AQW 44093/22-27

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 16/04/2026
Answered On Date: 14/05/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities to detail (i) an update on any progress his Department has made to revitalise the Housing Executive, given there has been no approval from HM Treasury to give power to the arm's-length body to borrow against its own income; and (ii) any other options now being considered.

Answer:

The NIHE already has powers to borrow, it is specifically the budgeting treatment which needs to be agreed. The June 2025 Spending Review secured agreement that NIHE borrowing would be addressed through immediate negotiations between the UK Government and NI Executive on a full NI Fiscal Framework. My Department is pressing urgently on this matter to secure approval.

While these discussions continue, my focus is on maximising the investment NIHE can afford, targeting that investment towards the most pressing priorities and identifying how the NI Executive and my Department can best support NIHE in the interim period.