To ask the Minister for Communities to detail the level of co-operation that exists between her Department and the Home Office in the sourcing and securing of temporary accommodation for both local homeless people and those arriving via refugee programmes.

I have sought the requested information from the Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, who has advised me as follows:

“The Department for Communities (DfC) and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) are key partners in the delivery in Northern Ireland of the Syrian Vulnerable Person Relocation Scheme, the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy and the Afghan Citizens Relocation Scheme. Under these schemes temporary accommodation is directly sourced for refugees in advance of arrival in Northern Ireland.

DfC and NIHE are actively involved in the delivery of support for Ukrainian nationals that have arrived in Northern Ireland under the various visa schemes provided by the UK government in response to the Russian invasion. The NIHE directly deliver a response to breakdowns in sponsorship arrangements under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme that could involve sourcing new sponsorship hosts or providing assistance under statutory homelessness including providing temporary accommodation.

In Northern Ireland the Executive Office has responsibility for refugee and asylum integration and has established structures at strategic and operational levels through which DfC and NIHE engage on a range of issues, including the provision of temporary accommodation. The Housing Executive also works with the Home Office and the Mears Group in relation to refugees moving on from the asylum process that require homelessness assistance and temporary accommodation.”