Committee for Communities

Minutes of Proceedings - 7 November 2024

Committee for Communities - Minutes of Proceedings 7 November 2024.pdf (236.91 kb)

Meeting Location: Room 29, Parliament Buildings, Belfast

Present:

Mr Colm Gildernew (Chairperson) MLA

Mr Andy Allen MBE MLA

Ms Kellie Armstrong MLA

Mr Maurice Bradley MLA

Ms Ciara Ferguson (Deputy Chairperson) MLA

Mr Maolíosa McHugh MLA

Mr Brian Kingston MLA

Ms Sian Mulholland MLA

Apologies:

Mr Daniel McCrossan MLA

In Attendance:

Ms Emer Boyle (Assembly Clerk)

Mr Sean McCann (Assistant Clerk)

Mr Chris McAfee (Clerical Supervisor)

Ms Katie Egan (Clerical Officer)

The meeting commenced in open session at 10.01a.m.

Andy Allen declared an interest as a landlord.

Colm Gildernew declared an interest as a landlord.

Maolíosa McHugh declared an interest as Chairman of pre-school Naíscoil na Deirge.

1. Apologies

There were no apologies.

2. Chairperson’s Business

The Chairperson informed Members that there would be a closed session briefing from RaISe at the end of the meeting in relation to options for the Committee’s proposed event to engage with the Arts sector in January and encourage Members to stay for this session if possible, so that Members could agree a preferred approach and model for the engagement, to enable the team to proceed with planning.

Kellie Armstrong joined the meeting at 10.03a.m.

The Chairperson informed Members that the Minister had asked him and the Deputy Chair to meet, informally, on Tuesday 5 November to discuss improved ways of working between the Committee and the Department.

In order to improve information flow and communication going forward, there was a discussion on the possibility of sharing the themes or issues which the Committee has agreed as its priorities and seeking updates in relation to these in a planned or scheduled way on a 3-monthly basis.

Agreed: That Members are content that the Committee team works ahead with the Department to schedule these updates into the forward work plan.

The Chairperson asked Members to identify to the Committee team any particular topic or issue which they might wish to have a specific information session with officials on – one offer made by the Minister was for a session specifically on Universal Credit. 

Agreed: That a briefing session is arranged for a future meeting.

The Chairperson commended the event held by Equity on the Arts sector held during the week in the Long Gallery.

The Chairperson also commended the recent Youth Participation All Party Group event.

3. Draft Minutes

The Chairperson informed Members that they had been provided with a copy of the draft minutes from the meeting on 24 October 2024.

Agreed: The Committee agreed the minutes as drafted.

4. Matters Arising

Members noted a reply from DoJ in response to the Committee’s request for information on any Departmental work ongoing in relation disability rights and representation.

The Chairperson informed Members that they had been provided with a reply from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Agreed:That a letter is sent to the Department to highlight theCommittee’s concerns around legal implications of funding ending at the of the year and the legal requirement to provide a 3-month period for notice of redundancies. The Committee would like to know if the Department can ensure continuity of funds and request that communication with organisations affected will happen in good time. Members would also like to know where the funds have been allocated to date and on what basis any cuts will be made and which projects might experience funding cuts.

Members noted a reply from the Department for Infrastructure in relation to Committee’s request for information in relation to ongoing work in relation to disability rights and representation.

The Chairperson informed Members that they had been provided with a Departmental reply to queries in relation to the geographic spread of projects delivered through the Access and Inclusion Programme.

Agreed: That a letter is sent to the Department to ask how much has been spent to date on this programme and for a breakdown on what the funding has been spent on. The Committee also requested confirmation on the budget plan for this programme for the year ahead.

The Chairperson informed Members that they had been provided with a Departmental reply to Committee queries on whether official error will be considered as grounds for the new Welfare Supplementary Payment waiver.

Agreed:That a letter is sent to the Department to ask the following:

• To request that a copy of the guidance, in relation to the criteria for waivers, is provided to any decision-makers who will determine whether or not the waiver should be applied.
• Details of how the Department communicates with recipients of WSP and those who are overpaid through circumstances beyond their control.
• What action the Department is taking to ensure overpayments are not being applied incorrectly.

The Chairperson informed Members that they had been provided with a reply from the Housing Executive to Committee queries on:

• Supporting People
• Decarbonisation
• Disabled Facilities Grants
  • The Action for Children Report – A Place to Call Home

Agreed:That a letter is sent to the Housing Executive to ask that a copy of the guidance on the Disabled Facilities Grant is distributed to all MLAs.

The Chairperson informed Members that they had been provided with a reply from the Housing Executive to queries on the Right to Buy Scheme capital receipts.

Agreed:That a letter is sent to the Department to ask whether the Right to Buy capital receipts will be returned to the Housing Executive for the 24/25 period.

Agreed: That a letter is sent to the Housing Executive to ask for the costs of adaptation programme and to ask, in the event that capital receipts are not returned by the Department, what alternative plans it has to meet these costs.

The Chairperson informed Members that they had been provided with a reply from DfI on planning applications currently on hold.

Agreed: That a letter is sent to NI Water to request a briefing on water infrastructure and housing as the Committee is looking for a collective picture – social and new builds, where the pressures are and what is being done to address the pressures in the current financial context.

Agreed:That a letter is sent to the Department to ask the following:

• Confirmation on how the Department is proceeding with plans for housing given the pressures associated with waste water
• If the Department holds data on where the pressures are
• How the Department is dealing with the pressures; and
• How the Department is working with NI Water and if they are working together

Agreed:That a letter is sent to all local councils to ask for a breakdown of the number planning applications declined or on hold due to waste water issues.

The Chairperson informed Members that they had been provided with a Ministerial reply to the Committee’s request for a briefing on the status of the draft Anti-Poverty Strategy.

Agreed: That a copy of the Public Accounts Committee report on child poverty is provided for Members at a future meeting.

The Chairperson informed Members that they had been provided with a Departmental reply to queries on:

• Welfare reform mitigations
• Irish and Ulster Scots
• The NI Football Fund
• Social Inclusion Strategies
• Regional Stadia Programme
• Urban Regeneration Schemes
• Cost of Living Payments; and
• Fuel Poverty Strategy

Maurice Bradley joined the meeting at 10.37a.m.

Agreed: That the Committee Clerk drafts a Committee motion on welfare reform mitigations for discussion at the meeting on 14 November.

Agreed:That a letter is sent to the Department to ask for the membership of the cross departmental working group on language strategies.

Agreed: That a letter is sent to the Department to request an update on the budget situation for the Affordable Warmth Scheme, to ask how many eligible applicants are awaiting award and to ask what the current level of delay is.

Agreed: That a letter is sent to the Department to ask if the school's Participatory Budgeting pilot with five post primary Ballymena schools, could be rolled out on a wider basis.

Agreed: That a letter is sent to the Housing Executive to ask if it has made any bids to the Department to encourage people to move away from home heating oil.

The Chairperson informed Members that they had been provided with a Departmental reply to queries on housing tenancy fraud provisions within the Financial Provisions Bill.

Agreed:That a letter is sent to the Department to ask for clarity on the checking and monitoring of the information disclosed during this process to avoid any risk of misuse in the context of domestic abuse situations.

The Chairperson informed Members that they had been provided with a Departmental reply to queries on the Disability Strategy.

Agreed:That a letter is sent to the Department to ask, given the delay in the strategy, is there any way the Department can ensure that the interim or draft recommendations can be considered in ongoing budget conversations.

The Chairperson informed Members that they had been provided with a Departmental reply to queries on the transfer of the Landlord Registration Scheme to councils.

Agreed: That a letter is sent to the Department to ask if there has been any work to compare housing benefit addresses against the landlord registration list.

The Chairperson informed Members that they had been provided with a Departmental reply to queries on Carer’s Allowance overpayments.

Agreed: That a letter is sent to the Department to ask that, when briefing the Committee at the meeting on 21 November on this issue, Officials provide a full explanation of what “non-official error” involves.

Members noted a Departmental reply to queries on gambling reform.

The Chairperson informed Members that they had been provided with a Departmental reply to a Committee request for a briefing on youth homelessness.

Agreed:That Housing Executive officials are also invited to brief along with Departmental officials at a future meeting.

5. Correspondence

The Committee noted the following items of correspondence:

6. Consideration of Draft Committee Report on the Pensions (Extension of Automatic Enrolment) Bill

The Chairperson informed Members that the amendment the Committee had agreed for the Bill had a minor technical defect in it and, as a result, the Committee now needed to consider a newly drafted version.

The Chairperson welcomed Stephen Orme, Assembly Bill Office, to the meeting and invited him to brief on the redrafted amendment.

The Chairperson thanked Stephen Orme for briefing the Committee and asked Members if they agreed to the redrafted amendment.

Agreed: That the Committee is content with the redrafted amendment as follows:

After clause 1, insert –

‘Report on the operation of powers affecting age and qualifying earnings

2.–(1) The Department for Communities must lay before the Assembly a report setting out its assessment of the effects of any changes made by regulations under section 3(1A), 5(1C) or 13A of the Pensions (No. 2) Act (Northern Ireland) 2008.

(2) The report must be laid at least 36 months, and no more than 42 months, after the coming into operation of the first regulations made under any of section 3(1A), 5(1C) or 13A of that Act.’

The Chairperson informed Members that they had been provided with a Departmental reply to Committee queries on monitoring data on opting out following implementation of measures in the Bill.       

Agreed: That a copy of the letter is included in the final report.

The Chairperson informed Members that they had been provided with a Ministerial reply to Committee queries on the self-employed and pensions.

Agreed: That a copy of the letter is included in the final report.

The Chairperson informed Members that they now needed to consider the draft report on the Pensions (Extension of Automatic Enrolment) Bill.

The Chairperson further informed Members that they would agree the report on a section by section basis.

Powers and Membership

Agreed:That the Committee is content with the Powers and Membership section as drafted.

Executive Summary

Agreed:That the Committee is content with the Executive Summary section as drafted.

Introduction

Agreed:That the Committee is content with the Introduction section as drafted.

Context and Overview of the Bill

Agreed: That the Committee is content with the Context and Overview of the Bill section as drafted.

Committee Consideration of the Bill

Agreed:That the Committee is content with the Committee Consideration of the Bill section as drafted.

Committee Deliberations on the Bill 

Agreed: That the Committee is content with the Committee Deliberations on the Bill section as drafted.

Clause by Clause Consideration of the Bill

Agreed:That the Committee is content with the Clause by Clause Consideration of the Bill section as drafted.                                                                                                     

Appendices

Agreed:That the Committee is content with the Appendices section as drafted.                                              

Agreed: That the minutes from today’s meeting are included in the report.

Agreed: That the report is printed.

The Chairperson thanked the Committee Members, Departmental Officials and Assembly staff for their assistance during the Committee Stage of the Bill.

7. Briefing by RaISe on the Child Support Enforcement Bill

The Chairperson welcomed Eleanor Murphy from RaISe and invited her to brief the Committee.

A question and answer session followed and the main areas of discussion were liability orders, appeals process, financial impacts of new arrangements, human rights compliance checks, cross-border impacts and fees.

8. Briefing by RaISe on the Right to Buy Scheme in other jurisdictions

The Chairperson advised Members that Eleanor Murphy from RaISe would also brief on this agenda item.

The Chairperson thanked Eleanor for her briefings.

Agreed: That a letter is sent to the Housing Executive to ask how many times in the 10-year window it has had the possibility to exercise its ability to buy back social houses and how many social houses it has actually bought back.

The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 11.26a.m.

The meeting resumed at 11.33a.m.

9. Departmental briefing on the Child Support Enforcement Bill

The Chairperson welcomed the following Departmental officials to the meeting:

John Noble

Sinead Wylie

The officials briefed the Committee. A question and answer session followed and the main areas of discussion were:

• administrative liability orders
• the courts process
• the appeals process
• human rights compliance analysis of the consultation responses
• the readiness of the courts service
• enforcement on a cross border basis
• the impact on victims of domestic abuse
• the possibility of further technical amendments to the Bill
• online engagement; and
• the need for a communication strategy.

The Chairperson thanked the officials for briefing the Committee.

Agreed: That a letter is sent to the Department to ask for further information onfee structure and regularity of review of the legislation.

Sian Mulholland left the meeting at 11.47a.m.

10. The Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment (Amendment) Regulations (NI) 2024

The Chairperson informed Members that the Department has advised that a recent review of the regulations has identified some minor drafting errors, which need to be corrected. The communication states that the corrections can only be made by way of an amending instrument, namely the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment (Amendment) Regulations (NI) 2024.

The Department has outlined that the amendments are technical in nature, and they will not affect entitlement to, or payment of, a Winter Fuel Payment under the revised policy this winter.

The current planning assumption is that the Regulations will come into operation by November 2024, subject to the 21-day rule under the Negative Resolution procedure.

Agreed:That the Committee is content for the Department to proceed to make the Rule.

Brian Kingston left the meeting at 12.00p.m.

11. SL1 - The Occupational Pensions (Revaluation) Order (NI) 2024

The Chairperson informed Members that this proposed Rule specifies the percentage by which preserved pension rights are revalued for members of salary related occupational pension schemes who leave their scheme before pension age (“early leavers”).

A Rule has to be made each year to apply to those who attain their scheme’s normal pension age in the following calendar year. This year’s Rule will affect people who reach the scheme’s normal pension age in 2024.

Agreed:That the Committee is content for the Department to proceed to make the Rule.

12. SL1 - The State Pension Debits and Credits (Revaluation) Order (NI) 2024

The Chairperson informed Members that this proposed Rule re-values new State scheme pension debits and credits to reflect price increases since the debit or credit was created.

Agreed:That the Committee is content for the Department to proceed to make the Rule.

13. The State Pension Revaluation for Transitional Pensions Order (NI) 2024

The Chairperson informed Members that this proposed Rule re-values protected payments to reflect increases in the general level of prices since 6 April 2016.

Agreed:That the Committee is content for the Department to proceed to make the Rule.

14.  Forward Work Programme

Members noted a copy of the forward work programme.

15. Any other business

Kellie Armstrong raised an event being held by the Civic Initiative on 23 November on housing.

Agreed:That representatives from the Civic Initiative are invited to brief the Committee at a future meeting on the outcome of this event.

16. Date, time and location of the next meeting

The next meeting is at 10am on Thursday 14 November 2024, in Room 29, Parliament Buildings.

The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 12.04.p.m.

The meeting went into closed session at 12.04p.m. for the Committee to receive a briefing from Raise on the proposed Committee Arts stakeholder event.

17. RaISe briefing on Arts stakeholder event

Brian Kingston re-joined the meeting at 12.04p.m.

The Chairperson welcomed Karen McCallion from RaISe to the meeting and invited her to brief on the Committee’s proposed Arts stakeholder event.

The Chairperson thanked Karen for her briefing session.

Colm Gildernew MLA

Chairperson, Committee for Communities