To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister, in light of recent violence, whether there are plans to update the draft Framework on Race Relations.

Mrs O'Neill (The First Minister)

We are shocked and deeply saddened for both the victim of the horrific incident in north Belfast and the people who have been impacted on by the disorder that we have witnessed since. There is absolutely no justification for racism, violence or intimidation. Entire communities have been left frightened and shaken, and the damage done will take time to repair. We recently met members of the racial equality subgroup to listen to and learn from accounts of how the disorder has impacted on people and communities. Any final framework will be important for setting the longer-term vision and priorities for tackling racial inequalities and race relations issues. The public consultation on the draft framework for race relations has received over 700 responses and a wealth of input through engagement with our minority communities. Officials are analysing responses with a view to revising the draft framework to take on board the feedback received, as is standard with any draft policy. Once the process has completed, the final framework will be subject to Executive agreement.

Mrs O'Neill

The Member makes a valid point. Different areas have different challenges, so there needs to be flexibility in the work that we do across councils. We have to first be consistent in having strong messaging against racism and other forms of hate that we see in society. Our council hubs are stood up at times of crisis, but it is important, as we proceed, to reflect on two things: how to help people in the immediate aftermath of what has happened; and how we can bring forward programmes and work with our councils, for example, on diversionary activity for young people, and ensure that our councils are a bit more consistent. The Member makes a good point, which we will consider in the framework discussions and in the immediate response to what happened last week.

Miss Hargey

First Minister, you touched on your recent meeting with the racial equality subgroup. Do you agree that it is important that the voices of those with lived experience are taken into account when drafting the framework for race relations?

Mrs O'Neill

Yes. It is so important that the voices of those with lived experience are taken into account, because, ultimately, the framework has to be about making a difference to their lives and how they live. As I indicated, we met the racial equality subgroup in Stormont in the past few weeks. We have also met people in the community in north Belfast, including representatives from ethnic minority communities, all of whom had been impacted on by the racist attacks that we saw on our streets. I personally wanted to offer my full support to the and to say that we will do everything that we can to weed out the ugliness that we see in pockets across our society. It is crucial that we hear directly from those ethnic minority communities, because we have to understand what their lives are like and what their experience is and then try to find ways in which to have a more cohesive society and ways in which to support them. It is about ensuring that their voices are heard and reflected in the framework and that we can make a real, positive difference for them and their families, because that is what politics has to be about: making a difference. I am sure that many Members have engaged with members from the black and ethnic minority community in recent weeks. Some of the stories that I heard were heartbreaking, such as a parent explaining to a six-year-old why people hate them. That is an awful indictment of society, so we all need to be strong in ensuring that we do everything that we can, and I hope that the framework gives us a chance to do so.

Mr Brooks

I echo the sentiments that racism is always wrong, but one of the pressures that are causing frustration is the lack of social and affordable housing, particularly in our most deprived communities. That has been exacerbated by Mears's operation. Sinn Féin has been vocal in criticising the Irish Government for their housing policy, yet the Northern Ireland Communities Minister has repeatedly made it clear that the Finance Minister has not even given him the funding for housing to meet the Programme for Government (PFG) targets. Why is it always one rule for Sinn Féin in the South and another for Sinn Féin in Northern Ireland? Will the First Minister urgently ensure that funding for housing is prioritised?

Mrs O'Neill

I have been critical of Mears also, as has the deputy First Minister. We have raised that as an issue. As the Member knows, immigration policy is not devolved, but we have taken every opportunity to raise concerns with the relevant Ministers. On housing supply more generally, we are all of one mind here that we need to build more homes. I want to live up to the commitment that we made in the Programme for Government. That is why we are in a battle for the Budget. Despite all the shenanigans in Westminster again today, we are at the bottom of the pile of priorities when it comes to getting a Budget that is fair and reflective of what we need here in order to build more homes. I stand over the Programme for Government commitment to build more homes. I want to work with all Ministers around the Executive table to ensure that we have the right investment package to allow us to build more homes, to unblock waste water infrastructure connections and to do everything else that makes it possible for us to build homes.

Mr O'Toole

I acknowledge and welcome the First Minister's strong words and her condemnation of the racism that we have seen, but racial minorities in our society want more than words. Frankly, they have seen a lack of urgency from the Executive in finding a practical response. This is now the third year in which we have had racial violence, particularly in this city. In this city, we had an attempted pogrom last week, which included people having to shelter in my office. In welcoming her words, I ask for more specificity on actions to prevent more pogroms — that is what they were — this summer. What action will be taken to resource the police? Will there be a rapid response on housing? What urgent action will be taken on integration? I ask the First please to be specific about what actions will be taken this summer.

Mrs O'Neill

There is not just one answer to it, as the Member knows. We need to come at it from every angle. That could be a policing response initially, for which additional funding was secured. I agree that this is the third year in a row in which we have had that type of racist behaviour on our streets. Likewise, I would describe it as a pogrom. We have to do things in the here and now to respond to what has happened, but we are also looking urgently at what we can do into the future. If we can predict that it will happen, which is a really uncomfortable thing to say, we have to do everything that we can. That is why, in the first instance, strong political condemnation was required. The PSNI obviously took the lead on the policing response, but the Executive met the racial equality subgroup. We met council hubs. We have continued our engagement with local leaders. We have reinstated the crisis fund and have released funding of £400,000 for the planned interventions programme, which is engaging 1,400 young people. In addition, as I referenced earlier, we have instructed officials to produce proposals for the immediate term and the longer term. We then have the work that we are doing on the framework, which I have just discussed. It will take a combination of all those things to weed out the racism that we see in our society.

Mr Gaston

Updating the draft framework on race relations will make not one bit of difference to the tensions that currently exist in many working-class communities across Northern Ireland. At what point will the Northern Ireland Executive start listening to those communities and do something about the problem of illegal immigration and of people using the porous border to come to Northern Ireland to claim asylum?

Mrs O'Neill

It is important that anybody who holds an elected office be responsible in how they speak. It is really important that they be responsible for the messages that they communicate, because those messages can add to the tensions on our streets. Anybody in the House who does anything to inflame tensions should be ashamed of themselves. Anybody in the House who holds elected office who does not set out the facts as they are and instead gets involved in misinformation and disinformation should also be ashamed of themselves. We all want to see controlled immigration; we need the Irish Government to work with the British Government and vice versa. There are issues that need to be resolved, and we have raised them with the responsible Ministers because it is not a devolved matter. I encourage the Member, even at this late stage, to do the decent thing and the right thing, because the society that I live in is not reflected in the images that were beamed all around the world. That is not who we are. The vast majority in the Chamber will agree with that.

Mr Carroll

I commend the First Minister on her strong anti-racist statement, which is really important at this time. Obviously, our first concern is for the migrants, asylum seekers and people of colour who are under the threat of violence and are likely to be so over the summer. A lot of people have been financially penalised by the violence over the last two weeks because they have lost their homes and businesses. Have the Executive discussed financially supporting people who have been affected by the racist violence? If not, when will that happen?

Mrs O'Neill

As I said, we are looking at a range of things to assist people here and now. Obviously, we will plan for the future, and some of the areas have been identified. The initial response was from the police, but the responsibility to help people has moved to the Department for Communities, and that includes rehousing people who have been displaced from their homes and supporting them in every way that we can. The deputy First Minister and I met the racial equality subgroup last week, and we have taken up the issues raised at the meeting with the Department to turn around a response. We want to respond to those people and get them settled again as quickly as possible. We will leave no stone unturned to support people during this period.