In conjunction with the Business Committee, the Speaker has given leave to Cara Hunter to raise the matter of the housing crisis on the north coast. I call Cara Hunter, who has up to 15 minutes in which to speak.

I thank all my Constituency colleagues and the Minister, of course, for being here today. I submitted the topic for the Adjournment Debate in good faith, Minister, to work with you and your Department, as well as alongside constituency and other party political representatives. Today, we have the chance to highlight the undeniable and unbelievable need for housing in the constituency of East Derry or East Londonderry — whatever you want to call it. Minister, in my past few years as an elected rep — it is coming up to five years now — housing has continued to be the number-one issue that I see. Whether it is young, vulnerable single men, looked-after children leaving care and looking for housing for the first time, people who live life with a physical or learning disability or mothers and fathers who have been left homeless with nowhere to go, it is creating significant pressure. I really welcome the chance to debate and talk about it further today.

I will touch on the lived experience of one of my constituents. Years ago, I met a lovely lady in my constituency who uses a wheelchair due to a medical diagnosis. She could not gain access to a house that was fit for purpose, and it was taking years to get a suitable home for her. As a direct result, she has been living in a caravan in the East Derry constituency. That shows the level of pressure that exists and the solutions that people have been forced into in order to get a fit-for-purpose, disability access-approved home.

That is just one of many stories. All of us across the House have heard over the past number of years about the pressures on our housing system. Over 46,000 people in the North are awaiting a home. I am genuinely worried for the health and well-being of my constituents who are experiencing the pressures that housing stress can bring.

Having this conversation today is an opportunity to hear directly from you and your Department, Minister, and to talk a little bit more about strategies for housing and the solutions that are being proposed in order to adequately solve the ongoing housing crisis. Minister, I am aware that you have been in position for only a couple of months, but housing here is a historical problem. It has been underfunded for generations, arguably. I really welcome the fact that we are here today to talk about it further.

We must immediately build and expand social housing in our communities and throughout East Derry. We have seen each and every day the unbelievable challenges of people being made homeless, with mere weeks to find a home, but they rarely do. That forces families to move into overcrowded houses, and they suffer immensely. Their mental health suffers as well due to housing pressures. Housing stress really does ruin lives. I spoke recently with children who are experiencing housing stress. They touched on the fact that they cannot bring friends over because they live in a family member's living room, as opposed to having their own bedroom and their own home. Those are just some of the lived experiences that I wanted to share today.

The debate covers the constituency, including the north coast area, so we are talking about places like Portrush, Portstewart and the wider Coleraine area. We are continuing to see the loss of private rentals for families who desperately need them, and there really are no homes available. That has contributed, essentially, to a situation in which we have fewer houses available, the market is more competitive, the rent prices are going up and when houses are for sale, people cannot afford them. Young professionals, young families and people who have just got married or want to start a family are really struggling. Ultimately, I believe that the lack of available housing is eliminating a sense of community in those areas, but I will come to that further down the line.

As I mentioned in previous speeches in the House, I have met estate agents over the past few months who said that they have never seen the situation as bad or as stark as it is now, with so few houses available in the north coast area. That is a really interesting point to raise today. When talking about housing and housing stress in East Derry and the wider north coast area, we need to address our unique position of struggling with housing and second-home ownership. Portrush is a very attractive place. I live there, I love it there and I grew up there, and I can see why people want to live there. When we talk about second-home ownership and, of course, the lucrative short-term lets, for example, Airbnbs, we see that they are really impacting on young families' ability to access a house there for the children to grow up in. It is important to raise that today. Whilst I in no way seek to demonise second-home ownership, I want to place it on your radar, Minister. There is a conversation to be had about perhaps moderating the number of houses that are being bought to be second homes. I will give an example. In the last Assembly election, I canvassed a street that I grew up in — it is a street of about 10 or 12 houses — and I thought, "This is great, I will knock on the door of the house that I grew up in." However, nobody lived there, because it was a second home. Eventually, I knocked on a door and a lady answered. I asked, "Is there a football match today? What is going on? Why is it so empty?". She said, "There are three families in the street, and the rest of the houses are second homes". I said, "This is such a transformation from when I was a child, about 20 years ago". The cultural and community changes in Portrush are interesting points to talk about. Other Members will have canvassed other areas, such as Portballintrae, where up to half of the properties are second homes.

I welcome the fact that Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council has researched this issue as part of local area planning, and I previously touched on the statistics for Portrush. Its figure for second homes is estimated at between 16% and 24%. The figure for Portstewart is between 15% and 23%. Minister, that is why I put this on your radar today. It is about the lack of sustainability of housing in the area. People feel hopeless. I have spoken with mothers and fathers who said, "I know that this will not go the way that I want. I will be waiting for up to five or 10 years". We talk a lot in the House about mental health, supporting families and early years. If we want to support families and, ultimately, give children the best go at life by supporting them in their early years, the best way for them to have a happy life is to have a happy and stable home.

I welcome the opportunity to bring this matter to the House today. I know — I say this sincerely — that Members across the House genuinely care about the issue and work hard within their parties and with councillors and other reps to house constituents. For me, it is not a party political issue but about ensuring that we can provide the best standard of life, opportunity and success for our constituents to live life and have a happy, stable home. Minister, in your response, I would welcome your touching on the strategies, targets and conversations that you are exploring, particularly on second-home ownership and Airbnbs. It is such a lucrative sector, but it is undoubtedly negatively impacting on my constituents. I have seen a trend of Housing Executive houses being bought and, a year or two down the line, turned into Airbnbs. Local families then knock on my office door and ask, "What do we do? I have no access to a house". That is why I am here today to raise this with you, Minister. I thank all who are in the House for being here.

All other Members will have approximately seven minutes in which to speak.

I will begin my contribution in a positive way by highlighting the picturesque retreats that dot our north coast. There is no doubt that the coastline and the towns and villages that we represent in East Londonderry are truly stunning, world-class and highly sought-after places for visiting and living in. All of us in the Chamber who represent East Londonderry should feel proud and lucky to live in and represent that part of Northern Ireland.

The north coast certainly has its seasonal patterns. It is safe to say that some businesses have had their economic struggles because their times of thriving on seasonal trade are interspersed with large parts of the year when accommodation is semi-redundant because owners are absent, therefore contributing only sporadically to the local economy. However, the many wealthy second-home owners contribute handsomely to the area. I know that some are entrepreneurs who have created multimillion-pound businesses and generated wealth in Northern Ireland. When they visit our region, they shop and dine. The maintenance industry, indeed, relies on second-home owners, with builders, carpenters, plumbers and electricians finding steady work in maintaining their properties.

With the abundance of second homes, however, come many challenges. It is safe to say that homes being empty outside peak season leaves some of our towns and villages feeling empty. There is also the affordability crisis: the influx of second homes can inflate property prices, pushing locals out of the housing market. We must always remember that a community thrives on its people. When second-home owners outnumber permanent residents, the social bonds weaken. That is prevalent in areas such as Portballintrae, where the council suggests that 45% to 51% of the housing stock is now second homes.

Councillors in that area have told me that there are localities where a single light shines from the one permanent home and where residents talk about a lonely existence. Maybe there is the possibility of local groups, the council and others engaging with second-home owners to foster a sense of shared responsibility for towns and to provide a future where second homes coexist with the heartbeat of the local area. The path forward with regard to second homes is about striking a balance. If regulation is the way forward, it must be done with sensitivity. Welcoming second-home owners while preserving our community spirit is paramount.

If councils are minded to wield power by way of changing planning law to regulate second homes and holiday lets, it must be done with common sense. I am aware that Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council had called for DFI to consider changing planning Laws in a bid to control the number of holiday homes on the north coast, only for DFI to respond by saying that it had no plans to amend existing planning legislation as not all council areas are affected by second homes and holiday lets. DFI suggested that it was for councils to prepare bespoke local policies to address the issues. However, a council report dated 26 October 2022 indicated that research had not established evidence to demonstrate that the presence of second homes and holiday lets was the sole reason for high property prices, and that leads me on to the need for more investment in affordable housing for our local residents.

The council paper that I referred to states:

"Where it has been demonstrated that the presence of second homes raises a local issue in particular settlements, for example a significant level of affordable housing need as identified through the Housing Needs Assessment, experience has been that the most effective way to assist in redressing the imbalance has been to provide a substantial number of new affordable housing units in that settlement through the planning system by zoning of land specifically for affordable housing purposes."

I will not speak on any specifics of the housing need on the north coast. I know that that may seem a little strange, given that I represent the area, but my party colleague Maurice Bradley and I have what you may call a "gentleman's agreement" whereby I look after the west of the Constituency and Mr Bradley looks after the east of the constituency. Therefore, Maurice, who unfortunately remains off while he recovers from a period of ill health, would have been a capable individual in a good position to give many practical examples of the housing needs on the north coast. I will be limited to comments around the social housing new-build programme.

In Causeway Coast and Glens, in the previous financial year, there were 79 new social houses started, with a proposed 576 new builds being planned for the period from 2023 to 2026. However, with 3,604 people on the waiting list as of March 2023 and 2,069 of those in housing stress, it does not take a mathematician to see that there will be disappointment for those on the list, who may have to wait longer than they had hoped. That applies across Northern Ireland and obviously is not unique to Causeway Coast and Glens.

The most recent Housing Executive housing investment plan indicated a need for small family accommodation, but, given that the 65-plus age group increased by 26% over the period from 2011 to 2021, there will be a need for the design and construction of greater amounts of accommodation for older people. I welcome the fact that, in that report, in Causeway district electoral area (DEA), Portrush and Portstewart are highlighted as areas of high need and therefore considered to be two key areas of priority. Coleraine and Limavady were highlighted, with a social housing need of 420 and 213 respectively.

Minister, I look forward to hearing from you today. You are from the area, and I know that you have spoken passionately for the Province and, specifically, for the north coast, where you still have your roots. I welcome your contribution today, Minister.

I am obviously here as an MLA for North Antrim, but we share a council area and the pressure for housing on the north coast does not end at the boundary into Portballintrae. Something similar is happening in Bushmills, Ballintoy, Ballycastle and even on round into your Constituency, Minister, in Cushendall, although I am taking back Cushendun in the next boundary changes. It is a common issue across the north coast, and there is an urgency about the debate. I hear about this so often in my constituency surgeries outside of the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council bit of the constituency, when we go into the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council area. What was a crisis of housing is now a real threat to the sustenance of the communities right along the coast.

We urge that action be taken to address the multifaceted nature of the crisis, particularly the unchecked growth of second homes, the detrimental impact of short-term rentals that appear on platforms such as Airbnb and the lack of affordable and social housing in the area. I will not go over the statistics that the Members who spoke before me, both of whom represent East Derry/Londonderry, outlined. The proliferation of second homes is not just a statistic but a force that is driving those astronomical levels, and it renders the dream of local residents to buy their own home completely inaccessible. I have spoken to constituents in my area who have had to move to Ballymena, Ballymoney or Coleraine just to get somewhere affordable to live. The knock-on effect of that is that there are more challenges to growing a family, between childcare issues and being able to raise a family without a close network nearby. As they say, it takes a village to raise a child, but we are losing that sense of community.

On top of all those issues, the average wage in the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council area is depressingly low when compared with the soaring property prices. The disparity is stark. The lowest average wage in Northern Ireland is found in Causeway Coast and Glens, while the highest average house price is also found in Causeway Coast and Glens. Our communities face a crisis that is perpetuating the cycle of outward migration to areas such as Ballymoney, Ballymena and even Belfast, although why would people choose to live in Belfast when they could live on the north coast? I think that that is the issue.

It does not get any easier for those who are unable to buy their own home. The rents that are charged to long-term tenants in the area are rising faster there than in any other region. The rise of Airbnb has exacerbated the situation, as we have said. If property owners can get up to eight times more for a short-term let than they can for a long-term rental, more and more of them will choose that, which underscores the urgency of the situation. According to the figures, 3,000 new self-catering units have been registered since 2019. That is a staggering 163% increase in self-catering accommodation, and nearly 40% of it is in the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council area. Of course, that is just the ones that are properly registered, because, as we know, there is a proliferation of such accommodation that is not registered. That is something that we hear anecdotally in the office about places in Ballintoy, Ballycastle and across the north coast.

The Department for the Economy's recent report recommends trying to regulate those short-term rentals and the online booking platforms in order to restore balance. We would welcome that. There has to be some kind of oversight of the percentage of homes that are either second homes or short-term rentals. The consequences of the crisis extend far beyond economics. Our communities are suffering, as I have said. Local businesses falter during the off-peak season. Populations dwindle owing to the lack of affordable housing, so schools close, services vanish and the fabric of those communities frays.

The issues with social housing are not unique to our region, with Northern Ireland as a whole grappling with the same challenges, especially in the absence of a housing supply strategy. We would love to see one urgently. As we map the market and the need and analyse the numbers, it becomes clear that it is something on which we need to take action as quickly as we can. We cannot allow those communities to wither away. If young people are not able to grow up in their community and we continue to have more and more transient populations, there is nowhere left for people from those communities to go. We want a future in which housing is a right, not a privilege that is dictated by economic disparity.

I offer my best wishes to Mr Bradley. I was not aware that he was unwell. I appreciate that he takes care of the east of the Constituency and that you, Mr Robinson, take care of the west. As ladies, we take care of all of it. Hopefully, I will commit to that through my contribution. I also thank Ms Hunter for securing the debate. Her contribution was fantastic. She articulated the issues so diligently and got to the crux of the matter.

I have been highlighting the problem for several years, so I appreciate the attention that it is now being given in the Assembly. I also appreciate the fact that the Minister is here. He is a north coast boy, so I am sure that he has an interest, but the issue is not limited to the north coast. I am sure that there are other areas of Northern Ireland and, indeed, outside Northern Ireland that are affected, and we can talk about that later.

It is an important issue, and it has a severe impact on those affected. We have heard from other Members how many that is. Having a home is a fundamental part of our lives: it creates stability, enables community and is connected to our children's education, our health, our ability to work and earn a living and our emotional well-being. I appreciate that there are many areas across the region that have housing challenges, and I expect every MLA to say, as Ms Hunter did, that it is the most common issue that is presented in our constituency offices.

Undoubtedly, Northern Ireland is experiencing a housing crisis generally. We see that acutely on the north coast for the same reasons as other areas, but it is compounded by issues related to second-home ownership. I take Mr Robinson's point that this is not about demonising second-home owners but about trying to find balance, so that we can benefit from the economy that is stimulated by second-home owners and other people who come to the north coast but, equally, so that we can provide enough homes for people who want to live and work there. They may have grown up in the area, and it is what they want for their families and their children as well.

The impact of the housing crisis is wide-ranging, and it has a profound effect on individuals, communities, local services and the economy. An immediate consequence is an increase in homelessness, and people are being forced to live in shelters and overcrowded accommodation. They are sofa-surfing, or they are placed in temporary accommodation that is hours away from their community, their child's school or their job. Imagine having additional challenges, such as fleeing a domestic abuse situation, having a child with special educational needs or being an older person who already feels isolated, and to then be offered temporary accommodation that is miles away from the area that you call home. That is shameful, and it feels as though it is not a priority for our Government. I look forward to hearing what the Minister has to say on that, because, if it is the number-one issue in every constituency office across Northern Ireland, that tells me that it is an action that needs to be prioritised, and I would expect to see it in our next Programme for Government.

Housing affordability is also becoming a significant challenge in the midst of a housing crisis and a cost-of-living crisis. As demand outstrips supply, housing prices and rents increase to unaffordable levels. Many now find themselves in financial hardship simply to keep a roof over their head. Those who cannot afford the rising costs will move on, and those who can afford it will move in for the weekend. Long-term residents and families are being displaced. Young families who wish to raise their children in the area where they grew up are being priced away. Older people, who expected to live out their final years, are being evicted. I have many examples of that having happened.

I want to talk about second-home ownership, because there is increased interest in it and it is something that I have spoken about over the last number of years. It has an impact: it can drive up property prices in areas with limited housing supply, which makes it difficult for local residents, particularly those on lower incomes, to afford housing. That phenomenon, as many of you will know, is known as "gentrification", and it can lead to the displacement of long-term residents and change the character of communities.

Many homes are primarily used as holiday homes, leading to seasonal fluctuations in population. We have heard that, in the winter months, there is, perhaps, only one family living in a street. You do not have to knock the doors: if you look at the electoral register, you will see that, in a street of 10 houses, there is only one family registered there. That is definite data that suggests that we are experiencing a problem on the north coast, and maybe it is something that the Minister can look at to see how prevalent it is.

Local infrastructure can also be strained, leading to issues with waste and water management. That comes back to the issue of building more homes, and the Minister will be familiar with that. We can build as many homes as we like, but the first hurdle is getting planning permission, and our infrastructure is not able to cope. This is such a cross-cutting issue, as, it seems, everything is, and it is something that we really need to properly focus on.

Members have talked about other impacts, but it is important that we look towards solutions. It is a really difficult issue. We need only to look at other parts of the UK — for example, Cornwall and, I think, Pembrokeshire in Wales — to see what solutions have been taken there. They have not always been successful. They include council tax premiums, or whatever the equivalent might be here, but some people would argue that if you can afford a second home, you could probably afford that particular increase. How much impact would it really have? There is a lot more to be done to empower the local authorities, the councils, to look at their planning policies to see how we give status, I suppose, to second homes and whether enforcement is actually happening, because, sometimes, a measure is already in place, but the council is not enforcing it.

Other opportunities are affordable housing requirements and change of use restrictions. There are community land trusts. I do not know whether there is a direct translation to Northern Ireland. I am sure that the Minister could look into that. There are tourist taxes. We see those in other parts of the world. That might be something that we want to do, and the money could go back into those local communities to, perhaps, mitigate some of the challenges that we have with second homes. There could be empty homes initiatives. Second-home owners might find themselves in the difficult situation where their home, which is costing them money to keep, heat and light, is not working for them, maybe because people do not want to come to the area. We need to do a number of different things and be creative.

I am really pleased that the Minister is in the Chamber, because it has felt as though we have been talking about the issue for such a long time but not really doing anything about it. I look forward to hearing the Minister's solutions.

I thank the Member who secured the Adjournment Debate on housing need. Although the debate is specific to the north coast, including parts of the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council area, it is important to reiterate that we recognise the growing need that exists across all our constituencies. When we consider the data, broken down by council area, it is clear that there is significant need in all our constituencies, particularly in Belfast and Derry. However, coastal areas, such as Causeway Coast and Glens and Newry, Mourne and Down, for example, face unique challenges, including those that relate to the proliferation of short-term lets and second homes. As we are well aware, as of September 2023, 45,615 households were on the social housing waiting list . The crux of our challenge remains both the availability and affordability of housing, alongside adequate support to tackle poverty and support for low-income households.

Housing is a human right, as defined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and recognised in international human rights law. However, much more work is needed for that to be realised, including government policy, which can help to guide housing provision. We all have a duty to ensure that every person has access to a safe, secure and affordable place to call home. We must use our collective knowledge about the key issues in respect of housing need, which is further examined by the Department, to ensure that we can prevent any imbalance in housing diversity, affordability and availability across our different communities. Young people deserve to have suitable housing available in their area of choice, including the communities in which they grew up or where they find work, whether that is urban, rural or coastal. We must ensure that design standards are improved to meet a diversity of needs, including for people with physical disabilities and larger families who are currently living in unsuitable homes without the facilities, space or independence that they need. Every home that is built that is not accessible or adaptable to a diversity of needs is a wasted opportunity and a future problem.

It is also important that we can and must deliver a more regionally balanced economy, unlock the full potential of our tourism sector and, coinciding with that, resource a long-term plan for building homes both for social rent and to be made available for homeowners. We must see urgent developments on the Housing Executive reform project alongside improved housing standards and energy efficiency. Additionally, we need to see enhanced regulation of those who are involved in house letting.

In order to provide a long-term framework to work to across the four-party Executive and the Opposition, I ask the Minister for Communities to publish the housing supply strategy with a sensible timeline for delivery and also to ensure that housing is and will remain a priority in the forthcoming Programme for Government. Achieving housing for all will have positive implications for the health and well-being of every generation, and our communities and families cannot wait.

I call the Minister for Communities to respond. The Minister will have up to 10 minutes.

I thank Ms Hunter for bringing the Adjournment Debate to the House, and I welcome the opportunity to respond to it. I recognise many of the issues and concerns that the Member and others raised in the debate about housing on the north coast. I also understand that there are some housing matters, including second homes and holiday homes, that are perhaps more commonly raised when we talk about places such as the north coast. However, many of the issues that are experienced are replicated throughout the country, and Ms Ferguson reminded us that the problem is not limited to any one area and that the solutions that are required to address them are the same. As Minister for housing, I spoke recently in the Assembly about the need to accept that those issues and concerns are faced not just in one Constituency or one area. In our cities and our towns, urban and rural, the demand for good-quality, affordable and sustainable homes continues to grow. I reiterate that housing in all places is a priority for me and needs to be a priority across the Executive.

Housing must be considered as a whole system, and there must be collective commitment and action across government alongside private, voluntary and community sector partners. I state again that the barriers to delivery that we face, such as water infrastructure capacity constraints, land availability and the planning process, will require coordinated action and investment from across the Executive, otherwise housing supply will continue to decline. We must acknowledge the very challenging Budget situation and the recognition that, with increased demand on services and rising costs, there is not sufficient funding to do everything that we want. However, we need and want to be an Executive that deliver. That means focusing on what is important, and I believe that one of those things is providing homes for our people. We must deliver if we want to avoid sliding into a housing crisis like those elsewhere in the UK and in Ireland, but we have to acknowledge that the financial situation is more challenging than it has ever been.

The whole-system approach that I talk about is fundamental to the draft housing supply strategy that I am working to finalise. As I mentioned before, that strategy will aim to provide the framework for the system changes that we need, but it will deliver only if other Departments prioritise the changes in budgetary allocations that they have to make so that the whole system can deliver the homes that we need. I have been clear about the need to build more social homes. I announced to the Assembly on 9 April that, in the last financial year, across Northern Ireland, we met our target of having over 1,500 social homes started in partnership with the Housing Executive and housing associations. I am pleased that that target was met in the face of an extremely constrained budgetary environment, but I also acknowledge that 1,500 homes are not enough. We know what the evidence is telling us. We need to protect the social homes that we have and start about 2,500 houses a year, but that is not the environment that we are operating in.

Members will be aware of the 2024-25 Budget and the Finance Minister's remarks about the demands on our finances outstripping many times over the funding that is available. However, I assure Members today that I will continue to spend most of my capital budget on the provision of social homes. As much as I want to build 35,000 more social homes over the next 15 years, I must remind Members that that will be possible only if budget is available year-on-year. I want to put that ambitious programme into place, but it is dependent on housing being prioritised in Budget allocations.

The commitment to social home delivery can be seen across the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council area. Between the financial years 2019 and 2024, 505 social homes were started and 361 were completed in the council area. Over the next three years and subject to budget, 463 social homes are programmed to start in the constituency as part of the social housing development programme. I also intend to take action to protect our Housing Executive so that it can continue to provide decent homes for our households and families. I recently highlighted the very real warning from the Housing Executive that, due to the current state of its houses and rental income, some of its houses might become unfit to live in. We simply cannot allow that to happen. That would have a catastrophic impact on communities and the tens of thousands of people who would never get a social home. The Housing Executive is a significant landlord in the scale and provision of services to its tenants. I want to make sure that it remains so for generations to come. Finding a solution that will place the Housing Executive on a sustainable financial footing is a top priority for me.

As I mentioned, the potential impact of holiday lets and second homes on local housing markets and communities is of particular interest on the north coast. People who are looking for a home are not able to find one, so it is hard for them to see houses in their communities sitting empty for most of the year. Houses once rented to tenants are now Airbnbs, so people see houses that they could live in being used only in the summer or for a few weekends. There are housing developments where local working families feel priced out because people from outside are buying houses as holiday homes.

That is a challenging issue. There is limited data on second homes, and sometimes it is conflicting. It can, because of that, be difficult to establish the extent of second homes, their location and the impact that they may be having on local housing markets. The latest census for Northern Ireland showed that 6% of all houses had no usual residents. There is a range of possibilities for that, including that they are truly vacant; they are being renovated; they are self-catering, short-term lets; or they are second homes. It is notable, however, that, in the Causeway Coast and Glens area, the proportion of homes with no usual residents is, at 13%, more than double the overall figure for Northern Ireland.

Some of that is unavoidable. However, more holiday homes or holiday lets could distort a housing market, especially if there were a rapid change in the number of such properties. My Department and the Housing Executive are therefore carrying out research on second-home ownership to improve our understanding of what has gone on. Also, at a basic level, the local council needs to know the extent of second-home ownership to properly understand the need for new housing and to make provision for that in its local development plans.

This will, of course, require all of the Executive to work together. The Department for the Economy has a role as well. The provision of tourist accommodation in Northern Ireland is regulated by Tourism NI, which is undertaking a review of legislation relating to the provision of tourism accommodation. That will allow it to consider the changes required to the regulatory environment in its totality to ensure sustainable growth. The Department for Infrastructure could look at the reforms that have been made in England. The Welsh Government have introduced powers for councils to charge a council tax premium of up to 300% on second homes. Obviously, that will require consideration by colleagues in the Department of Finance. As you can see, this issue will require a genuinely collaborative approach because it impacts on Departments across the Executive. I will write to Executive colleagues shortly on the housing supply strategy, and I hope to have an early discussion on those issues.

I will touch on some of the comments that were made. The Member who secured the debate was right to say that this is the most pressing issue for all of us in our constituency offices. That is why we need to address it. Alan Robinson — or should I call him the Member for West-East Londonderry? — was right to highlight the point that this should not be about pitting second-home owners against those who live in the area permanently. What we need is additional supply to deal with the demand, and that is at the heart of what we are trying to do. We do not want to be in the position, as Sian Mulholland said, of people moving away. Families moving out causes huge problems for the community, including a damaging loss of services. Ms Sugden was right to raise the issue of homelessness. We know the instability that moving about creates in the life of a family, and for children in particular. That is why this needs to be raised.

I am committed to a genuinely ambitious and strategic programme of work that will deliver for everybody. I recognise that these issues face people across the country and that a cross-Executive approach will be required, and I am up for that. I will bring the housing supply strategy forward soon. I want to make sure that we are in a position to ensure that everyone has a safe, sustainable and affordable place to call home.

Thank you, Minister Lyons, for that response.

Adjourned at 5.10 pm.