Latest news with #NorthernIrelandAssembly
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Stormont target for social housing falls short by 1,000 homes
Stormont's budget will only fund work on about 1,000 new social houses this year, far short of the Northern Ireland Executive's target. The Programme for Government committed to starting work on at least 5,850 new build social homes by 2027. That equates to about 2,000 new starts per year which would be a big step up compared to the delivery rate of recent years. However, on the basis of the current budget the number of homes started this year will be lower than the 1,504 started last year. Speaking in the Northern Ireland Assembly on Monday, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons, who is responsible for housing, said he was operating in a "continually constrained" budget environment. "The assembly last year declared a housing crisis in Northern Ireland, yet we are left in a position where we're funding less the 50% of the Programme for Government housing target," he said. Lyons has committed 80% of his available capital spending to housing. He also raised the possibility that more money would be forthcoming, pointing out that last year's initial budget only contained enough for 400 housing starts. He said his department will "put the same effort into driving up these figures this year as we did last year". Lyons said it was also necessary to consider "how to do more with the money we have to build more homes", adding that he will bring some proposals to the executive. He pointed to medium term policies, such as getting borrowing powers for the Housing Executive, which should help to increase housing supply. Lyons described social housing as "crucial", providing "affordable, stable housing options for those who might otherwise struggle in the private rental market". He added that its inclusion in the Programme for Government "shows the widespread support to deliver affordable, sustainable and quality housing". Caoimhe Austin, from Londonderry, has been on the housing waiting list for three years and said she feels "despair" following Monday's announcement. Ms Austin, who has mobility issues, said she would like politicians "to find out a bit more about the people who are waiting for houses and the type of situations that they are in. "People are in really dire situations," she added She said having a permanent home "would make a serious difference to my physical and mental well-being. "There would be a huge improvement, because I would be able then to have or make the adaptations that I require that would make daily living a lot easier. "I would have peace of mind and the potential for the ability to plan for the future depending on what happens with my health." What will the programme for government mean for you? Homeless single father wants home for his children Christmas wish comes true after six-year social home wait Figures published last month show that in the first quarter of this year 49,083 households in Northern Ireland were on a social housing waiting list. The Department for Communities, which is the main funder for social housing, has allocated £63m to social housing. It has a total capital budget of about £270m but most of that is already committed to existing projects. The department can bid for additional money through the year in budget reallocation exercises, known as monitoring rounds. A monitoring round is due to be held this month but there is no certainty about how much money will be available or how it will be prioritised. The department would need an additional £62m to keep it on track to hit the Programme for Government target. Seamus Leheny, the chief executive of the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations, said the country "is in the grip of a deepening housing crisis". "The social housing waiting list grows every year - yet once again, the budget for new social homes falls woefully short. "It's less than half of what's needed to even begin reducing that list," he said. "While the minister's talk of new approaches is welcome, we need to see concrete plans now - not another year of delay. "We can't afford to be in the same position this time next year, still waiting for action, with uncertainty for social housing builders and a growing waiting list." Northern Ireland 'needs to build 100,000 homes by 2039' 'Unsustainable financial pressure' on homeless services - report £6.7m allocated to tackle homelessness
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Peaceful protest ‘should not be criminalised', says O'Toole
Peaceful protest should not be 'criminalised', the Northern Ireland Assembly has heard. Stormont Opposition Leader Matthew O'Toole was speaking following the arrest of two protesters in Belfast on Saturday. Sue Pentel, a high-profile campaigner against Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip, was one of two women detained by officers on suspicion of criminal damage. Videos circulated online of the arrest of the 72-year-old indicate the alleged offence related to the placing of stickers on a bank's ATM machine. Ms Pentel and the other woman who was arrested, who is in her 50s, were released later on Saturday pending a report to Northern Ireland's Public Prosecution Service (PPS). Mr O'Toole mentioned the arrests during Members' Statements in the Assembly on Tuesday morning. However Stormont Speaker Edwin Poots warned MLAs against 'second-guessing' police. Mr O'Toole told MLAs: 'It's important to say there is no more profound right in a democracy than peaceful protest. 'Over the weekend we saw dozens more innocent people lose their lives in Gaza as a result of the bombardment by the Netanyahu regime. We are witnessing an ongoing genocide in Gaza. 'People from all over this region, from all backgrounds, all ages, all perspectives are completely, frankly, in disbelief at what they see on their screens. They want some form of registering protest, dissent and challenging what is happening in the Middle East. 'One means is through peaceful protest. 'One of the people who was arrested is a woman named Sue Pentel, who is in her 70s. She also just happens to be Jewish. She will be known to people here because she is often here, peacefully and respectfully engaging with MLAs on her views in relation to the Middle East.' He went on: 'I understand that the PSNI has a difficult job to do. 'I don't trivialise the fact that in fast-moving situations sometimes there are judgments that have to be made by police officers, but I don't think anybody, certainly not the dozens and dozens of my constituents who are, frankly, appalled by what's happening in Gaza, who have emailed me in the last few days to say 'What the hell is going on in our society whenever a peaceful protest is met with arrests of pensioners?' 'Peaceful protest in Belfast city centre, even if it is a minor convenience, is not something which should be criminalised. 'That is legitimate peaceful protest and, yes, I respect that police officers have a job to do in all these circumstances, but let's please be proportionate and respect the rights of ordinary people to register dissent and protest.' Mr Poots urged caution on comments around live investigations: 'I just want to make it very clear that the police have a role to do, and it's not our place to be second-guessing that role. 'There are a number of matters of the day and urgent questions that were put in that related to different events that have taken place, questioning police, and I think that we need to be very, very careful whenever there is a live investigation. 'This hasn't got to the stage of there being charges, and may never get to that stage, but there is a live investigation and it's not our role in this House to influence police decisions on investigations. 'They have to go through their course, it goes to the PPS, there is a due process to happen there, and it's not for us to seek to influence that. 'I just caution Members on that issue.'
Belfast Telegraph
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
A neutral school uniform is ‘beneficial to all', committee hears
Members of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission put to MLAs that there should not be a requirement for boys and girls to dress differently. It came during an examination of the School Uniforms (Guidelines and Allowances) Bill. The Bill, which was introduced at the Northern Ireland Assembly by Education Minister Paul Givan, aims to make school uniforms more affordable, and includes scope for a potential uniform price cap to be set in future. Giving evidence to the committee on Tuesday morning, Colin Caughey, director of public policy at the commission, recommended that the word inclusivity be added to clause two of the Bill in terms of setting out what it intends to do. Chief Commissioner Alyson Kilpatrick said times have changed. 'A lot of girls now will say they are much more comfortable wearing a neutral uniform and not being required to wear skirts for example,' she told MLAs. 'That would fall within inclusivity. All children should feel comfortable.' Sinn Fein MLA Pat Sheehan asked for a view on including an option for girls to wear trousers instead of skirts to be included in the Bill to make it compliant with human rights law. Ms Kilpatrick said: 'It's clear that to require girls to wear skirts and boys to wear trousers or shorts, that is distinguishing between boys and girls for reason that isn't easily justifiable, certainly not anymore. 'It seems to me that there shouldn't be a requirement that boys and girls dress differently if the school wants to be inclusive, and if the department wants to require schools to be inclusive. 'There are all sorts of reasons why a neutral uniform would be beneficial to everybody.' The Bill is to make it a legal requirement for the Department of Education to make guidelines for schools; and for schools to follow those guidelines, addressing unfair costs aspects regarding their uniform requirements. But Ms Kilpatrick said she fears the Bill is too vague to bring any change in terms of the affordability of school uniforms. 'If you want something to happen, if you want it to change, there has to be specificity about what it is you're trying to change… if you simply say this is our idea of what might be appropriate then you're maybe giving too much discretion and allowing for a continuation of what happened before,' she said. 'Once you have made the decision as the department that you want things to change, I think you need to be prescriptive because nothing will change otherwise, and it becomes inconsistent across schools and what you have is a difficulty for the department to monitor what is happening at schools. 'Guidelines help, but guidelines must be, if they're going to change anything, statutory. You either have to have a statutory obligation to comply with the guidelines or you have it in the statutes so everyone knows exactly what it is that is being asked of them. 'If you want to see change, you have to be a lot clearer, and make it a requirement.'
Wales Online
20-05-2025
- Health
- Wales Online
Live updates as Mark Drakeford and Vaughan Gething appear before the Covid inquiry
Mark Drakeford and Vaughan Gething are due to give evidence at a Covid-19 inquiry in London on Tuesday. The inquiry is looking at the approach of the UK government and devolved nations to testing, tracing, and isolation adopted during the pandemic. The hearings will be held at Dorland House in London between Monday, May 19, and Thursday, May 22. As well as expert witnesses and treasury officials the inquiry will also hear from decision makers at the time of the Covid-19 pandemic including those from the Senedd, the Northern Ireland Assembly, and Westminster. On Tuesday former Wales First Minister Mr Drakeford and as well as Mr Gething, also a former First Minister but who was health minister at the time of the pandemic, will answer questions. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here. Both Mr Drakeford and Mr Gething previously gave evidence at a Covid-19 inquiry in Wales last year, which revealed that Welsh Government officials and ministers used WhatsApp, against Senedd rules, to discuss what was going on, and later deleted messages – going against proper record-keeping. Mr Drakeford told the inquiry during that hearing: 'I don't claim we got everything right.' You can read more about the Wales Covid inquiry here. This week's hearing represents the seventh out of 10 'modules' of investigation and is focusing on approach to testing, tracing and isolation during the pandemic. Previous modules have focused on preparedness and resilience, the pandemic's impact on healthcare systems, vaccines, therapeutics and anti-viral treatment across the UK, procurement, and the impact of the pandemic on the publicly- and privately-funded adult social care sector. You can follow live updates from Tuesday's hearing below and remember to join our WhatsApp news community here for the latest breaking news:
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Budget 25/26 will make a real difference to people's lives, O'Dowd says
The Executive has prioritised funding in its Budget to areas which make a real difference to people's lives across society, Finance Minister John O'Dowd has said. MLAs in the Northern Ireland Assembly backed the 2025-26 Budget following a lengthy debate on Monday. The SDLP opposed the spending plan, but it passed with 57 votes in favour out of 67 votes cast. Ministers in the powersharing Executive agreed its Budget in April, with increased investment pledged to tackle hospital waiting lists and support parents with the cost of childcare. Mr O'Dowd opened the Assembly debate on the spending proposals. He said: 'The agreement of this Budget shows this Executive's determination to work together and do things differently, using our limited resources to deliver what matters most. 'It reflects our Programme for Government, having specifically ring-fenced some £441 million for our shared priorities. 'While the funding received following the Chancellor's spring statement could not be included in the formal departmental budget outcomes, the Executive did agree how this money would be allocated in June monitoring. 'Including these indicative June monitoring allocations, this Budget provides departments with £19.3 billion, which will be spent on running our public services and investing in our infrastructure. '£16.8 billion of this has been provided for day-to-day services, including £1.2 billion earmarked for specific purposes and £15.6 billion of general allocations which may be spent at the discretion of individual ministers. 'With health receiving £8.5 billion, education receiving £3.3 billion and justice receiving £1.4 billion, these three departments alone account for some 80% of the funding for day-to-day spending available, providing vital funding for our health service, schools, policing and the wider justice system.' Mr O'Dowd said 'significant challenges' remain for ministers delivering public services with stretched resources. He said: 'I believe the 25/26 budget prioritises the funding we have available to make a real difference for the betterment in people's lives across society. 'This Budget provides record levels of funding for our public services and helps facilitate the delivery of our Programme for Government priorities.' He added: 'Simply put, additional funding for one area means less for another. 'Articulating problems is very, very easy. 'Working together to address them is what we are elected to do.' The SDLP published its own five-point plan to improve the Budget, with proposals including ensuring that at least 10% of departmental spending must be ring-fenced and matched to Programme for Government priorities, and securing Executive control over more tax, borrowing and spending powers. Opposition leader Matthew O'Toole claimed the Budget represented 'drift, inaction and distraction by the Executive'. He said: 'The Executive has received record levels of funding, the question today is what have they done with it? 'How clear and specific are the targets set out in this document, the second full-year document the restored Executive is laying out? 'How ambitious, realistic, those plans are? The answer, I am afraid, is not at all. 'There has been consistent drift and inaction from the minister.' Mr O'Toole added: 'I would expect to see, from a republican finance minister, a little more ambition than to simply say London isn't giving us enough money, therefore we can't take action. 'The test of people in power is not what they do to blame others for the limitations on their power. 'This document does not have the level of ambition we need for our public services, it doesn't come near to the kind of aspiration we should have for our people.' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
