AQO 241/07

Mrs Naomi Long
Alliance Party
East Belfast

Tabled Date: 19/06/2007
Answered On Date: 02/07/2007
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Social Development to make a statement on further provision of shared housing estates in line with the policy document 'A Shared Future'.

Answer:

In Northern Ireland social housing applicants exercise their choice by identifying where they want to live. Through Shared Future my Department is working to ensure that social housing applicants have the opportunity to exercise real choice free of fear.

Shared housing is not about socially engineering communities or neighbourhoods. Trust and safety will dictate the pace of change. Together with my Ministerial colleagues I will be working to create a climate where trust and safety can grow and thrive in our community.

The Housing Executive's duty is to ensure housing is provided on the basis of need. There is no doubt that community division and segregation exerts a high price, in housing terms, preventing the best use being made of existing housing and land.

Shared Future states that the Housing Executive should bring forward as soon as is practicable its proposed 2 shared-future pilot housing schemes. The 2 pilot areas which have been chosen are Enniskillen, which is complete, and Loughbrickland. The Housing Executive is also in the process of examining the 5 year Social Housing Development Programme to identify further schemes which would be appropriate for the Shared Future model.