Question Time: Social Development Monday 3 February 2014
Minister for
Social Development, Nelson McCausland, faced members’ questions on Monday 3
February 2014. During regular oral
questions the Minister answered questions on choice
based lettings, the social
housing development programme, rent arrears within the Housing Executive and
the rate of housing repossessions as well as addressing the success of the boiler
replacement scheme and his assessment of the current chair of the Housing
Executive.
The Minister
defended the chair
of the Housing Executive against perceived underspending, praising his
“wealth of experience in social housing” as he “took an incredibly difficult
job” with “extremely difficult legacy problems”.
Over the 3
year duration of the Boiler Replacement Scheme, it is hoped that £18m worth of
funding will result in 24000 units replaced. The scheme has been viewed as a
great success so far and it is expected to continue to prove a popular and
fruitful scheme.
During
topical questions Mr McCausland was provided the opportunity to respond to
Dolores Kelly’s recent
comments on social housing in North Belfast and how Catholics are being
discriminated against. The Minister strenuously refuted the claims pointing to
official Housing Executive figures that show that the number of Protestants and
Catholics on the waiting list is very similar and is in proportion to the
percentage of people living in the area from each community. He said that “you
can’t get around facts” and that he wished to use them to “rectify the
falsehoods and the innuendos that some people propagate in this regard”.
Mr
McCausland also answered further topical questions on social homes built
without cavity wall insulation and double glazing contracts.
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