Minister for Communities Deirdre Hargey answers Members questions on 8 March 2021. Read the Official Report (Hansard) – https://lk.nia.fyi/3KgB
Each of the questions answered have been chaptered in the video to help you find them more easily.
Chapters / Questions
00:00 – HMO Legislation: Update
1. Ms Bradshaw asked the Minister for Communities for an update on the implementation of current houses in multiple occupation legislation.
05:48 – Housing Executive: Landlord Component
2. Ms McLaughlin asked the Minister for Communities for an update on her plans for the reclassification of the Housing Executive landlord component.
9. Mr Catney asked the Minister for Communities for an update on the planned reforms of the Housing Executive announced on 3 November 2020.
12:19 – Housing Executive: Cavity Wall Insulation
3. Mr Allen asked the Minister for Communities how many Housing Executive properties have cavity wall insulation that is deemed to be not fit for purpose.
21:46 – Child Poverty
5. Miss Woods asked the Minister for Communities for an update on her Department’s work to address child poverty.
Topical Questions
30:07- PIP Appeals: Backlog
T1. Mr Easton asked the Minister for Communities, given that more than 6,039 people are waiting for personal independence payment (PIP) appeals, how she plans to deal with that unacceptable backlog.
32:57 – Subregional Stadia Programme for Soccer: Benefits
T2. Mr Newton asked the Minister for Communities whether she agrees that the allocation of £36·2 million for the development of the subregional stadia programme for soccer is a positive move, not just for sporting reasons but for mental and physical health.
35:00 – Welfare Reform: Independent Advice Services
T3. Miss Woods asked the Minister for Communities, given that Professor Eileen Evason envisaged that independent advice services are a vital part of mitigations to protect the most vulnerable from the harshest impacts of welfare reform, whether she can provide a further update on the discussions that she is having with the Department of Finance and the Executive to secure a £1·5 million allocation for vital independent advice services.
37:02 – Conversion Therapy: Ban
T4. Mr McGrath asked the Minister for Communities for an update on work to ban conversion therapy, given that, like all MLAs, she will have received significant correspondence encouraging such a ban.
41:20 – Social and Affordable Housing
T5. Dr Archibald asked the Minister for Communities, after congratulating her on her success in ensuring that the Housing Executive remains exempt from corporation tax, whether she can detail how much additional funding will be available for social and affordable housing as a result.