Ministerial Speech to the Irish Social Sciences Platform Summer School - 25 June 2008

Dr Burgess, thank you so much for your kind invitation and opportunity to join you all this morning.  Being here today takes me back, shall we say a few years, to my own days as a student at Queens University in Belfast.  

The Irish Social Sciences Platform is to be congratulated for providing this opportunity for you all to come together to try to understand better the social, cultural and economic transformations shaping Ireland in the 21st Century. Because we live in changing times: changing and challenging times.

I understand that one of the three inter-related research areas that you have come together this week to explore and discuss is ‘social inclusion and the creation of sustainable communities’.  

Building communities, tackling disadvantage and supporting those in greatest need is central to all that I do as Minister for Social Development in the Northern Ireland Executive and so I am delighted to be able to share some thoughts with you this morning and perhaps these can stimulate some debate and discussion later in this workshop.

It is a real challenge for divided communities such as those in the North to live and work together. Indeed the challenge is all the greater in a society moving away from conflict.  However, at long last we have a measure of political stability which now gives us a chance to address the fundamental problems of our dysfunctional society.

And our society is dysfunctional. Although, to some extent, we manage to share the workplace – we are deeply divided and segregated in terms of where we live, where our children are educated and in our social lives.

We need a stable society where our children can play together, where people can work together and where families can live happily side by side, regardless of their community and ethnic backgrounds and beliefs. This mutual respect and acceptance are determining factors in enriching our communities and ensuring that they become inclusive and sustainable.

But this Shared Future will not just happen naturally. It has to be built. And that is why I have placed it at the centre of my New Housing Agenda, the first root and branch strategic housing initiative in a generation.

I aim to deliver as many newbuild social and affordable housing schemes as possible, where the occupants are from mixed traditions and are signed up to a Shared Future charter.

My prototype for this model was Carran Crescent a small social housing development in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh.  This has been an award-winning success and augurs well for the future.

We will develop this model further and extend it to as many newbuild developments as possible over the next 3 years.

We also have plans to convert many existing social housing developments to Shared Future status.  This is where tenants and owner-occupiers will pledge to share their neighbourhoods in a spirit of co-operation, respect and mutual support.

We have identified some 30 of these established areas initially – for the ‘Shared Future’ treatment.

However, Shared Future is not just about bringing together different political traditions.  We are divided and separated in other ways as well.

We are therefore also committed to more mixed tenure developments so that social and affordable housing becomes de-stigmatised.  There are still too many class and income-related divisions between people, in terms of where they live.

We are also progressing the introduction of a developer contribution – something that already operates in the South of Ireland and in Britain – so that the private sector can contribute better to the provision of social and affordable – as well as market priced housing.

I am pleased that already some major developers in the North are offering a contribution on a voluntary basis and accepting also the desirability of mixed tenure and ‘pepper-potting’.  Making sure that the social and affordable housing is indistinguishable from the rest.

Having a Shared Future in housing also means, literally, helping people to get their fair share.  So another plank in our New Housing Agenda is to help people – particularly young people – get onto the housing ladder and help them stay there.  

We are therefore putting substantial effort and support into co ownership and equity sharing.  And for some who need temporary assistance we will establish a mortgage rescue scheme.

When people own their own home have a tangible, physical stake in their community.  That makes for a stronger more cohesive community.  

I am also looking at specific ways of helping our growing ethnic minority groups in Northern Ireland. Our new citizens make a major contribution to the enrichment of our communities and our economy. We must not forget to incorporate their priorities and aspirations into our Shared Future.

May I now turn to our efforts to address deprivation through Neighbourhood Renewal.

The Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy, which is not unlike the RAPID scheme operating here in Ireland, represents the Northern Ireland Executive’s response to the deep seated, intergenerational deprivation which has been a characteristic of our urban areas for many years.  

Through the comprehensive regeneration of Neighbourhood Renewal areas my Department is focused on working with all parts of Government to tackle the core causes of deprivation in disadvantaged areas, issues such as educational attainment, lack of skills and qualifications, poorer health outcomes and levels of crime and poor community safety.

Delivering improvements in these areas and bringing about improvements in the quality of life cannot be done by any single Department or agency but requires a long term, strategic and co-ordinated approach across all Government Departments.  

It needs all Departments and agencies to develop new and innovative responses targeted on delivering measurable change in the levels of disadvantage in line with the Programme for Government objectives.

The challenge is for public bodies, agencies and communities to work together – and to work together effectively – to deliver their priorities within the Neighbourhood Renewal agenda and, therefore, to deliver a comprehensive and holistic response to deprivation.

The third strand of my Department’s approach to building sustainable communities and encouraging social inclusion is through volunteering.

This is something that anyone can do - no matter what age they are, where they come from, how much they earn or what religious or cultural background they belong to. Volunteering is a wonderful opportunity that is open to all.

For those on the receiving end of voluntary assistance, it is often a lifeline. The vulnerable and the disadvantaged can rely upon volunteers to lessen their sense of isolation, to offer advice and support and to provide practical help.

For those who choose to volunteer, it can be a chance to grow in confidence and acquire new skills. It is also an opportunity to meet new people and forge new friendships. And of course, there is the sense of achievement and satisfaction that comes from helping others.

Volunteering is invaluable on this individual level, but it is also important on a community level. It can contribute to the regeneration and renewal of an area. It can help to create vibrant, energised and safe communities.

I am currently taking forward the development of the first ever Volunteering Strategy for Northern Ireland.  It will convey a strong message about the value of volunteering and how it can strengthen us as a region - connecting citizens and communities, strengthening the fabric of society and creating a more inclusive and cohesive society.    

Each of these three strands requires partnership and commitment if it is to be successful. Social inclusion and building sustainable communities are not simple issues and do not have simple or quick solutions.  We will achieve little if we do not work together and even less if we are not prepared to see the work through.

And finally, everything I have spoken of here today – and indeed all of the work of my Department – can be linked back to what I was saying earlier – that is: a Shared Future.  Where I come from, after years of division and separation, there is no more important agenda than rebuilding our communities and healing our divisions.

Dr Burgess, delegates, thank you for listening to me today.

I wish you the best of success with your studies and I trust you will enjoy the rest of the programme.