Northern Ireland Assembly Tuesday 9 March 2010 The Assembly met at 10.30 am (Mr Deputy Speaker [Mr Molloy] in the Chair). Members observed two minutes’ silence. Speaker’s Business Housing (Amendment) Bill: Final Stage Mr Deputy Speaker: The Speaker has asked The Minister for Social Development (Ms Ritchie): me to inform the House that he will be absent I beg to move from Parliament Buildings on official Assembly That the Housing (Amendment) Bill [NIA 7/08] do business on Monday 15 March and Tuesday 16 now pass. March. The Bill is an important step forward in dealing with homelessness, and it aims to enhance and Executive Committee Business clarify housing law in a number of ways. It is appropriate that I briefly highlight the Bill’s key elements. Debt Relief Bill: First Stage Some of the Bill’s most important provisions The Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment deal with homelessness and are commitments (Mrs Foster): I beg to introduce the Debt Relief that I made in ‘Including the Homeless’, which Bill [NIA 9/09], which is a Bill to make provision is a strategy for improving the social inclusion about the relief of debt of individuals and for of homeless people. The Bill ensures that connected purposes. tackling homelessness remains a top priority Bill passed First Stage and ordered to be printed. by placing a duty on the Housing Executive to produce a homelessness strategy and on other Mr Deputy Speaker: The Bill will be put on the government agencies to take that strategy list of future business until a date for its Second into account when delivering their functions. Stage is determined. The Bill also offers homeless applicants new rights of review and appeal and makes the Housing Executive’s procedures for dealing with homelessness more transparent and accountable. The provisions that relate to registered housing associations will ensure that my Department can regulate those associations sensibly and cost-effectively. If required, my Department will have the ability to take early and appropriate action to safeguard the interests of tenants and public funds. The Bill also improves existing law for dealing with antisocial behaviour and provides social landlords with new tools to regain possession more quickly of certain abandoned houses. The Bill’s remaining provisions improve the operation of existing housing law, strengthen the voice of local government on housing matters and improve Assembly control on certain types of statutory rules. 245 Executive Committee Business: Tuesday 9 March 2010 Housing (Amendment) Bill: Final Stage I thank the Chairperson and members of the care for existing tenants; improving information Social Development Committee for their positive sharing among social landlords; withholding contributions and support in progressing the transfers from tenants who have been sanctioned Bill. I commend the Bill to the House. for antisocial behaviour; and the provision of better guidance on the better management of The Chairperson of the Committee for Social antisocial behaviour issues for social landlords. Development (Mr Hamilton): On behalf of The Committee looks forward to the Minister’s the Committee for Social Development, I next housing Bill, which it is understood will go will make a few remarks as part of the Final some way to addressing members’ concerns in Stage of the Housing (Amendment) Bill. As the that regard. Members also await with interest Minister said, the Housing (Amendment) Bill is the planned modernisation of the common designed to enhance the legislative framework housing selection scheme. I am sure that that in respect of a wide range of housing matters, will be the subject of further discussion today. I from homelessness and houses in multiple do not look at any particular Members opposite occupation (HMOs) to housing associations and for assurance that they will raise that; indeed, I introductory tenancies. will be surprised if they do not. A key part of the Bill is the introduction of a The Committee anticipates with interest the legislative requirement for the Housing Executive Department’s review of the housing association to produce a homelessness strategy. As the guide. That guide is to be amended to require House will be aware, the Housing Executive all social landlords to publish their antisocial currently has a range of anti-homelessness behaviour policies and procedures. The policies that form its ‘Including the Homeless’ Committee hopes that that will mark a further strategy. The Bill puts the homelessness important stage in the debate on the alignment strategy on a statutory footing and makes its of Housing Executive and housing association production and regular renewal a duty that the tenures. Housing Executive must undertake. The Bill also requires key organisations and Departments to Members commented on the need to enhance take the strategy into account in the exercise of the democratic accountability of the Housing their functions. Executive. Clause 12, which increases the Northern Ireland Housing Council’s represent ation In its review of the ‘Including the Homeless’ on the Housing Executive board, goes some way strategy, the Committee indicated that it was to allay members’ concerns in that respect. pleased with the progress that had been made and with what had been achieved already. It The amended Bill ensures that two cohabiting welcomed the support that legislation will give families retain the protection afforded by HMO to the battle against homelessness. The Bill registration and the consequent need to comply also refers to the provision of homelessness with important habitation quality standards. advice. The form and type of advice was a great The Bill also includes a sensible widening of source of consternation to many witnesses who the definition of a family, which ensures that appeared before the Committee, particularly extended families living in the one house do those from the voluntary sector. Following not have to needlessly register it as an HMO. the passage of the Bill, the Committee looks The Committee felt that those amendments forward to reviewing departmental guidance on to the Bill were a useful compromise but the the form and nature of homelessness advice Department should make further efforts to to ensure the delivery of the right advice in the engage with all stakeholders on the best way to appropriate format. monitor and improve standards in all HMOs. Clause 10 of the Housing (Amendment) Bill deals The greater part of the Bill refers to social with some aspects of how the challenge of tenancies. However, the Committee, as part of antisocial behaviour can be dealt with in social its consideration of the Bill, briefly considered tenancies. Committee members were concerned issues relating to the mandatory registration of about the issues raised in that regard. Almost private landlords. Again, members look forward all members referred to concerns about antisocial to the Minister’s next housing Bill, which is behaviour in their own constituencies. Some were expected to introduce measures in that regard. keen to discuss the issues involved, including As the Chairperson of the Social Development the need for social landlords to have a duty of Committee, I thank the Minister, her Department 246 Executive Committee Business: Tuesday 9 March 2010 Housing (Amendment) Bill: Final Stage and the Committee’s members and staff nationals, and that represents a worrying trend. for their engagement and efforts during the Over Christmas, we read in the newspapers the passage of the Housing (Amendment) Bill. awful story of a foreign national who had died while sleeping rough. The Department is aware of I will make a few remarks about the Bill from the problem and needs to home in on it. I want personal and party perspectives. Like every to see the homelessness strategy deal with the Member and as I have done on behalf of wider issue of rough sleeping, no matter who is the Committee, I welcome the fact that the involved or where they come from. It does homelessness strategy will be placed on a Northern Ireland no good to read headlines such statutory footing. We know that the Department as those that appeared over Christmas. has not suddenly realised that there is a homelessness problem, because it has already Much good work goes on. Before Christmas, the been attempting to deal with it in policy, Committee visited the First Housing Aid and including the homelessness strategy. We used Support Services facility in Londonderry, and we to pride ourselves on the fact that Northern were very encouraged by the efforts made there Ireland did not have the visible manifestation to tackle homelessness not just by putting a of homelessness that existed in other major roof over people’s head or giving them shelter cities around the world. We did not have the but by trying to develop the life skills of those large number of rough sleepers that one saw who, unfortunately, find themselves homeless. I regularly on television in cities such as London. visited the Salvation Army at Centenary House, Sadly, visible homelessness has become where I discussed its report, titled ‘The Seeds more apparent on the streets of Northern of Exclusion 2009’, which was launched, with Ireland, principally in the cities of Belfast and the Minister’s assistance, in the Long Gallery at Londonderry. A representative of another city Parliament Buildings last July. It is a good report, is sitting beside me, and he is too close for which analyses the reasons why people find comfort, so I must mention that there are other themselves homeless. Two important elements cities in Northern Ireland. in trying to prevent homelessness are giving people purpose and building their relationships. The visible manifestation of rough sleeping, as The lessons learned from that report are useful in it is referred to, is more evident.