Housing Strategy

Part of Northern Ireland Assembly – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 3:15 pm on 16 April 2012.

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Photo of Nelson McCausland Nelson McCausland DUP 3:15, 16 April 2012

If the Member looks down the list of questions for today, he will see that there is one specifically on the issue of empty homes. At the moment, we are operating two pilot schemes to see what, in the Northern Ireland context, is the best way of addressing that issue. There are areas in which we clearly see a concentration of empty homes. We need to know what the nature of that. What is the breakdown of ownership of those homes? Why are they lying empty and what can be done to get them back into use as quickly as possible? Once we have completed the pilot schemes — the results should be known within weeks — we will be in a position to take this to the next stage.