OUTGOING Communities Minister Carál Ní Chuilín says she will reflect with pride on her six months of “hard work” in the role, made more difficult by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The North Belfast MLA stepped in to cover Sinn Féin colleague Deirdre Hargey who was forced to step aside earlier this year due to illness. With Minister Hargey returning to the role last week, Carál hopes she can continue were she left off.

During her absence, the Department of Communities under Carál Ní Chuilín  announced a strategy to deal with the housing shortage and enable the Housing Executive to borrow money and start building houses again.

“I was aware of a lot of the issues within the Department but I don’t think anything can prepare you for what to do in the midst of a pandemic,” explained Carál.

“It was a great experience and there was a lot of hard work done across the board by most Executive Ministers. Putting health was at the forefront of everything apart from recently when the DUP used a veto in a vote on health regulations.

“I was in DCAL for five years and that experience stood me in good stead.

“Living in North Belfast and dealing with a lot of the issues as an MLA is probably the best experience I could have had for the role.

“Communities is all about people and people are struggling. We need a robust anti-poverty strategy.

“I put money aside for food hampers in the run up to Christmas and money for charities. I also made sure period products were prioritised which is a real issue.

“I also did weekly meetings regarding Casement and they will continue under Deirdre. 

"One of the big things during my time was my work with the Housing Executive. It is the biggest shake up in its history.

“We need to build more homes to deal with the demand. The right to a home is very real and the situation is desperate in areas of high demand.

“Working under Covid restrictions was very difficult. I couldn’t go out and talk to people like normal.”

Welcoming Deirdre back into the role, Carál added: “I have no doubt Deirdre will pick up on some of my work and bring her own style to it.

“There is no coincidence that both Deirdre and myself are active housing and equal rights activists.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Department and I want to thank all the staff for their tireless work these past months. Their commitment to getting things done and ensuring the delivery of services and support to those in need throughout this pandemic was inspiring.  

"They should be justly proud of all they have achieved and the service they have provided the public during these most difficult of times.”