the straitened financial times on the most vulnerable in our society and the uncertainty that so many face. That uncertainty has been compounded by proposed changes to the benefits system coming from Westminster and the partial U-turn on winter fuel payments. However, there remains a threat to supports for many people. The Committee continues to receive correspondence from the arts sector and beyond on the impact of financial decisions on their funding. The Bill authorises significant sums for those functions, including a total net resource departmental expenditure limit for the Department of £954·9 million and a total net capital DEL of £318·1 million. However, while the Bill provides legal authority for those amounts, and they may sound substantial, it is important to view them in the context provided to our Committee by the Department. It includes a stated non-ring-fenced resource DEL shortfall of some £98·6 million against the Department’s identified requirements. That significant gap underscores a persistent issue: the overall block grant allocated to the North does not meet the objective needs of our people and public services. That financial reality means that while the Budget (No. 2) Bill authorises important expenditure, the Department for Communities faces extremely difficult choices. For example, the Department has informed us that the resource shortfall will limit investment in homelessness interventions, in the Supporting People programme, and across the culture, arts, sport and heritage sectors. The Committee notes that funding for many areas will essentially remain at a standstill, which, given current inflationary pressures, presents a real-terms challenge for service delivery. The Committee also remains attentive to emerging pressures. For instance, while the Department is assessing the impacts of welfare changes proposed in the GB Green Paper, the current budget framework does not allocate new, specific funding for the comprehensive employment support interventions that may be required to address economic inactivity or mitigate those reforms. That is an area where reliance on future, uncertain in-year funding bids is projected. Similarly, the resource gap that the Department has to manage in-year will inevitably mean considerable strain on its arm’s-length bodies and the wider voluntary and community sector, which are critical delivery partners. Despite the ongoing insufficient funding settlement from Westminster — we await the spending review this Wednesday with some concern — the Department for Communities has the responsibility to navigate those constraints and make fair and transparent decisions within the financial envelope authorised by the Bill. The Minister and his officials will find in our Committee willing partners in the crucial work of ensuring that priorities are justly determined and that resources are allocated effectively for the benefit of all our communities. We hope, and expect, to have meaningful engagement in this regard, particularly when it comes to in-year bids and monitoring, which, perhaps more than ever, play such a significant role in funding front-line activities. Our scrutiny will continue to focus on ensuring that resources are deployed effectively, particularly to protect core services for the most vulnerable in our society, and to monitor the impacts of budgetary realities. We will also pay close attention to the development of the Department’s five-year financial plan. Ultimately, the Budget (No. 2) Bill is a necessary instrument for governance. However, true transformation of our public services requires a more sustainable, multi-year funding model from the British Government, genuinely based on the objective needs of all our people, which allows for strategic planning, complements the Programme for Government, and provides a much-needed move beyond addressing only the most pressing in-year demands.]

Diane Forsythe (DUP, South Down)

We are all well versed in the Budget circumstances here. We know that we face pressures in delivering public services and that Northern Ireland has long been underfunded. The DUP leader, Gavin Robinson MP, has led the campaign for an improved funding package for Northern Ireland for some time, and we remain committed to fighting for that. I welcome the Finance Minister's review of our funding and his progressing discussions with Treasury on our increased funding need. I hope to see that reflected in the comprehensive spending review this week. I look forward to the spending review announcement, which, as has been noted, is expected to set out resource spending for the next three years and capital spending for the next four years. That will transform our ability to plan for the better use of public money, to improve delivery of public services, to realise efficiencies, to make strategies that are underpinned by longer-term financing and to make huge strides in securing the status and existence of our voluntary and community sector, which delivers critical public services in Northern Ireland. Our annual Budgets make the running of public services and our economy challenging, especially where we roll forward on Votes on Account and set the Budget Bill when we are already three months into the financial year and in the process of June monitoring rounds.

The Budget (No. 2) Bill that we are dealing with has been brought before us as at a time when we face extreme financial pressures and does the best that it can under the circumstances. Across Departments, Ministers have bid significantly more than has been allocated to them in the Budget, leaving disappointment with allocations across the board. The Ministers, the Executive and the Assembly have a responsibility to ensure that Departments keep running and delivering essential public services to the best of their ability. To do that, they need the Budget (No. 2) Bill to be approved. This year, although we are in the position of the Budget's having been brought forward following the publication of an agreed Programme for Government, the available Budget is putting constraints on how much can be delivered. I am disappointed that the leader of the Opposition is not in the Chamber. He is very critical of the Communities Minister's allocations to housing, but we can be assured that, were more money available to the Communities Minister, he would deliver more housing. Budgets are constrained, however. Our Ministers are making the best of their allocations, and there remains ambition and commitment that any more money that becomes available will be used to deliver for us in Northern Ireland.

We face the spending review against a backdrop of uncertainty, following the Labour Government's unpredictable and disappointing actions of recent months, such as taking the winter fuel payment from our pensioners; the attacks on family farms; and the hit to small businesses that has been caused by the move to increase employers' National Insurance contributions and the minimum wage, which came at once and at short notice. Such uncertainty is not good for financial planning. Our priority is to approve an operational Budget in Northern Ireland to keep our public services operating and delivering the best for us. As we move on the Budget, it is important that we ensure that we achieve the best value for money in our public spending. We need to see real transformation of our public services and public money being spent wisely. I welcome last week's publication of the new public procurement policy statement. As a member of the Public Accounts Committee, I am committed to ensuring that the £2 billion of goods and services that are procured each year are delivered by spending public money in the most transparent and efficient way.

Another important point that came to the Public Accounts Committee was about the management of capital projects. Given that it can be cited that we face a £3 billion overspend on key projects, it is imperative that things are done differently. Last week, my colleague Diane Dodds rightly highlighted that the hundreds of millions of pounds of overspend on capital projects in Health could have paid for the mother-and-baby unit that we all want to see delivered, and for many more much-needed capital projects, including enhancements to Daisy Hill Hospital and Craigavon Area Hospital in my Southern Trust area.

We need to work together to ensure that the money that we receive is spent wisely. The financial package that we received required that a balanced Budget be delivered. Not a lot has been said about the fact that that has been achieved in 2024-25 — although the year is not quite closed off — but I wish to acknowledge that and to commend all the officials in the Department of Finance and across the Civil Service for their continued work in monitoring, reporting on and managing the Budget, month in, month out.

I also extend thanks to the Finance Minister for his officials' continued engagement with the Finance Committee. I genuinely believe that, working together and sharing that work with other Committees, we have been able to improve some processes to enhance Budget scrutiny across the board. I look forward to continuing to work closely with them. However, I note that, in 2024-25, we had huge in-year allocations, the like of which we do not expect to see repeated in 2025-26, so we approach the year with caution.

The 2025-26 Budget will be challenging, but the DUP supports the progression of the Budget (No. 2) Bill today.

Eóin Tennyson (Alliance, Upper Bann)

As I open my remarks, I will say that it is notable that, although the Opposition talk a good game about paying close attention and holding Ministers to account, not one member of the Opposition, official or unofficial, is in the Chamber to scrutinise crucial Budget legislation. Perhaps the Opposition will reflect on how effective they are in their role in the Chamber. It is all well and good to make grand speeches for the camera, but, when the real work needs to be done, the Opposition are nowhere to be seen.

I support the Bill at Second Stage, and I also support its proceeding by accelerated passage in order to ensure that Departments have the statutory authority that they need to draw down cash and avoid the risk of their reaching the spending limits previously set down by the Assembly. I will discuss some of the context of the Bill, which comes after an unprecedented number of years of financial challenge, be that the cycle of crisis and collapse at the Assembly, a global pandemic, Westminster austerity or the decision to leave the EU, which deprived us of vital funds locally. We know that working families in our constituencies also face that enormous financial pressure.

Our job in the Chamber is to come together to offer hope and transform our public services, economy and communities. The additional funding provided through the UK autumn statement — hopefully, there will be further funding through the comprehensive spending review — is significant, but it falls far short of the pressures that Departments face.

It is important to note, when we discuss the context of our financial position, that the UK Government have, in many ways, added to the challenges that we face as an Executive, not least through the increase in employer's National Insurance contributions, which has short-changed our public services by about £60 million. Tory austerity has, in many respects, been replaced by Labour austerity, with cuts in support dealt to the elderly through changes to the winter fuel payment — it is positive that there appears to be progress on that this week — to the sick and disabled through welfare reform and to farmers through inheritance tax changes.

As we await this week's spending review, I say gently to the Chancellor that it is not too late to change course to finally pursue progressive taxation, invest in our public services and deliver the change that was promised at the general election last year. Whilst those of us who are in the Chamber cannot possibly mitigate every cut that is made at Westminster, such cuts underline the importance of our having a local Executive in place to take difficult decisions and prioritise spending in line with Programme for Government priorities and in the interests of the people of Northern Ireland.

It is important to reflect on the progress, despite the challenging circumstances, that has been made in this year's Budget, be that the £215 million that is ring-fenced to cut health waiting lists and invest in elective care; the doubling of investment in childcare to £55 million, with a 15% childcare subsidy scheme rolling out to eligible families with primary-school-aged children from September; or, being made available through the public-sector transformation board, the £61 million to improve access to GP services, £27·5 million to enhance support for children with special educational needs and £21 million to speed up our justice system.

I am proud of the role that my party has played in the Executive, in working with other parties to secure that progress and in negotiations prior to the Executive's formation to make the case for dedicated funding for transformation of public services, which made much of that investment possible. In Alliance, we are keen to see the remaining £102·5 million of public-sector transformation money made available as soon as possible to support that vital work. Undoubtedly, there are areas in which we must go further, but I want to be fair and say that I recognise that it is the opening position and that we are likely to see some funding flowing through monitoring rounds as the year progresses, albeit not to the level that we experienced last year.

I am sure that every Member in the Chamber will agree, as will the Minister, that we want to see stabilisation of the PSNI and an uplift in PSNI officer numbers. To achieve that, it is vital that we see progress made on the PSNI's business case, which is under consideration. It is also true to say that every Member wants to see additional investment in and progress made on social housing, but it is not all about money. Where I do agree with the leader of the Opposition is where he said that we must go further with public service reform to ensure that the money that we invest goes further. We often hear Ministers decry the lack of available funding, but those same Ministers are often less forthcoming when it comes to honest reflections on the need to do things differently. NI Water is a classic example of that.

It is refreshing that, this year, we have returned to a normal budgetary cycle for the first time in many years. It has to be said, however, that it is depressing that that seems to be a novel feat for the Assembly. This is the eleventh single-year Budget cycle in a row, largely as a result of the cycle of crisis and collapse that I mentioned earlier that has deprived our public services and the community and voluntary sector of key opportunities to plan for the medium term and the longer term and to make crucial reforms. As I say every time that we debate a Budget Bill, we cannot have financial sustainability without political stability underpinning it. Reform of our institutions therefore remains crucial.

Unlike last year, however, a 12-week public consultation was undertaken on the underlying Budget policy, which enabled the public to make their views known. The Minister's commitment that the Budget will be the final single-year Budget of this mandate is, of course, welcome. I hope that we will be in a position this time next year to debate a strategic multi-year Budget, with the benefit of multi-year clarity, which will hopefully be forthcoming in this week's spending review announcement.

Alliance has consistently argued that the 124% needs-based factor that was provided for in the restoration package does not adequately account for Northern Ireland's relative need, not least because of the particular considerations for policing and justice but also because of issues such as the rurality of our population and the significant role that agriculture plays in driving our economy. It is welcome that the Department commissioned a study by Professor Holtham, which will build on the progress that was made by the interim fiscal framework. We all, I think, eagerly await the outcome of that work and that negotiation, which the Department of Finance and the Treasury are undertaking. It is also vital, however, that we hear more from the Minister about his priorities for a new and permanent fiscal framework, including on issues such as fiscal devolution, so that we can make our system fairer and more progressive and support economic growth.

Ultimately, as is always the case, the fundamental question before us is not whether we believe that each individual spending decision of every Minister is wise. Nor is it whether we believe that the Budget is adequate or sufficient to meet the scale of departmental pressures that we face. First and foremost, the question is whether we believe that the allocations are fair in the circumstances. More fundamentally, however, it is about ensuring that Departments have legislative cover to continue to deliver public services without interruption.

With the Assembly having been back in place for just over a year, progress towards having more sustainable public finances has been made. Alliance will continue to work with the Finance Minister and with other parties to secure the investment in our public services and communities that we so desperately need and that they so desperately deserve. The Second Stage of the Budget (No. 2) Bill is another important milestone on that journey, so Alliance supports its progress.

John Blair (Alliance, South Antrim)

The next item of business in the Order Paper is Question Time. I propose therefore, by leave of the Assembly, to suspend the sitting until 2.00 pm. The debate will continue after the question for urgent oral answer, when the next Member called to speak will be Robbie Butler.

The debate stood suspended.

The sitting was suspended at 1.54 pm and resumed at 2.00 pm.

(Mr Speaker in the Chair)

Oral Answers to Questions — The Executive Office

Nick Mathison (Alliance, Strangford)

1. Mr Mathison asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister for an update on the appointment of a Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland. (AQO 2094/22-27)

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

We are pleased to report that the competition to appoint a Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland is well progressed. A commissioner will be appointed as soon as possible following the conclusion of that appointment process. The First Minister and I have agreed the person. They have to go through a number of checks before there is a public announcement on that, but that should happen very shortly.

Nick Mathison (Alliance, Strangford)

I thank the deputy First Minister for her answer. The appointment has taken a staggeringly long time, given that we have known about the vacancy since the restoration of the institutions. Can the deputy First Minister give us any sense of a date for an appointment? I know that, in Committees, including the Education Committee, there have been multiple queries about public appointments, but there has been no mechanism for scrutinising that.

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

The person will have to formally accept, and they have a period in which to do so. In addition, once they accept, we have to, understandably, go through a number of checks, including statutory checks. That process normally takes about 10 days after the acceptance, so we hope to be in a position to make that name public in the next number of weeks.

Deirdre Hargey (Sinn Féin, Belfast South)

Does the deputy First Minister agree that all public appointments should be made on the basis of merit?

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

Yes, the approach to public appointments is set out in the legislation and the guidance. We operate many of those appointments in accordance with and in the spirit of that, as opposed to that being a regulated appointment of the commissioner's office. Of course, those people must be suitable for the role for which they have put their name forward.

Harry Harvey (DUP, Strangford)

Deputy First Minister, can you provide an update on the current Victims' Commissioner vacancy, please?

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I am pleased to announce that we have selected a person to be the new Commissioner for Victims and Survivors. That person has accepted that position, and they are undergoing the final stages of the statutory checks that I referred to. With this one, we hope to be in a position to make that name public in the next number of days.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Belfast South)

Question 2 has been withdrawn.

Paula Bradshaw (Alliance, Belfast South)

3. Ms Bradshaw asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister for an update on the appointment of a director and five support staff for the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression (OICE). (AQO 2096/22-27)

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

We are committed to establishing the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression, the Irish Language Commissioner and the Commissioner for the Ulster Scots and Ulster British Tradition and to making the appointments as soon as possible. All three recruitment competitions are now at an advanced stage. Interviews are due to take place in the coming weeks, and appointments will then be made.

Paula Bradshaw (Alliance, Belfast South)

Thank you, deputy First Minister. I welcome that update. Can you speak to the Commission on Flags, Identity, Culture and Tradition (FICT) report and the section in it on bonfires? You will know that there is a wide of range of legislation that touches on the outskirts of bonfires, but could you clarify whether the new director will have a role in trying to provide greater clarity and certainty for landowners around their responsibilities where bonfires are being constructed?

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I thank the Member for her question. As the Member will be aware from the legislation that was passed through Westminster, the OICE — the office that sits at the centre — does not have that specified as a statutory function. However, there is a discretion and a flexibility in the work that it does. There is a statutory responsibility around promoting reconciliation, and I have no doubt that there will be issues that people will seek the body to take forward, albeit with sensitivity and co-production and after speaking to all the key stakeholders and trying to promote reconciliation in all of that.

Jemma Dolan (Sinn Féin, Fermanagh and South Tyrone)

Can the deputy First Minister provide an update on the position for each competition?

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I thank the Member for her question. The appointments process is well under way. As I understand it, the shortlist for interview has gone out, and those interviews will take place shortly. Those should be concluded throughout June, and, at that point, the First Minister and I will get a list of those who are deemed suitable for appointment for each appointment process. We will then consider that.

Phillip Brett (DUP, Belfast North)

Deputy First Minister, we often hear the line that political agreements need to be honoured. There was a clear commitment given by the UK Government to fund the work of the Castlereagh Foundation and, indeed, to restore Craigavon House. Does the deputy First Minister agree that they need to get on with doing so? Will she further support the campaign by my colleague Frank McCoubrey to have Fernhill House brought back into use as soon as possible?

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I thank the Member for his important question. It is so important to protect our history and heritage because the stories of our past are part and parcel of who we are. They are important, too, in moving forward by educating us about the complexities and nuances of our past. These are incredible buildings in which were seen incredible things. The UK Government promised to support the restoration of Craigavon House. The Castlereagh Foundation, which was in that legislation passed at Westminster, will be a responsibility under OICE, which has a statutory power to establish that for the specified purposes.

I agree with the Member on Fernhill House. It is a real pity that those houses are sitting with all that history and potential to tell the story of this place, and we do not have the funding support that they require to make them usable again and protected, moving forward.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Belfast South)

We can hear Members conversing from the Chair, so if, in general, Members want to say something to their colleagues, will they do it quietly, please?

Matthew O'Toole (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast South)

Further to the previous question, deputy First Minister, many members of the public watching us will not know what the Castlereagh Foundation is. It emerged in a private bilateral discussion between, I believe, your party and the then Tory Government. Perhaps you would like to put on the record what the Castlereagh Foundation is and whether you have had discussions with the First Minister about its establishment.

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

The Member is correct. The Castlereagh Foundation was set up in response to the significant number of North/South bodies and groups looking at better cooperation North and South. The foundation is a body designed to look at better cooperation across the UK, particularly east-west. That is in light of the huge amounts of funds going towards North/South cooperation. Some good organisations work in that space, such as Co-operation Ireland. This is to be really a "Co-operation UK" to make sure that there are opportunities across universities and young people and civic and business groups. There is so much that we can learn from each other, yet there has not been focus on or support for east-west work outside the political space. In that legislation there was provision for the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression to create the Castlereagh Foundation for the purposes set out.

Emma Sheerin (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster)

Ceist uimhir a ceathair, le do thoil.

[Translation: Question 4, please.]

Emma Sheerin (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster)

4. Ms Sheerin asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister for an update on the appointment of the language commissioners under the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022. (AQO 2097/22-27)

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I presume that the Member is asking for oral question 4. I do not speak Irish, so I am assuming that that is what you are asking.

We are committed to establishing an Office of Identity and Cultural Expression along with the Irish Language Commissioner and the Commissioner for the Ulster Scots and the Ulster British Tradition and making the appointments as soon as possible. All three recruitment competitions are now at an advanced stage. Interviews are due to take place in the coming weeks, and the appointments will then be made.

Emma Sheerin (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster)

Go raibh maith agat, agus gabhaim buíochas leis an leasChéad-Aire as a fhreagra sin.

[Translation: I thank the deputy First Minister for that answer.]

I am glad that you were able to work it out from the document in front of you. Will you detail what work the Executive Office has done to progress those bodies?

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I thank the Member for her question. The Member will be aware that we have progressed the business cases for all three bodies. Those have now been processed. Those were predicated on an initial £1 million for each commissioner office and about £1·6 million for the central Office of Identity and Cultural Expression. At this stage, those will very much rely on the statutory functions as set out. Of course, what will then need to happen is that, when those positions are filled, the commissioners and those in the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression will put together their business and corporate plans and their staffing requirements. It is important in all of these things that we move forward fairly and equitably to make sure that all bodies get the support that they require.

Patsy McGlone (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Mid Ulster)

To be more specific about the appointments process, do you have a timeline? There are many people, specifically in the Irish language community, like me and, I am sure, others who see a lot of delay in the process, which was anticipated to happen much earlier. A timeline or a time frame would be much appreciated by those communities.

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I thank the Member for his question. As indicated, we anticipate all the interviews to be concluded by officials and the interview panels this month. At that point, a list of those deemed suitable for appointment for each post will be submitted to the First Minister and me for consideration.

I share the Member's concern about the time that public appointments now take. That is why we have asked that a departmental official be that single point of contact and responsible person in order to ensure that, when a date comes up either for a renewal or for a post to be filled, we start that process at a much earlier stage. It takes almost 12 months at the very least to put documentation together, arrange interviews, get people to come in, get them processed and come up with a list. That is a lengthy period, and that is why we must start that process sooner rather than later.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Belfast South)

I remind Members that it is a basic courtesy not to walk between two people when they are having an engagement. I have spoken about that a few times before. Hopefully, I will not have to remind Members again not to do it.

Maolíosa McHugh (Sinn Féin, West Tyrone)

5. Mr McHugh asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister for an update on their Department’s work on racial equality post-2025. (AQO 2098/22-27)

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

Alongside the continued delivery of the current racial equality strategy, work is ongoing to develop a new approach to that important issue post 2025. This remains a key priority, and we continue to engage with stakeholders, including the racial equality subgroup and the wider sector, to inform our approach. We launched a call for views earlier this year to assist with the development process, and an analysis report is being finalised for publication. We are also finalising a review of the race hate and violent disorder that we unfortunately witnessed last summer to ensure that learning can inform future work. We have taken knowledge from other programmes that deal with societal issues, and our focus is on identifying preventative actions and effective interventions in order to tackle racial inequality.

Maolíosa McHugh (Sinn Féin, West Tyrone)

Gabhaim buíochas leis an leasChéad-Aire as a freagra.

[Translation: I thank the deputy First Minister for her answer.]

Minister, will you provide an update on the refugee integration strategy and how it will be implemented and funded?

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I am pleased to say that the refugee integration strategy has been published and is available online. We will continue to work with the sector and the relevant bodies to ensure the roll-out of the strategy. The Member will be aware that it is not a devolved issue, although we have had significant engagement on it with the Home Office and the UK Government. Indeed, when I was over in London a couple of weeks ago, I took the opportunity to attend an intergovernmental meeting in person in order to talk to the Minister of State, David Hanson, about the ongoing issues.

It is not just about refugee integration. We know that there is a range of pressures around it. Some of those pressures are in workplaces, while others are in the community around housing and public services. It is a really important issue, and it is important to get the tone right on it, but it is also important that we raise the very understandable pressures that are being faced by communities throughout Northern Ireland.

Jonathan Buckley (DUP, Upper Bann)

Deputy First Minister, you are aware of the huge concern across the United Kingdom in particular with regard to illegal immigration, given the strain on social services, housing and hospitals. Were you reassured by the Government's response in their conversations about the White Paper that those issues will be adequately targeted?

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I thank the Member for his important question. This is a significant issue for many communities across Northern Ireland. The meeting dealt with two aspects: the first was legal migration and workforce requirements, and the second was illegal immigration. We know that there are businesses, many of them in Northern Ireland, that rely on labour from across the globe. We also need to be able to attract the brightest and best, regardless of where those people come from, in order to grow our cybersecurity, tech, AI and advanced engineering, and they can make a huge contribution.

We also know, however, that the scourge of illegal economic immigration needs to be tackled, because it creates a huge amount of pressure. There are two aspects to that: there is supply and demand. We know that more and more people find it incredibly difficult to get access to public services, should it be education or GPs, but particularly in relation to housing, including renting accommodation, and that pressure is coming on. We need to deal with this in a logical and rational way that recognises the understandable concerns that communities have when they cannot access the basic housing, education and health services that they should not just demand but absolutely need.

Danny Donnelly (Alliance, East Antrim)

What precise steps have been taken to update the Race Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1997?

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I thank the Member for his question. A significant amount of work has been undertaken. He will be aware that the public consultation came to a conclusion some time ago.

We also, as indicated, put out a call for views using an online survey. I would have liked more engagement with that survey by people from ethnic minority and racial minority groups in Northern Ireland to get a sense of their lived experiences. We will bring forward proposals for the required legislation. He will be aware that it is in the Executive Office's legislative timetable. We intend to move that forward as quickly as possible, recognising the limited amount of time that is left in this term.

Ciara Ferguson (Sinn Féin, Foyle)

6. Ms Ferguson asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister for an update on the Ebrington Plaza site. (AQO 2099/22-27)

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

Ebrington Plaza is leased to Heron Property Limited. In recent months, both Alchemy Technology Services and Ernst & Young have opened new offices at Ebrington Plaza, bringing a combined total of around 250 new jobs to the area. The First Minister and I were delighted to attend the official opening of both offices, and it really was a good-news day for the north-west. Although TEO has no role in securing underletting for Ebrington Plaza, we have invested £37 million in the transformation and regeneration of the entire Ebrington site. We are delighted that it is now almost fully occupied and thriving. The Department continues to work with tenants and stakeholders to showcase Ebrington, and to ensure that it plays its part by creating opportunities and attracting investment to help create a dynamic business hub.

Ciara Ferguson (Sinn Féin, Foyle)

I thank the deputy First Minister for her answer. Minister, will you set out the current position on the transfer of the Ebrington site to Derry City and Strabane District Council?

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I thank the Member for her question. You will be aware that the site was due to transfer a number of years ago. That did not happen for a range of understandable reasons; some of it was down to general delay. Talks are under way with the council. The council will want some support and guarantees about the site being able to continue to thrive and to be a place that attracts everyone. It is important that, in that transfer process. we make clear that it is a reconciliation site that is about bringing people together and that it needs to be welcoming to all parts of the community. That is at the centre of the discussions with the council, which are at an advanced stage.

Cheryl Brownlee (DUP, East Antrim)

Will the deputy First Minister join me in welcoming the All Ireland Pipe Band Championships to Ebrington this summer and in recognising the positive social, cultural and economic benefits that our marching bands scene brings to Northern Ireland?

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

Yes. It is absolutely fantastic that the Ebrington site will host the spectacular display that is the All Ireland Pipe Band Championships. It is estimated that around 10,000 people will attend. I appeal for people to attend if they are in the area, because it will be a really good day. I know that the folks in the north-west are looking forward to it. The First Minister and I had the opportunity to formally launch the championships. I am really looking forward to it. It plays into the incredible depth and richness of the marching bands scene here. I was pleased that my colleague Gordon Lyons was able to increase the fund, but, as the Member knows, there is much more demand than supply. This year, we are looking forward to supporting our marching bands again. It is not just about the value that the funding gives to the members of the bands and the music that they play; it is about the value that they give back through the money that the band scene has generated over the years. It is important to recognise that value. We are very proud of our marching bands in Northern Ireland.

Sinéad McLaughlin (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

Local residents and businesses have raised concerns with me about ongoing issues on the site, particularly around cleanliness, access to toilets and illegal parking. Given the new entrants — Alchemy and Ernst & Young — that are now based there, and events such as the one that you have just spoken about, it is really important that the site is clean and safe for everybody who shares it. What is your Department doing to ensure that the site is safe and welcoming?

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

Thank you. As I said, we have invested £37 million in the site. We have been up to visit a number of times since taking up office, and Ebrington Square has looked really well. We visited the hotel and looked around it. The new buildings in Ebrington Plaza are amazing — they are cutting-edge buildings that are fit-for-purpose in the modern world. We look forward to the site being filled with workers and visitors. The events that have been held there have been hugely successful. I am very proud of what we have achieved at Ebrington. Of course, the issues that the Member raised must be addressed. I asked about antisocial behaviour or other issues on the site, and I was assured that the PSNI encounters a low number of problems, if any at all. That is a really positive message. It is a strong, safe site that is welcoming to all, and I encourage visitors and locals alike to use it.

Connie Egan (Alliance, North Down)

7. Ms Egan asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister for a progress update on the ending violence against women and girls (EVAWG) delivery plan 2024-26. (AQO 2100/22-27)

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

Mr Speaker, with your permission, junior Minister Cameron will answer this question.

Pam Cameron (DUP, South Antrim)

There has been significant progress on the actions contained in the first ending violence against women and girls delivery plan since it was launched last September. The local and regional EVAWG change funds represent a £3·2 million investment for community and voluntary sector organisations in partnership with councils. We have been delighted to see the impact of the funding at grassroots community level. Councils are embedding action to end violence against women and girls in their service delivery and developing signposting and resources for local communities. In addition, eight community and voluntary sector expert organisations are delivering activity that will strengthen the impact and reach of EVAWG expertise and programmes that support schools, communities and workplaces.

The Power to Change campaign, in partnership with the Department of Justice and the PSNI, aims to challenge unacceptable attitudes and reduce harmful behaviours of men and boys. Work is progressing at pace on the development of the second phase of campaign work on EVAWG, and we look forward to sharing more of that with you soon.

We are only too aware of the serious and long-lasting impact of online abuse. Many Members in the Chamber have first-hand experience of that form of abuse. Junior Minister Riley and I met Ofcom, which has responsibility for online safety under the Online Safety Act 2023, to outline our concerns. We have also established key sectoral working groups to identify key actions to improve outcomes for women and girls in educational, workplace, social and night-time settings. We intend to provide a progress report to the Executive very soon.

Connie Egan (Alliance, North Down)

Thank you, junior Minister. The ending violence against women and girls change fund is very welcome. How does your Department work with local councils to evaluate and monitor how the money is being spent?

Pam Cameron (DUP, South Antrim)

I thank the Member for that very important question. The change fund is an important part of the delivery plan. We are investing £3·2 million up to March 2026 in community-based action to help end violence against women and girls. The Member will know that the change fund provides grant funding directly to local grassroots community groups in order to build capacity and allow them to take local action. The regional change fund provides grants to regional expert organisations in that field to support their awareness-raising, prevention and capacity-building work. The Executive Office has supported all 11 councils to open local change funds totalling £1·4 million, and those schemes have made awards ranging from £1,000 to £25,000 to local groups. Activity funded under the local change funds is well spread across all communities, including youth groups; sports organisations; schools; businesses; the arts sector; and organisations that support minority ethnic people, people with disabilities and, of course, neurodiverse people.

In support of the local change funds, all councils utilised the momentum support, which totalled £655,000 over the January to March 2025 period, with a diverse range of initiatives delivered to raise awareness and public engagement on EVAWG. That strategic investment by the Executive Office has mobilised all 11 councils in bringing EVAWG to the fore in each locality, raising awareness and establishing the basis for longer-term coordination. Eight of the EVAWG expert organisations now deliver as part of the £1·2 million funding from the regional change fund, which covers activity from 1 January 2025 to 31 March 2026. That collective body of work will strengthen the impact and reach of EVAWG expertise and programmes that are offered by key regional and community and voluntary sector organisations to support schools, communities and workplaces.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Belfast South)

Your time for the answer is up.

Linda Dillon (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster)

I thank the Member for her supplementary question, because it is important for us to understand the evaluation process to make sure that we get the best value for money.

Will the Minister please outline how TEO is working collaboratively across the Executive to ensure that we tackle violence against women and girls? What are the expected outcomes from its collaborative work?

Pam Cameron (DUP, South Antrim)

I thank the Member for her question. If I had finished my previous answer, I would have said that we will absolutely evaluate all the outworkings.

As for the Executive's collaborative work, "Working Better Together" is one of the six outcomes in the EVAWG strategic framework and is embedded in the Programme for Government. Collaboration with a range of Departments, including Education, Health and Justice, is ongoing, and we remain committed to taking that approach with all Departments.

It is worth noting that, just last week, junior Minister Reilly and I chaired the second meeting of the EVAWG oversight group, which includes all the Departments at a senior level and, crucially, the community and voluntary sector, which was instrumental in the co-design of the strategy. It is vital that that cooperation continue throughout the EVAWG strategy's delivery, as the sector's organisations are the experts in that field.

Stephen Dunne (DUP, North Down)

8. Mr Dunne asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister to outline their engagement with the Prime Minister in relation to funding for public services during their meeting on 23 May 2025. (AQO 2101/22-27)

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

We had a wide-ranging discussion with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at our meeting on 23 May. On the funding of public services, we discussed the forthcoming spending review, which is due to be announced this Wednesday, and we impressed on him the need for the Executive to be funded fairly, sustainably and at a level that will enable us to deliver the public services that our community needs and expects. We also expressed our concerns about the impact on the local economy of, for example, changes to inheritance tax and the increase in employers' National Insurance contributions.

Stephen Dunne (DUP, North Down)

I thank the deputy First Minister for her answer. As she says, the spending review announcement will be made on Wednesday. What are the Executive's key priorities out of it? What would you like to see on Wednesday?

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I thank the Member for his hugely important question. People throughout Northern Ireland see, every day, what each Department needs to do. They see potholes on roads, health waiting lists, an inability to access their GP when they need it, waiting lists for SEN, the need for affordable and flexible childcare and the need for investment in water and sewage infrastructure. Those are the key priorities for supporting people, no matter what their background or politics. In order to support people to be happy, to thrive and to get the jobs that they want with the education that they need, we really need to invest in public services.

We anticipate receiving some additional capital funding, and we need to look at the draft investment strategy for Northern Ireland (ISNI) to determine how best to invest it. It is incredibly important, however, that we support investment in the public services that people throughout Northern Ireland are crying out for.

Cathal Boylan (Sinn Féin, Newry and Armagh)

Following on from the previous question, will the deputy First Minister detail what the Executive are doing to secure a fair funding model for delivering public services?

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I thank the Member for his important question. As I set out, we need funding for roads, schools and hospitals. We need to invest in water and in sewerage and to support people with public services that they not only need but deserve. That is why there has been a series of engagements with the UK Government. The Finance Minister was over in London having direct conversations. The First Minister and I took the opportunity to put our asks directly to the Prime Minister. I assure the Member that we did so robustly, making clear that we are up to and up for the challenge of transformation and reform. No one is simply saying, "Give us more money, and we will continue to do what we do in the way in which we do it". We have a very significant and ambitious agenda for transformation and reform, but we need the money to invest in order to transform, as well as funding right now to support front-line services for people.

Alan Robinson (DUP, East Londonderry)

9. Mr Robinson asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister to outline any recent discussions that they have had with the UK Government in relation to building global economic, cultural and tourism connections. (AQO 2102/22-27)

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

We regularly meet the UK Government on a wide range of issues that matter to people here. Our priorities for engagement are focused on delivering for citizens at home, promoting Northern Ireland as a stable and successful region and ensuring that our international partners recognise our many strengths. Prior to the UK-EU summit on 19 May, we attended the meeting of the Interministerial Group on UK-EU Relations, held on 12 May, at which we highlighted the issues with the Windsor framework.

I will say this very clearly to the UK Government: the UK Government promised the people of Northern Ireland unfettered internal trade, and that is a promise that they must fulfil. It is our role to continue to hold their feet to the fire to ensure that they do so. The internal market of the United Kingdom is incredibly important to Northern Ireland. The promises were made; the promises must be fulfilled.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Belfast South)

That ends the period for listed questions. We now move to topical questions.

Matthew O'Toole (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast South)

T1. Mr O'Toole asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister whether, given that it will be 12 years tomorrow since the last match was played at Casement Park and that Gaels and GAA fans throughout Ulster and Ireland now have a real expectation that additional funding to rebuild Casement Park will be allocated on Wednesday, they will support additional funding and, more importantly, whether, if additional funding is forthcoming from the UK Government, will they work to facilitate that extra funding and react positively to the rebuilding of Casement Park. (AQT 1381/22-27)

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I thank the Member for his question. The Member will be more than aware that the promise was made but not fulfilled not because of a lack of political will but because of a lengthy process in planning, planning challenges and all types of logistical issues that were outside the control of the Northern Ireland Executive. The allocations that were made to rugby, football and the GAA were done in a fair and equitable way that recognised the relative strengths of each of those organisations, including their support, players and supporters. It is important that we move forward on a fair and equitable basis, because sports throughout Northern Ireland in many different areas are crying out for support and funding to enable them to reach their full potential. We want that to be inclusive, but that inclusivity must be fair and equitable. One particular organisation or sport cannot be a special case.

Matthew O'Toole (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast South)

The deputy First Minister did not answer my question. I, of course, want equitable funding for other grounds. Ravenhill and Windsor are both in my constituency. I am glad that they are there and are thriving, but Casement Park has lain idle for 12 years. I am not a unionist, but, if I were, I would think that the best way of demonstrating to nationalists that Northern Ireland is working would be to build a world-class GAA stadium in the middle of west Belfast. Does the deputy First Minister support the stadium's being built, and will she work in the Executive to get it built, including with additional funding, if necessary?

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I thank the Member for his follow-up question. I have said very clearly that an allocation was made, and, indeed, we stand by that allocation because there was a three-sport arrangement. It was allocated across those three sports fairly and equitably. Since that, for reasons outside of the control of the Executive or any political party, the Casement project did not proceed as was anticipated. That project is now significantly bigger than was anticipated in the original allocation, which, I think, was around £61 million.

As highlighted in earlier answers, there are many pressures across government. That includes people who are sitting in pain on waiting lists, children who need special educational needs assessment and other vital things. In all things, we have to look at moving forward to meet those needs. We want our sporting stadia and facilities to be fit for purpose and to make sure that any allocation of funding is done fairly and equitably.

Stewart Dickson (Alliance, East Antrim)

T2. Mr Dickson asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister to explain what safeguards are in place to ensure that there is full accountability, transparency and, indeed, public confidence in how public funds are awarded and monitored, given the recent revelation that millions of pounds of public funds have been spent through Communities in Transition (CIT) programmes and that some of that money has been allocated to organisations that are led by individuals with serious paramilitary convictions, including murder and kidnap. (AQT 1382/22-27)

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I thank the Member for his question. We believe in transition and in the ability of people to move on from where they once were, but that must mean that they move on. We will offer that support to those who have indicated a willingness to move on, but we must protect public funds in every way possible. We have procedures in place to make sure that there is full accountability for public funds; indeed, those who work in organisations in CIT sign up to a declaration that commits them to exclusively peaceful means. If any allegations are made against individuals, they are raised with that organisation and a full investigation is required by it, depending on the type of allegation that has been made.

Stewart Dickson (Alliance, East Antrim)

Thank you, deputy First Minister. How can the public have confidence in the Executive's commitment to genuine community transition when one funded group saw fit to take young people on an awayday to Larne last year to observe the largest bonfire in Northern Ireland? What message does that send to communities that are genuinely trying to move beyond division?

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I thank the Member for his question. People's cultural traditions and identities should be respected across the piece. The Member may not like that tradition, but he does not have to. He does, however, have to respect the fact that there is difference in identities and that people have pride in their long-running traditions. As indicated in my initial response, we make sure that all funds are fully accounted for, that activities are carried out in line with the purpose for which the funds are given and that any allegations are fully investigated.

Alan Robinson (DUP, East Londonderry)

T3. Mr Robinson asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister what more the Executive can do in light of the funding pressures that the Executive face on policing in particular, which they will recognise. (AQT 1383/22-27)

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I thank the Member for his important question. Confidence in policing and justice is hugely important, but it is also important that policing and justice get the support that they need in order to do what they need to do. We have heard clearly from the Chief Constable the pressures that the PSNI is under. We need to step up and support the police. Our police officers go out, day in and day out, on the front line to do what they need to do to protect and serve. They deserve to get the funding required for them to fulfil their duties and do what they need to do.

Alan Robinson (DUP, East Londonderry)

I thank the deputy First Minister for her response. Will this week's spending review offer opportunities for extra money for policing?

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

Absolutely. We hope not only that we will get additional funds but that the funding will cover a number of years. As part of that, I will make the case for additional funds for policing. Those are absolutely necessary. The PSNI needs to be given the funds that it requires to fulfil what it needs to do, which is to protect the people of Northern Ireland and, of course, to bring criminals to justice.

Ciara Ferguson (Sinn Féin, Foyle)

T4. Ms Ferguson asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister whether they agree that the deeply disturbing incidents of sectarianism and racist intimidation that have been witnessed in recent weeks and months, including in Suffolk, north Belfast, and in the deputy First Minister's Lagan Valley constituency, with families being threatened and, in some cases, having to move out of their homes, are deplorable, unacceptable and have no place in our society. (AQT 1384/22-27)

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I thank the Member for her question. There is no space for sectarianism in our society. Whether it comes from thugs who threaten others, from people who attempt to intimidate or from bands, singers or whoever else who are trying to put across messages that are clearly deeply sectarian, it is wrong, and we need to call it out at every level. One is not just a bit of a laugh and the other to be called out; we need to have consistency from top to bottom. Sectarianism is wrong. Call it out.

Ciara Ferguson (Sinn Féin, Foyle)

I thank the deputy First Minister. Loyalist paramilitaries are behind many disgraceful attacks such as the ones that I mentioned. Does the deputy First Minister agree that it is entirely unacceptable in 2025 that loyalist paramilitary groups still exist, intimidating families and exerting control over communities? Does she also agree that those criminal gangs should immediately disband and leave our communities and families to live in peace?

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I thank the Member for her question. This is not about calling out just one side. I appeal to the Member to make sure that, in calling out such behaviour, she calls out all sides. There are activities by criminal organisations and by dissident republicans; there is glorification of the terrorism of the past; and there are ongoing threats and intimidation in some places. We have come a long way, but there is still a journey to go. We should not only stand shoulder to shoulder and call out all sectarianism and intimidation but do so not just for what is happening now but for all the terrorism, intimidation and sectarianism that happened in the past. We do not send that clear message to a new generation when we partake in the glorification of terrorism. That is why it is important for us to condemn not just such behaviour in the present but the absolutely unjustified acts of terrorism and sectarianism of the past.

David Honeyford (Alliance, Lagan Valley)

T5. Mr Honeyford asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister, having noted the deputy First Minister's answer to a question about a month ago on the Maze/Long Kesh site about the need to deal with sensitivities and build consensus and her desire to see the site developed, repeating lines that she has said previously, whether they can update the House on action that has been taken in the past month to progress the site since the deputy First Minister's answer in the Chamber. (AQT 1385/22-27)

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I thank the Member for his question. I echo what I said on that occasion: I want to see the site moved forward. As I said, that can happen only in a space where we work with people with regard to the sensitivities — genuine sensitivities — and hurt about things that happened on that site.

As I have indicated, I do not believe that continued discussions on the listed buildings should hold back economic development on that site. That economic development is not controversial. It could be happening right now, if, indeed, there were agreement with the First Minister to allow that to happen. What happens with the listed buildings in the future will always be the most difficult aspect of the site. At the moment, that discussion is holding back the rest of the site. I appeal, of course, to the First Minister to allow for the economic development of the rest of the site. It is not just economic: we know that it has sporting potential and that a huge range of uses could happen on the site to get that moving while we continue to have those discussions around the listed buildings.

David Honeyford (Alliance, Lagan Valley)

I thank the deputy First Minister for her answer. We have heard it before. It goes round and round, and we never get anywhere. We are tired of inaction, platitudes and words. We need action. Sensitivities cannot continue to be an excuse for doing absolutely nothing. Is there the political will in her party to see the site opened up and to see the benefits for everyone in Lagan Valley and to ensure that we will have all those economic benefits and see that progress into the future?

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I thank the Member for his follow-up question. Look, I do not live in a world of wishes and lullabies; I live in reality, and that reality is that we need to get agreement on the future of the site. I believe that we have agreement on around 95% of the site for sport, community, nature and economic development. That cannot go ahead at the moment because there is no agreement on the listed buildings. As I indicated to you, the thing that will lift that is the First Minister agreeing with me to allow that potential to go ahead on the least controversial aspects of the site while we continue to work with stakeholders and others to find a possible future use for the listed buildings. That is the reality. That is what I hear on the ground in Lagan Valley. I am not sure whether the Member is not hearing that on the ground in Lagan Valley. Of course, I want to see that potential fulfilled. We have to move forward with sensitivity on that.

Danny Donnelly (Alliance, East Antrim)

T6. Mr Donnelly asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister what evidence they have seen, if any, that provision of public services in schools, hospitals and housing is impacted by illegal immigration. (AQT 1386/22-27)

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I advise the Member that, certainly from my viewpoint, it is basic and logical. The provision of public services has two aspects: supply and demand. We need to do much more to ensure that the supply of GPs, health services and houses can be increased to meet demand. However, increased demand inevitably means additional pressure on supply. That is just logical.

Danny Donnelly (Alliance, East Antrim)

That does not sound much to me like evidence. How do illegal immigrants get places in schools and on health waiting lists or obtain a social home?

Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP, Lagan Valley)

I am not sure what the Member means, because, of course, they go onto a list and are allocated a place. On the wider issue of immigration, I have visited many primary schools where there are children from all over the globe. Many of those children are from families contributing positively to Northern Ireland; of course, they are. I advise the Member that, in the debate, when you have an increase of population in a town, village or city, there is a corresponding need for services for those people — of course, there is — because you need to meet a health need, an educational need for children and the housing need. It would be deeply irresponsible to put hundreds or scores of people in particular places and not have the services to meet that need.

Let us try to have a logical conversation about that, not one that is based on a back and forth about ideological positions.

It is very simple: if you have additional people coming in, you need to make sure that you have the public services to support that. At the moment, there is not that connectivity, there is not that planning, and there is already pressure on those public services — a pressure that we need to address.

Oral Answers to Questions — Communities

Edwin Poots (DUP, Belfast South)

Question 9 has been withdrawn.

Matthew O'Toole (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast South)

1. Mr O'Toole asked the Minister for Communities whether his Department has made a 2025-26 allocation to the Housing Executive for the social housing development programme. (AQO 2109/22-27)

Gordon Lyons (DUP, East Antrim)

I have, as I outlined last week.

Matthew O'Toole (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Belfast South)

I thank the Minister for his precise and concise answer. The allocation that he has made, further to the allocation that he received from the Finance Minister, shows that the Executive will fall not just short, but far short, of their target for social home starts by the end of the mandate. Will he confirm, on the record now, given that the Programme for Government promised nearly 6,000 social homes by the end of the mandate, that there is literally no way that that can be achieved, based on the housing starts that he has announced this year?

Gordon Lyons (DUP, East Antrim)

At the start of last year, I had the budget in place to build 400 social home new starts. We ended up with over 1,500, so we do not judge the success of the Executive on where we are at the beginning of the year. Additional money will become available. We have the spending review later this week as well, and I am always looking for new and innovative ways to make sure that we can increase housing stock and, in particular, the number of social homes in Northern Ireland. That is something that I have done and will continue to do. However, I note that, in the debate on social housing last week, the Member said that the issue is:

"something that the Executive need to deal with via the housing supply strategy, which we hope will come forward at some point soon". — [Official Report (Hansard), 3 June 2025, p51, col 2].

The housing supply strategy was published in December 2024. If the Member is going to pontificate about housing issues, he should at least furnish himself with the basics.

Pádraig Delargy (Sinn Féin, Foyle)

An issue that we get all the time in my constituency is older people who want to downsize but say that there is no availability of specific accommodation for the over-55s. Will the Minister outline the plans he and his Department have either to build or to repurpose specific over-55s accommodation?

Gordon Lyons (DUP, East Antrim)

Over-55s accommodation is a key part of the social homes that are offered through the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and other housing associations. Modelling is done and demand is counted, and actions flow from that. The Member is absolutely right to raise the issue: we need more social homes across all the different categories. I am well aware of that. We can only do what we can with the money that we have. I am looking for more money, but I am also looking at other ways of making sure that we can build more. If people want to change and that need is there, we need to make sure that we are targeting it, because additional over-55s accommodation does not only help that age group: it helps in other areas where homes can be freed up.

Kellie Armstrong (Alliance, Strangford)

Will the Minister confirm whether, under the social housing development programme, he has undertaken an evaluation of the outcomes of the shared housing programme?

Gordon Lyons (DUP, East Antrim)

I do not have that information with me, but I am happy to provide that to the Member to see whether an evaluation has been done. Nothing comes to mind at the moment.

Andy Allen (UUP, Belfast East)

Should more capital funding come through the spending review, as the Minister mentioned, is his Department ready to go, and what number of homes could it deliver with additional funding?

Gordon Lyons (DUP, East Antrim)

Absolutely, we are ready to go. It is always the case that we have a plan. It is about getting the funding in place. I have full confidence in the team, the housing associations and the work through the Housing Executive to make sure that, when additional capital funding is made available, we are ready to go. That is why we were able to make some of the progress that we made last year when additional funding became available.

Brian Kingston (DUP, Belfast North)

The social housing development programme is one of the areas in the Programme for Government with an actual target. Does the Minister agree therefore that there is, in fact, an onus on the Executive to prioritise capital to it?

Gordon Lyons (DUP, East Antrim)

I agree. We have not only a Programme for Government commitment but, importantly, a housing supply strategy in which Executive colleagues have pledged to work together to identify the issues that impact on supply so that we can target those and make sure that we have more homes, including more social homes. It is only right that that is followed up by a commitment from the Executive to ensure that I have the funding in place to do what I need to do to build more homes. I will also play my part in ensuring that we make it as simple and straightforward as possible to build more homes. I am bringing additional recommendations to the Executive so that we will be able to do just that.

Eóin Tennyson (Alliance, Upper Bann)

2. Mr Tennyson asked the Minister for Communities whether he intends to introduce further protections for private tenants. (AQO 2110/22-27)

Gordon Lyons (DUP, East Antrim)

The remaining actions that I will deliver in the current mandate are the introduction of longer notice to quit periods, the amendment of landlord registration regulations to make the scheme a more meaningful tool in raising property standards and consideration of the best way forward in respect of minimum energy efficiency standards for the private rented sector.

Eóin Tennyson (Alliance, Upper Bann)

Thank you, Minister. Given that it has been reported, in recent weeks, that rents have risen faster in Belfast than in London over the past year, do you accept that none of those measures that you announced is sufficient to deal with the crisis? Will you consider a system of affordable rent controls?

Gordon Lyons (DUP, East Antrim)

Yes, I accept that. We need more supply. That is why I brought forward a housing supply strategy. We all need to work together to make sure that we can have more homes across all tenures. That is how we deal with the issues. As the deputy First Minister said, just a few moments ago, the key issue here is supply and demand. Right now, we do not have the supply.

Justin McNulty (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Newry and Armagh)

Minister, have Renters' Voice and many other housing campaigners got it wrong when they have called for an end to no-fault evictions?

Gordon Lyons (DUP, East Antrim)

The Member will be aware of the work that has already been undertaken on the issue — the work that began under my predecessor and that I am continuing, based on what was mandated by the Assembly. That is why I will be introducing longer notice to quit periods.

Phillip Brett (DUP, Belfast North)

Minister, the private rental market in my constituency of North Belfast is out of control. On a weekly basis, constituents who have been long-term tenants come to me because they have been evicted by their landlord to be replaced by tenants through Mears contracts. It is absolutely disgraceful. I see some Members shaking their heads; clearly, they are not in touch with their real constituents. Will the Minister outline what actions he can take to ensure that the impact of illegal immigration is not increasing rent prices in my constituency?

[Interruption.]

Gordon Lyons (DUP, East Antrim)

It is interesting: at the start of his question, the Member simply stated fact, and that seemed to rile some Members. It is a fact that, when you have that increased demand, it impacts on supply. It is true that Mears is coming in and increasing the cost of private rented sector accommodation. That is fact. I know that it might not be a comfortable fact for some people, because it does not fit in with the arguments that they are trying to make, but, in some constituencies, you see it very acutely. It is wrong for us to ignore the issue. We need to be aware of it. The worst thing that we can do is ignore it, pretend that it is not an issue or simply sweep it under the carpet. I am committed to playing my part in making sure that we have increased supply, but we need to deal with the demand. There is no doubt that the actions of Mears are impacting on the housing market. Anybody who would argue otherwise is simply not in touch with reality.

Stewart Dickson (Alliance, East Antrim)

3. Mr Dickson asked the Minister for Communities for an update on the implementation of the Period Products (Free Provision) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022. (AQO 2111/22-27)

Gordon Lyons (DUP, East Antrim)

Section 1 of the Act requires the Executive Office to make period products available, free of charge, to anyone who needs them. As it is not a delivery body, the Executive Office partnered with Libraries NI, an arm’s-length body that is sponsored by my Department, to fulfil that duty. The initiative launched on 13 May 2024, and free period products are now available in all public libraries across Northern Ireland.

Section 2 of the Act requires Departments to specify, via regulations, which public service bodies must provide period products on their premises. The Department's regulations were debated and approved by the House on 6 May.

Stewart Dickson (Alliance, East Antrim)

Thank you, Minister, for your answer. Once implementation is complete, how does your Department intend to monitor whether the provision is working, particularly in respect of the requirement for dignity, choice and ease of access, as required by the legislation?

Gordon Lyons (DUP, East Antrim)

As the Member rightly points out, that is a requirement of the legislation. Therefore, we will need to monitor it to make sure that it fulfils the law, as we do with any regulations that come into being.

Peter Martin (DUP, North Down)

4. Mr Martin asked the Minister for Communities, in light of the Supreme Court judgement in the case For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers on 16 April 2025, for his assessment of whether only biological women should be participating in female sporting codes. (AQO 2112/22-27)

Timothy Gaston (Traditional Unionist Voice, North Antrim)

7. Mr Gaston asked the Minister for Communities, in light of the Supreme Court judgement in the case For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers on 16 April 2025, to outline any engagement that he has had with sporting bodies in Northern Ireland in relation to participation in female sport. (AQO 2115/22-27)

Gordon Lyons (DUP, East Antrim)

With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 4 and 7 together. My Department is analysing the Supreme Court judgement and considering the potential implications of the ruling for policy responsibilities that rest with the Department. Officials have also sought legal advice on the issue. Departmental officials will continue to work closely with Sport NI as it considers the impacts of the issue on the sports sector. It is my view, and, therefore, the view of the Department, that only biological women should participate in women's sports.

Peter Martin (DUP, North Down)

I thank the Minister for his response. I agree that only biological women should compete with each other in female sporting codes. Will he commit to writing to the sporting bodies that his Department funds to make them aware of the Supreme Court judgement and ask for a response from them?

Gordon Lyons (DUP, East Antrim)

Yes, I will. We now have clarification in law, not that one was needed. It is important that we abide by that ruling and the law. Therefore, I will make sure that I take my responsibilities seriously in that regard.

Timothy Gaston (Traditional Unionist Voice, North Antrim)

Minister, time needs to be called on the ability of biological men to compete in women's sports, full stop. In the event that sporting bodies fail to respect the law, what ramifications will there be for funding coming from the Department and its arm's-length bodies to ensure that there is full compliance with the law?

Gordon Lyons (DUP, East Antrim)

Of course, all bodies need to comply with the law. It is normally a condition of funding being in place. That will certainly be taken into consideration.

Sian Mulholland (Alliance, North Antrim)

Minister, what role do independent sports governing bodies have in decisions about how their sports are played?

Gordon Lyons (DUP, East Antrim)

They have a considerable role to play. I will issue guidance and advice, but, ultimately, it will be up to them to decide. However, they will need to consider whether they are in compliance with the law and the implications of not doing so.

Mark Durkan (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

5. Mr Durkan asked the Minister for Communities to outline the steps that his Department is taking to ensure that there is a regional balance when allocating arts funding between Belfast and other regions, particularly the north-west. (AQO 2113/22-27)

Gordon Lyons (DUP, East Antrim)

The Arts Council is an arm's-length body of my Department that is tasked with the distribution of funding for the arts in Northern Ireland. It does not fund using place-based criteria. Belfast is the registered address of many organisations that, in practice, provide funding well beyond the Belfast postcode area, so I caution that funding statistics do not always tell the full story of where beneficiaries are located. However, I want to ensure that priority is given to provide support that reaches younger people, people from more deprived areas, those living in rural areas and areas distant from Belfast and those not currently engaged in cultural activities.

Mark Durkan (Social Democratic and Labour Party, Foyle)

The statistics tell the story only when it suits the narrative. Will the Minister commit to meeting Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company, which recently received the shattering news that it is to lose 100% of its funding, and other arts organisations in the north-west to hear their concerns and improve his understanding of their value?

Gordon Lyons (DUP, East Antrim)

I certainly recognise and understand the value of the arts. That is why I have done so much to promote the arts in Northern Ireland, including increasing their budget this year again. I have also provided capital funding for a musical instruments programme and a capital small grants programme, both of which go right across Northern Ireland. I have developed an additional new small grants programme and an artist in residence programme for every single council throughout Northern Ireland. I understand the concerns that the Member has expressed about his council area. Although it has 8% of Northern Ireland's population, it gets 12% of arts funding. My council area has 7% of Northern Ireland's population but receives only 0·6% of arts funding. That is disgraceful, and that is why I am working to make sure that we get an even spread across Northern Ireland, recognising that many arts organisations are based in cities.

I have done more to ensure that there is fairer distribution — a fairer spread — across Northern Ireland and will continue to make sure that that is the case.

Keith Buchanan (DUP, Mid Ulster)

Minister, you touched on funding for bands, which, as you said, reaches everywhere — rural and urban areas — across Northern Ireland. Can you update us on when the scheme will open?

Gordon Lyons (DUP, East Antrim)

I think that the Member saw me outside earlier today with those who benefited from the musical instruments grant last year. It was great to hear from a wide variety of organisations, including school groups and other groups with children in them about its impact. I am not able to confirm just yet the exact timing for when the scheme will open, but it will be within days.

Andrew McMurray (Alliance, South Down)

Has the Department consulted local authorities or community groups in the north-west about barriers to accessing arts funding?

Gordon Lyons (DUP, East Antrim)

Yes, I have talked to many groups right across Northern Ireland. I make the case, however, that the schemes are open to everybody. No one is discriminated against based on where they live. I want to make sure that people know about the funding that is there and that they are able to access it. That is why I have taken the action that I have and invested some of our capital and resource money in making sure that funding gets out across Northern Ireland.

Alan Chambers (UUP, North Down)

6. Mr Chambers asked the Minister for Communities, in light of recent statements by Ards and North Down Borough Council and Bangor Marine in relation to the Queen's Parade redevelopment scheme, for his assessment of when work will commence on the site. (AQO 2114/22-27)